Course Descriptions - Respiratory Care (RC)

RC 094 PCE TOPIC
Non-credit professional and continuing education (PCE) courses offered to provide condensed coursework to meet the needs of working students and professionals. These courses are eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) and OPI Renewal Units and are transcribed on the student’s continuing education transcript.

 

RC 140 RESPIRATORY CARE CLINIC I
Credits: 3
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of 1st semester of RT program

Students will gain knowledge through supervised experiences in hospital patient care, techniques, and equipment. Emphasis is on patient contact, medical gases, hyperinflation, equipment, percussion, humidity and aerosol therapy, airway management, and secretion management. Safety and environmental awareness will be covered in all clinical courses.

 

RC 141 RESPIRATORY CARE CLINIC II
Credits: 4
Term: (SU)
Prerequisite: Completion of 2nd semester of RT program

Students will have supervised experiences in hospital patient care, techniques, and equipment. The previous clinical techniques will be expanded with emphasis on IPPB, artificial airway suctioning, chest physiotherapy, medication nebulization, EKGs, chest assessment, and continuous mechanical ventilation.

 

RC 150 RESPIRATORY CARE
Credits: 3
Term: (F)
Prerequisite: Acceptance into RT program

The course is an introduction course to the field of Respiratory Care.  The topics covered are essential for the student to enter the clinical portion of the Respiratory Therapist Program.  Course content includes gases, the field of Respiratory Care as it relates to the entire health care delivery system, medical terminology, communication, ethics, effects of tobacco on health, and respiratory medications.

 

RC 155 RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGY
Credits: 3
Term: (F)
Prerequisite: Acceptance into RT program

Respiratory Physiology covers anatomy and physiology of the cardio-pulmonary systems. Topics studied are blood, the heart, vessels, respiratory structure, the physics of gas pressure, ventilation, regulation of ventilation, O2 and CO2 transport, ventilation and perfusion balance, acid-base balance, and interpretation of arterial blood gases.

 

RC 170 RESPIRATORY CARE TECHNIQUES & PROCEDURES I
Credits: 5
Term: (F)
Prerequisite: Acceptance into RT program

Knowledge and skills taught will provide students with the theories, principles, and laboratory experience in the areas of medical gas therapy and aerosol and humidification therapy in the use of hyperinflation devices and chest physical therapy. An introduction to infection control, body mechanics, gas analyzers, artificial airways, manual resuscitators, secretion removal, and safety and environmental awareness will be studied.

 

RC 171 RESPIRATORY CARE TECHNIQUES & PROCEDURES II
Credits: 5
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 1st semester of the RT program

Knowledge and skills taught will provide students with the theories, principles, and laboratory experience in the areas of adult and infant mechanical ventilation. Ventilators including but not limited to: Respironics V60 & BiPAP Vision, Puritan Bennett 840, Hamilton Galileo Gold, Sensormedics 3100A High Frequency Oscillator.  Other areas such as arterial blood gas techniques, transcutaneous gas monitoring, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, mixed gas therapy, discontinuance of mechanical ventilation, troubleshooting during mechanical ventilation, techniques of ventilation, ventilator waveforms and high frequency ventilation will also be investigated.

 

RC 180 VENTILATOR MANAGEMENT
Credits: 2
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 1st semster of the RT program

Ventilator Management prepares Respiratory Therapist students to care for the respiratory needs of adult patients in the intensive care setting.  Content includes: relating physiologic measurements to patients’ ventilation and oxygenation status, establishing the need for mechanical ventilation, selecting initial ventilator parameters and settings, assessing and modifying ventilator parameters and settings, monitoring mechanically ventilated patients, physiologic effects and complications of mechanical ventilation, weaning from ventilators.

RC 194 PCE TOPIC
Credits: VARIES (Sufficient Demand)

Credit-bearing professional and continuing education (PCE) courses offered to provide students and professionals condensed courses for skills upgrades, Professional Certification requirements, and as electives for the Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degrees. These courses may be eligible for financial aid for students pursuing the AA or AS degrees and are transcribed on the student’s undergraduate transcript.

