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Respiratory Care

Banner collage of respiratory patients. 

 

​Respiratory therapists work with sophisticated medical equipment like mechanical ventilators that breathe for people who can't breathe on their own, and also work with other devices that require a knowledge and love of technology. RTs understand how to apply high-tech devices in the care and treatment of patients, how to assess patients to ensure the treatments are working properly, and how to make the changes necessary to arrive at the best outcome for the patient.
The Respiratory Therapy (also called Respiratory Care) program is located on North Campus in Coconut, Creek, Florida. Our full-time, two-year program is well-known among the local health care community for educating respiratory therapy's brightest minds. Join the hundreds of other former Respiratory Care graduates who have contributed to shaping our outstanding reputation for more than 40 years.
A Respiratory Therapy degree from Broward College leads you to: 
  • Work in the exciting health care industry
  • Earn a competitive salary
  • Graduate in two years with an Associate of Science degree
  • A guaranteed internship during the program
  • Hands-on training with state-of-the-art equipment
  • Very competitive tuition costs
  • A program with a very high pass rate on national exams
Program Outcomes
To see a comparison of all respiratory care program outcomes throughout the country: go to www.CoARC.com and click on "Students and Public".

See A Respiratory Therapist in Action

Program Graduates

Information Sessions
Wednesday, October 5th, at 2:00pm in Building41, Room 212
Thursday, November 3rd, at 10:00am in Building41, Room 217
Tuesday, December 13th, at 10:00am in Building41, Room 212
Friday, February 3rd, 2017 at 2:00pm in Building41, Room 212
Friday, March 17th, 2017 at 11:00am in Buildign 41, Room 212
Friday, April 14th, 2017 at 11:00am in Building41, Room 212
Textbook for respiratory class. Image with respiratory therapist.
​
Graduation
Year​		 Number of Students that Entered the Program​ ​Number of Students that Graduated​ ​% Attrition​ CRT
Success		 ​RRT
Success​		 % of Grads Hired as Respiratory Therapists​
​​​​​​​
​2015​30​17​43%​100%​100%​94%
​2014 ​22 ​14 ​36% ​100% ​93% ​100%
​2013 ​27 ​12 ​55% ​100% ​91% ​100%
​2012 ​29 ​18 ​32% ​100% ​94% ​78%

 

Classroom Experience
Respiratory Care students at Broward College have a state-of-the-art facility filled with the latest in equipment and technology for their training grounds. When you join the program, your experience begins and ends with an abundance of hands-on opportunities. In addition to your experience at the hospitals, the Health Science Simulation Center provides a virtual hospital opportunity where you spend about 80 hours during the program practicing more than 20 live simulations that prepare you for your career. 
 
The first semester in the Respiratory Care program is two days a week. The remaining semesters are four days a week. All academic courses take place during the day. Clinical Rotations are offered during the day from 6:45 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. and during the evening from 2:45 p.m. until 11:15 p.m.
 
The program requires a lot of dedication to classroom work and study time. It is difficult to work full-time hours and perform well academically.
 
Class sizes are small and your peers are sure to demonstrate the same eagerness to learn and helpfulness that we enjoy seeing from all of our students.
 
The combination of lectures, lab courses, clinical courses and the vast knowledge of the faculty create an atmosphere of constant engagement between the student and the course material. Open lab hours and scheduled tutoring sessions are provided for an optimal learning experience.
 
Our dedicated faculty will prepare you for a career in respiratory therapy by showing you how to:
 
  • Manage conventional and high frequency mechanical ventilation
  • Manage the airway including establishing and maintaining airways, such as endotracheal tubes and tracheostomy tubes
  • Manage noninvasive ventilation
  • Perform diagnostic testing such as arterial blood gas analysis, pulmonary function testing, pulse oximetry and end tidal C02 monitoring
  • Perform patient assessment of the respiratory compromised patient
  • Deliver a series of medications to the cardiopulmonary system including the use of nebulization via aeroeclipse, aeroneb and metered dose inhalers
  • Deliver nitric oxide and heliox
  • Deliver oxygen therapy including high flow nasal cannula, 02 delivery devices and nasal CPAP 
  • Transport respiratory compromised patients in the hospital and between hospitals
  • Treat patient populations from premature infants through adults 
Time Schedule for Each Semester
First Year
 
First Semester: Respiratory classes are from approximately 9AM to 3PM on Tuesday and Thursday.   Lab sessions (RET1026L) are limited to ten students so the time schedule will depend on the lab session that you choose.
 
