Respiratory care is a high technology field that also requires good interpersonal communication.
The respiratory care practitioner treats individuals suffering from disorders affecting the cardiopulmonary system. These disorders range from chronic diseases such as sleep apnea, asthma, emphysema, and occupational lung disease to acute problems resulting in pneumonia, traumatic injury, and shock. People requiring respiratory care range in age from the premature infant to the very old. In the clinical specialty practicum during the senior year, students select concentration in adult critical care, pulmonary diagnostics, pulmonary rehabilitation, polysomnography, management, education, neonatal critical care, or hyperbaric medicine. 66- 72 undergraduate prerequisite hours with an emphasis in science.