 

RC 240 RESPIRATORY CARE CLINIC III
Credits: 5
Term: (F)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 3rd semster of the RT program

Students will be supervised in an in-hospital practice advanced therapeutic and diagnostic respiratory care procedures including pulmonary function testing, arterial blood gases, intubations, continuing education, pulmonary rehabilitation, newborn and adult intensive care, and supervisory management.  This course with RC 241 extended through two semesters.

 

RC 241 RESPIRATORY CARE CLINIC IV
Credits: 4
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 4th semster of the RT program

Students will be supervised in an in-hospital practice advanced therapeutic and diagnostic respiratory care procedures including pulmonary function testing, arterial blood gases, intubations, continuing education, pulmonary rehabilitation, newborn and adult intensive care, and supervisory management.  This course with RC 240 extended through two semesters.

 

RC 245 RESPIRATORY CARE CLINICAL SEMINAR I
Credits: 1
Term: (F)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 3rd semster of the RT program

The purpose for this course is to provide students with an opportunity to share significant clinical experiences, to present clinical problems, to practice communication skills, and the presentation of student in-services.  The student will learn to succeed on the NBRC Clinical Simulation Examination and participate in taking the NBRC comprehensive self-assessment exam.  Complete job seeking skills will be taught.  This course is concurrent with Respiratory Therapy Clinical RC 240.

 

RC 246 RESPIRATORY CARE CLINICAL SEMINAR II
Credits: 1
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 4th semster of the RT program

The purpose for this course is to provide students with an opportunity to share significant clinical experiences, to present clinical problems, to practice communication skills, and the presentation of student in-services.  The student will learn to succeed on the NBRC Clinical Simulation Examination and participate in taking the NBRC comprehensive self-assessment exam.  Complete job seeking skills will be taught.  This course is concurrent with Respiratory Therapy Clinical RC 240.

 

RC 250 HEMODYNAMIC MONITORING
Credits: 4
Term: (F)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 3rd semester of the RT program

Hemodynamic Monitoring covers topics about the circulatory system necessary Respiratory Therapist to work in adult intensive care settings. Course content includes: cardiac dysrhythmias and management of the circulatory system based on hemodynamic measurements.

 

RC 255 PULMONARY ASSESSMENT
Credits: 3
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 1st semester of the RT program

This course covers diagnostic techniques and procedures including interview and history taking, chest assessment, chest radiology, laboratory tests, arterial blood gases and an introduction to pulmonary function testing. This information is used to investigate pulmonary diseases.

 

RC 260 NEONATAL RESPIRATORY CARE
Credits: 3
Term: (SU)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 2nd semester of the RT program

Neonatal Respiratory Care is an infant intensive care course. Topics studied are fetal to neonatal transition, assessment of the newborn, cardiopulmonary disorders of the newborn and respiratory therapeutic procedures for the newborn.

 

RC 265 ALTERNATE SITES FOR RESPIRATORY CARE
Credits: 1
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 4th semester of the RT program

Respiratory Care is performed in many sites outside of the traditional medical center setting.  This course will provide the student with the knowledge and practice of respiratory care in pulmonary rehabilitation, home care, and subacute care skilled nursing facilities. 

 

RC 273 PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTING
Credits: 2
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 4th semester of the RT program

Pulmonary Function Testing is a study of pulmonary diagnostic testing. The student will survery, and interpret spironetry, lung volumes, diffusion tests and perform spirometry, lung volumes tests.

 

RC 275 PULMONARY DISEASES
Credits: 2
Term: (F)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 1st semester of the RT program

Pulmonary Diseases surveys etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, pathology, treatment, and prognosis of diseases of the lungs and diseases which affect the lungs.

 

RC 280 SUPERVISORY MANAGEMENT
Credits: 2
Term: (S)
Prerequisite: Completion of the 4th semester of the RT program

The objective of this course is to provide students with the information and skills to facilitate the transition from respiratory therapist to respiratory supervisor.  The areas investigated include interpersonal communications, planning, organizing, staffing, influencing, motivating, and controlling.  Practical respiratory supervisory scenarios provide student participation requiring role-play in interpersonal communications, problem solving and critical thinking.