Second Semester:  
Respiratory classes take place on Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Times on Thursday are approximate depending on the lab session that you choose. ​
Clinical rotations at the hospital begin the second semester of the program. You will need to purchase a lab coat, hospital scrubs and a stethoscope. The clinical coordinator will advise you of the color and types of items to purchase.

During your clinical rotations, paid clinical instructors stay with you and provide the expertise you need for proper training as a respiratory therapist. Your rotations include non critical areas, intensive care areas for adults, pediatrics and neonates, emergency room training, pulmonary function testing and long term care facility rotations. In addition, you will have opportunities to explore specialties like sleep medicine and pulmonary rehabilitation.  You will be taught the competencies you need to independently function as a respiratory therapist when you graduate and become employed as an RRT.
 
The times are on Wednesday and Friday from 6:45 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. Afternoon clinicals are from 2:45 p.m. until 11:15 p.m.
 
Third Semester (Six weeks): Respiratory class meets on Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The clinical rotations at the hospital are on Wednesday and Friday from 6:45 a.m. until 3:15 p.m and from 2:45pm until 11:15pm.  
 

Second Year
 
First Semester:  Respiratory classes meet on Monday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.   The clinical rotations are on Wednesday and Friday from 6:45 a.m. until 3:15 p.m.
 
Second Semester:  Respiratory classes meet on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m.  The clinical rotations at the hospital are on Wednesday and Friday from 6:45 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. 
 
Final Semester: During the final semester of your second year, intensive training takes place to prepare you for the national exams. A seminar is scheduled, and practice questions and simulations are part of the preparation.  Prior to graduating from the program, an exit exam must be passed.  The exam is given by the National Board for Respiratory Care to all students graduating from a respiratory therapy program.  Students also become certified in ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) prior to graduation.
 
After graduation from the program, the cost of becoming a registered respiratory therapist who can practice in the State of Florida is approximately $750 including the exams and the State of Florida license.  The first exam can be taken within a week of graduating from the program.   
 
Personal Grooming
 
In choosing a career in Respiratory Therapy, you will be directly involved with the health of other human beings.  Professional attire and personal grooming are important, not only to the respiratory profession, but to the public as well.  You will be a representative of the respiratory team and must be an example to those with whom you come in contact.  Therefore, regulations about uniforms and personal grooming are necessary and are to be followed. 
 
Respiratory Therapy Program Progression Policy
 
Auditing passed courses is required. The program has an obligation to assure that any student who progresses in the program and is eventually assigned to a clinical rotation has demonstrated sufficient academic knowledge as well as competency in the skills that will be required in the clinical arena.  A student repeating a respiratory course will be required to audit all respiratory courses already passed in the same year as the failed course. ***  All students must be aware that if they are receiving Financial Aid, these audited courses will not be included in the financial aid package.  The student must pay the full cost of the course including any fees that are part of the course.
 
***Auditing an already passed respiratory care course: The audited course must be successfully repeated (grade of “C” or higher) in order to continue in the respiratory program.​
Clinical Rotation
An excellent clinical experience is in store for you while enrolled in BC’s Respiratory Care Program. Highly trained clinical instructors stay with you and guide your learning process as you become well trained as a respiratory  therapist.
  • During the clinical portion of the program, students are assigned to a clinical facility within Broward County.
  • Students are responsible for their own transportation to the campus and to various agencies in the community to which they are assigned for clinical experiences.
  • Clinics begin during the second semester and meet two days a week throughout the rest of the program.  Clinical locations and times are at the discretion of the faculty.
  • Hospitals utilized for clinical rotations:
    • Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood
    • Broward General Medical Center in Ft. Lauderdale
    • Plantation General Hospital
    • Florida Medical Center
  • Dependable transportation is a necessity.  
  • Hospital scrubs need to be purchased by the start of clinics in January.  Do not purchase a stethoscope or scrubs before speaking to the instructor.
Career Path
Respiratory therapists with associate’s degrees have excellent job prospects today and in the future. Job growth in respiratory care is expected to increase for the next decade, with a 28 percent growth rate nationwide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Most hospitals offer 12 hour work shifts with three days a week being considered full time. The starting pay is approximately $22/hour for registered respiratory therapists. Job openings exist throughout the tri-county area as well as throughout the country. Because of the quality and reputation of our graduates, over 90% of our graduates have found employment.  The respiratory care profession is a strong profession with a secure future. Currently, there are over 160,000 practicing respiratory therapists in the United States.
 
