Respiratory Care

Respiratory Care/Therapy - RCP

Respiratory Care/Therapy - RCP

Beginning January 2026, applications for admission will be online only. 

Program number: 200523

The Associates of Science in Respiratory Care Program at Antelope Valley College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (www.coarc.com). 

CoARC 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.

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care

(817) 283-2835
www.coarc.com

CoARC outcomes data is available at the following link: https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/ 

Visit the web site for the Respiratory Care Board of California: www.rcb.ca.gov 

Respiratory Care

What are the prerequisites for entrance into the program?

Prerequisites for RCP 101 in the Associate Degree Respiratory Care Program are: Completion of BIOL 201 (General Human Anatomy – 4 units), BIOL 202 (General Human Physiology – 4 units) CHEM 101 (Introductory Chemistry – 5 units), Any Math course that falls under AREA 2 and ENGL 101 (Academic Composition - 3 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 201, BIOL 202, CHEM 101, English 101, and AREA 2 Math Course.

* Beginning January 2026, applications for admission will be online only. *

Students will be given spaces in the program based on a multiple screening criteria. Should the 1st fall on a weekend, the due date will be the Monday immediately after. Students are admitted into the program in the fall of each year.  All students wanting to enroll in RCP 101 should follow the instructions on the “Verification of Prerequisites for RCP 101.

What to know before you apply: 

  1. Beginning January 1, 2026, the Health and Safety Sciences Office will no longer accept physical applications. This process will be online only. 

  1. You must sit with an AVC counselor and receive a completed educational plan. ( All pre-requisite courses must be completed. All substitutions/equivalencies must be approved. Any courses noted as in progress or pending approval will disqualify your application). This form is required to apply. You will be prompted to upload a copy when submitting your application.  

  1. Counseling WILL NOT schedule students for an educational planning and evaluation of transcripts two weeks from the application deadline. Please do not wait until the last minute to schedule this appointment if you are trying to apply by the deadline.  

  1. If you are trying to receive additional points for work experience, volunteer hours, or personal experiences, please download and correctly complete the appropriate forms to upload with your application. You will not get credit for these items if you do not upload the appropriate forms. 

  1. High School Graduation or GED Completion is a requirement for this program unless you have a college degree (Associates or higher) which can be used in lieu of. However, it must be posted on your official college transcripts. If this does not apply to you, you will have to send your official transcripts showing graduation of high school or GED completion. We do not accept certificates of completion or diplomas. 

  1. We no longer will accept physical transcripts and will only accept official electronic ones. This means you will have to request them through your institution or parchment. We will only accept transcripts during the application period. We will not accept ANY electronic transcripts directly from the student. They must come from the official institution. All required courses must be completed, we will not accept any noted as "In progress". If you are trying to receive credit for a degree, it must be posted on your transcript. We do not accept diplomas.  

  1. You will have to send transcripts from ALL colleges where you completed required courses INCLUDING AVC. If you did not take any courses that apply to this program at AVC, you will only send from institutions where relevant coursework was completed. The link to purchase your electronic transcript from AVC only is noted below.  

  2. If you attended high school or college outside of the United States and would like to use those courses for credit, you will have to have your transcripts evaluated by a NACES approved agency. 

  3. Only submit ONE application. Submitting multiple does not make the chances of acceptance higher but will make the screening process take longer. 

  4. You must have an AVC email address in order to complete the online application. If you are having issues with your email, please contact ITS at help@avc.edu  

  1. Once you submit, keep a copy of the response email informing you it has been submitted. Technical difficulties can occur. This is your proof that you submitted within the application window. 

Please note, we will not accept any documents (forms, transcripts, educational plans etc.)  before the application period begins or after it has closed. Any items received outside the application period will not be considered or saved. 

Link to purchase AVC Electronic Transcript: https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/34993/institution    

Forms for Application: 

Application: 
 

  • Link to Online Application: Fall 2026 (Will Open June 1, 2026 at 7:30 am and close July 20, 2026 at 6:00 pm) 

 

Requirements of Program if Offered Admission

Students who are offered a space in the program are required to adhere to the background, physical and vaccination guidelines set forth within the clinical affiliation agreements AVC Health programs have with various hospitals and doctors office's. If you fail to meet those requirements, you will not be able to proceed in the Respiratory Therapy Program.

Students must complete the following:

1. Full physical exam with vision, hearing CBC and urinalysis. Student must also be able to participate in the following activities without restriction:

  • Maintain emotional stability and to understand how to cope with stress during crisis situations.
  • Exhibit written and verbal communication skills.
  • Use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear and smell.
  • Walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl. Occasionally to sit and climb or balance, push, pull or bend.
  • Lift and/or move up to 30 pounds; perform all direct patient care activities, transferring, bathing, ambulating, and feeding procedures.
  • Manipulate various sizes of equipment and supplies; perform CPR and charting activities.
  • Use close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and adjust focus.  

2. Proof of vaccination against Measles, Mumps and Rubella (two doses) within the last five years OR proof of immunity (titer) within the last year.

3. Proof of vaccination against varicella (two doses) within the past five years OR proof of immunity (titer) within the last year

4. Proof of vaccination against Hepatitis B (3 doses) within the past five years OR proof of immunity (titer) within the last year.

5. Two step TB test, chest x-ray or Quantiferon blood test within the last year (TB Test and Quantiferon blood test will have to be renewed yearly      while in program)

6. Proof of vaccination against TDAP (Tetanus and Pertussis) within last ten years. 

7. Seasonal Flu Vaccination

8. Covid 19 Vaccination

9. Drug Screening with Alcohol (Urine). Students must be tested for the following:

  • Alcohol
  • Amphetamines
  • Barbiturates
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Benzoylecgonine (Cocaine)
  • Cannabinoids
  • Meperidine (Demerol)
  • Methadone
  • Methaqualone
  • Opiates
  • Oxycodone
  • Phencyclidine
  • Propoxyphene

Questions?

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.

Primary goal

The respiratory care program's goal at Antelope Valley College is: "to prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs)." Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care Standard 3.01.

Objectives

Upon completion of the program, the student will demonstrate:

  1. The ability to comprehend, apply and evaluate clinical information relevant to their role as a respiratory care practitioner (knowledge domain).

  2. The technical proficiency in all of the skills necessary to fulfill the role as a respiratory care practitioner (psychomotor domain).

  3. Professional behavior consistent with employer expectations for a respiratory care practitioner (affective domain).

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

 

 

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