Students can begin taking support courses to reduce their quarter load and should contact the Division Counselor for an appointment. Under the direction of a physician, the respiratory care practitioner works with other health care professionals to deliver health care in the treatment of patients with cardiopulmonary disorders including the use of medical gases, medications, aerosols, lung drainage, ventilatory support, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management, respiratory disease management and diagnostic testing. Classroom and laboratory instruction is combined with clinical experience in various local health care facilities.
Employers are consistently pleased with the performance of our graduates.
High school students interested in a career in Respiratory Care are encouraged to take courses in health, biology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. A working knowledge of science and mathematics is essential. An understanding of chemical and physical principles such as general gas laws, the states of matter, chemical reactions at the atomic level, and the periodic table is also important. Computing medication dosages and calculating gas concentrations are just two examples of the need for knowledge of science and mathematics. Job opportunities are available in every area of the country.