 
American Association for Respiratory Care's overview of the RT profession. https://www.aarc.org/careers/​
 
Broward College’s degree program satisfies the requirements established by the National Board for Respiratory Care and qualifies you as a candidate for the national Respiratory Therapist Multiple Choice Examination, and the Clinical Simulation  Examination.
 
The Broward College Respiratory Care program includes extensive preparation for national certification exams as well as resume and interview preparation. 
 
Upon obtaining their licenses, 83% to 100% percent of our graduates have been hired as respiratory therapists in health care settings such as:
 
  • Hospital intensive care units
  • Emergency rooms
  • Non-critical care areas
  • Home care

 
Is This Program Right for Me?
Before making any decision about which respiratory care program to enroll in, it’s important to make sure that this career is a good fit for you. Some of the qualities you should possess include:
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills
  • Fast-acting problem solver and decision maker
  • Critical thinker who can make independent judgments
  • Calm under pressure and in intense emergency situations
 
Upon graduating and earning your license, your duties as a respiratory therapist will include: 
  • Providing care to neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric patient populations
  • Assuring the accuracy of monitoring systems by providing necessary calibrations, adjustments and quality control
  • Applying and maintaining life support systems including oxygen, CPR and mechanical ventilator support devices to critically ill and long term ventilator and oxygen dependent patients
  • Assisting with patient care decision making by communicating with physicians, nurses and other health care team members and by making appropriate decisions as needed in emergency situations
  • Providing airway care, including the maintenance of a patent airway through intubation, tracheostomy care, clearance of airway obstructions and reversal of bronchial narrowing due to bronchospasms and inflammation of the airways.

  • Extubating patients when appropriate and providing appropriate airway care following extubation

  • Performing diagnostic evaluation including the performance and interpretation of pulmonary function studies. Draws blood samples and analyzes and interprets the results of blood tests. Monitors and evaluates exhaled gases. Performs direct and indirect calorimetry, transcutaneous and oximetry measurements, evaluates cardiac monitors and indwelling catheters

Respiratory Care Technical Standards

Accreditation
Broward College is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) to award associate’s degrees in Respiratory Care. 
 
The Respiratory Care Program is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care. The website is www.CoARC.com.  The mailing address is 1248 Harwood Road, Bedford Texas  76021-4244.  The telephone number is 817-283-2835
Faculty
Members of the Respiratory Care faculty include several Broward College graduates.  The real world experiences of the faculty are shared during class lectures and the clinical rotations.  Their expertise comes from working in such respiratory care settings as Neonatal Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, Adult ICU and Trauma ICU. 
 
Medical Director:  Gary Richmond, MD FACP FCCP 
Dr. Richmond completed his undergraduate education at the University of Massachusetts, with honors in Zoology. He received his medical degree at New York Medical College and completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.  He completed fellowships in Pulmonary Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco. He is board certified in Pulmonary Disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine. For over two decades, Dr. Richmond has been in private practice specializing in  Pulmonary Diseases.  He is the Medical Director of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine at Broward Health Medical Center and the Medical Director for the Respiratory Care Program at Broward College.  He holds additional faculty positions at Nova Southeastern University and Florida International University He has been a principle investigator for multiple respiratory studies  and has published extensively in peer reviewed journals.
 
Program Manager:  Yvonne Simone BS, RRT
Graduate of University of Detroit, over 25 years of critical care experience working in adult ICU, teaching full time in the Broward College Respiratory Care Program since 1994.
Director of Clinical Education/Clinical Coordinator:  Kimberlee Krinsky BS, RRT
 Graduate of Western Michigan University.  Kim received her Associate of Science degree from Kalamazoo Community College in Michigan.  She has over 17 years of experience in adult critical care and pediatric/neonatal critical care.  Ms Krinsky also has three years experience in didactic and clinical instruction in Respiratory Therapy.  She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Respiratory Therapy with a concentration in Education and Leadership.

