Respiratory Care Respiratory Care Associate of Applied Science Degree 527-7634 Respiratory care is an allied health specialty encompassing the diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of problems affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. They set up oxygen, perform pulmonary function testing, maintain ventilators, administer respiratory drugs, and evaluate patient health status.
Respiratory care is a rapidly growing, people-oriented profession.
The demand for practitioners is increasing in New Mexico and throughout the United States. While most graduates continue to find employment in hospitals, opportunities are opening up with medical equipment suppliers and agencies providing home health care to pulmonary patients. Through classroom instruction and laboratory practice, students develop the knowledge needed to care for patients. They acquire additional hands-on experience in the clinical setting at local hospitals. The Respiratory Care program is supervised academically and clinically by medical directors who provide physician input to students in the classroom and the clinical setting.