Antelope Valley College is pleased to announce the introduction of an Associate Degree in Respiratory Care. The Antelope Valley College respiratory care program is under a Letter of Review upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
What is Respiratory Care?
• Respiratory care is a health profession that specializes in the promotion of optimum cardiopulmonary function and health. Respiratory care practitioners apply scientific principles to prevent, identify, and treat acute or chronic dysfunction of the cardiopulmonary system.
Respiratory therapists have an in-depth knowledge of:
• Cardiopulmonary anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology
• Patient assessment and cardiopulmonary diagnostics
• Pulmonary disease
• Advance life support and critical care
• Pharmacology
• Biomedical engineering and technology
Respiratory therapists effectively:
• Assess, educate and treat patients with heart and lung problems
Respiratory care is focused on:
• Prevention
• Assessment
• Treatment
• Management
• Control
• Diagnostic evaluation
• Education and care
What do respiratory therapists do?
• Apply critical thinking
• Apply patient/environment assessment skills
• Apply evidence based clinical practice skills
• Develop and implement effective care plans
• Apply patient driven protocols
• Implement disease management programs
• Perform therapeutic and diagnostic procedures
What are the prerequisites for entrance into the program?
•
Prerequisites for RCP 101 in the Associate Degree Respiratory Therapy Program are: Completion of BIOL 101 (General Biology – 4 units), BIOL 201 (General Human Anatomy – 4 units), CHEM 101 (Introductory Chemistry – 5 units) at Antelope Valley College or the equivalent at another accredited college. All science courses require a lab. Students are also required to meet the following prerequisites: minimum GPA of 2.0 for all college courses taken; minimum GPA of 2.0 for BIOL 101, BIOL 201and CHEM 101.
How do I enroll?
• All students wanting to enroll in RCP 101 should follow the instructions on the “Verification of Prerequisites for RCP 101” (obtained from the Health Sciences Division).
For more information about respiratory care as a career, visit the web site for the Respiratory Care Board of California: www.rcb.ca.gov
Respiratory Care Suggested Curriculum
| Required Courses |
Course Description |
Units |
| BIOL 101 |
General Biology (GE requirement Area A) |
4 |
| CHEM 101/101L |
Introductory Chemistry/Chemistry Lab |
5 |
| BIOL 201 |
General Human Anatomy |
4 |
| BIOL 101, BIOL 201 and CHEM 101 |
are prerequisites for entry into RT 101/101CL. All science courses must include the lab. |
13
|
| First Semester |
Course Description |
Units |
| RCP 101/101CL |
Fundamentals of Respiratory Care |
6 |
| RCP 102 |
Clinical Preparation for Respiratory Care |
0.5 |
| BIOL 202 |
General Human Physiology |
4 |
| ENGL 101 |
Freshman Composition (GE requirement Area D-1) |
3 |
| |
|
13.5 |
| Second Semester |
Course Description |
Units |
| RCP 103/103CL |
Concepts in Respiratory Care |
6 |
| RCP 104 |
Respiratory Care Pharmacology |
3 |
| MATH 102 |
Intermediate Algebra (GE requirement Area E) |
4 |
| COMM 103 |
Process of Communication(GE requirement Area D-2)
|
3 |
| |
|
16 |
| Summer Session |
Course Description |
Units |
| RCP 105/105CL |
Fundamentals of Clinical Respiratory Care
|
5 |
| |
|
5 |
| Third Semester |
Course Description |
Units |
| RCP 201 |
Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care |
3 |
| RCP 202/202CL |
Fundamentals of Intensive Respiratory Care |
4 |
| RCP 203/203CL |
Seminar and Practicum in Respiratory Care I |
6 |
| |
|
13 |
| Fourth Semester |
Course Description |
Units |
| RCP 204/204CL |
Seminar and Practicum in Respiratory Care II |
9 |
| PSY 101 |
General Psychology (GE requirement Area B) |
3 |
| |
Course from GE requirement Area C |
3 |
| |
Course from GE requirement Area F |
3 |
| |
|
18 |
