Respiratory Therapy is the health profession that cares for patients with deficiencies and abnormalities of the cardiopulmonary system.
The respiratory therapist, also known as Respiratory Care Practitioner, sees a diverse group of patients ranging from newborn and pediatric patients to adults and the elderly.
- Disease states or conditions often requiring respiratory therapy include (but are not limited to) the following:
- asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive lung disease, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, infant respiratory distress syndrome, and conditions brought on by shock, trauma or postoperative surgical complications.
- Respiratory therapists are also involved in many specialty areas of the hospital:
- adult intensive care units, newborn labor and delivery, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, pulmonary function laboratory, sleep laboratory, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, stress testing, and bronchoscopy.
- In addition to hospitals, the respiratory therapist delivers Respiratory Therapy in these locations:
- home, rehabilitation agencies, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, and physicians' offices.
The SCC Respiratory Therapy Program is a two-year (24-month) Associate in Applied degree program fully accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care and approved by the American Medical Association. Graduates of this program will receive the Associate in Applied Science degree in Respiratory Therapy.
Graduates are eligible to take the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)-Certified Respiratory Therapy (CRT) exam.
Graduates must pass the CRT exam in order to qualify for a permanent North Carolina license as a Respiratory Care Practitioner.
Graduates are also eligible to take the NBRC-Registered Respiratory Therapist exam after passing the CRT. Click the Be an RT icon for more information from the American Association for Respiratory Care.
Also available are new Admission Information and Frequently Asked Questions regarding the program.
 |
If you have any questions regarding Respiratory Care, please contact Associate Professor and Program Coordinator William Croft. Telephone: 910-695-3836 E-mail: croftb@sandhills.edu |