Respirator care program | Stark State College | Ohio
Respiratory Care

Respiratory care

Note: Deadline to apply for fall 2024 semester is June 5, 2024.

What is respiratory care?
Respiratory care is a health care specialty involved in the assessment, treatment, management and diagnostic evaluation of patients with cardiopulmonary disease.

Who are respiratory therapists?
Respiratory therapists work under the direction of a physician as part of a multidisciplinary team of health professionals who provide care for patients with conditions such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, chest trauma, as well as other lung and heart diseases. Respiratory therapists are trained in adult, pediatric and neonatal care.

For more information about the field of respiratory care, see aarc.org/ and/or morerts.com.

Job duties include

  • administration of medical gases, including oxygen
  • aerosol therapy
  • hyperinflation therapy
  • bronchial hygiene techniques
  • arterial blood gas punctures
  • cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  • ventilator management
  • EKG monitoring
  • diagnostic testing
  • sleep studies
  • rehabilitation

Areas of patient care include

  • general medical
  • surgical
  • intensive care
  • emergency/trauma
  • pediatric and neonatal
  • home care
  • sleep
  • diagnostic
  • rehabilitation
  • long-term acute care

What credentials are required?

The completion of Stark State College’s Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Care degree meets the educational requirements for national credentialing and licensure in Ohio. Graduates of Stark State College’s program are eligible to apply for the National Board of Respiratory Care’s Therapist Multiple Choice examination (TMC). Passing the exam at the low- cut score qualifies students for the National Board of Respiratory Care Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential. Students must pass the Therapist Multiple Choice exam at the high cut score to be eligible to sit for the second portion of the credentialing exams, the Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE). To qualify for the National Board of Respiratory Care Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential, one must pass both the TMC and CSE examinations. For more information regarding credentials, see nbrc.org.

One must be a registered respiratory therapist and be licensed in Ohio to practice in Ohio. After students earn their RRT credential they must apply for licensure through the Ohio Medical Board. Stark State College has not determined whether completion of their CoARC accredited Respiratory Care program meets the educational requirements to apply for a professional license in other states outside of Ohio. See NBRC for a list of contact information for other state licensure agencies.

Many of Stark State’s employer partners offer tuition assistance with job placement opportunities after graduation. For more information on partners such as Akron Children’s Hospital, Mercy Medical Center, Summa Health and others, please contact the program coordinator.

Accreditation information

Stark State College’s respiratory care program, CoARC program #200354, awards an associate of applied science degree and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), coarc.com.

CoARC
264 Precision Blvd.
Telford, TN 37690
817-283-2835
Fax: 817-458-4219

Program Outcomes

CoARC is the organization that accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an ‘outcomes based’ process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.

See the CoARC website for more information on accreditation, program outcomes and list of all accredited programs. Stark State College’s respiratory care program is listed as program # 200354. Programmatic outcomes data reported on the CoARC website include:

  • 3-year time period being reported
  • RRT credentialing success
  • achievement of the high cut sore on the TMC Exam
  • retention
  • job placement
  • overall graduate satisfaction
  • overall employer satisfaction
  • total number of program enrollees
  • total number of program graduates
  • maximum annual enrollment.
Graduation year
RRT exam success rate
Retention
Employment in field
Employer satisfaction
Graduate satisfaction
2022
95%
86%
95%
100%
100%
2021
88%
100%
88%
100%
100%
2020
100%
92%
94%
100%
100%
3-yr. avg.
94%
92%
94%
100%
100%

For more information on Stark State College’s Respiratory Care program outcomes please view complete reports on the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care website. https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/

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