Adjunct Clinical Faculty:  Rolf Fischer RRT,NPS 
Graduate of Broward College Respiratory Care Program.  Clinical Instructor for BC since 2004, specialist in Neonatal Intensive Care for over 14 years, and a member of the ECMO team at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. 
 
Adjunct Clinical Faculty:  John Gonzalez RRT
Graduate of Borough of Manhattan Community College 1991.  Over 7 years of experience in management and a total of 20 years of critical care experience working in Pediatric Intensive Care and Adult Intensive Care. Clinic Instructor for Broward College since 2006.
 
Adjunct Clinical Faculty:  Joy Mathai BA, RRT
Graduate of California College for Respiratory Care, 1999.  Joy earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Marthoma College in Kerala, India.  Clinic Instructor for Broward College since 2008, specialist in Neonatal Intensive Care since 2000.

 

Adjunct Clinical Faculty:  Lisa Patti BS, RRT

Graduate of Daytona State College Respiratory Therapy Program in 1999, and has since received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Science from Nova Southeastern University, where she is also pursuing her Master of Health Science degree.  Lisa has over 16 years’ experience as a Respiratory Therapist, and has worked closely with students wherever she has worked.  

Courses
It takes 76 credit hours to earn your A.S. in Respiratory Care, which takes two years to complete with a full-time schedule. Part-time courses are not available.  

 
General education courses for admission to the program can be taken at all Broward College campuses. All Respiratory Care labs and lecture courses are located on the North Campus in Coconut Creek, Florida.
 
Transfer Students
Because of the variation in curriculum from one program to the next, it is recommended that the student finish the respiratory care program where they originally attended. Transferring to another school may require a longer period of time to complete all of the respiratory courses.
 
Students applying to Broward College (BC) from other respiratory programs are accepted according to the following criteria:
 
  1. The student must be in good standing with the program they are coming from. (No failed classes)
  2. Apply to BC. As part of the application process, the college will request transcripts from previous colleges.
  3. The student can then take any prerequisite courses not already completed
    (Minimum acceptance GPA in prerequisite courses is 2.5)
    Prerequisite courses are listed on the attached program sheet
  4. The student will be ranked for admission selection according to their GPA from their prerequisite courses
  5. Admission selection occurs during the months of May and June
  6. Upon acceptance into the respiratory program, the student will be given a challenge exam to determine placement into the BC Respiratory Courses 
 
The exam has three portions:
 
  • Written Exam: This exam will test the applicant's current level of knowledge.
    The exam will consist of course content based on the courses already completed from a previous program.
  • Laboratory Practicum: A 2 hour practicum will evaluate the applicants knowledge and comfort with
    mechanical ventilation and respiratory equipment
  • Clinical Practicum: Two days are spent in the clinic to evaluate the applicant's level of experience in the clinical setting.​
CRT to RRT
Practicing respiratory therapists with a CRT credential that desire to acquire an RRT credential can do so without having to be admitted into an advanced level respiratory therapy program.

All that is needed is to meet the National Board for Respiratory Care requirements to sit for the registry exam. Please refer to the NBRC handbook for more information.
National Exam & Licensure
National Exam

Upon completion of your degree, you qualify as a candidate for the National Board of Respiratory Care Credentialing Exams.  There are two exams:
1)  Therapist Multiple Choice Exam
     A)  Low score - retake the exam.
     B)  Low cut score - earns the CRT credential. 
     C)  Meeting or exceeding the high cut score - earns the status of RRT eligible. 
2) Clinical Simulation Exam
     Once you are RRT eligible, you qualify to take the Clinical Simulation exam.  Upon successful completion, you become a Registered Respiratory Therapist. 
 
Our graduates have an excellent pass rate on the national exams. The pass rate is above the national average on both exams.
 

Florida Licensure
 
Obtaining a Florida License
After passing one or both national exams, you will be eligible to apply for a respiratory care license from the state of Florida. You will then be ready to seek employment.
Any person that wishes to determine eligibility of state licensure and has been arrested or convicted of any offense other than a minor traffic violation should contact:
 
The Department of Health
Board of Respiratory Care
4052 Bald Cypress Way; BinC05,
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3255

 

Maintain Your License
Please keep in mind that the Florida license needs to be renewed every two years (on the odd year). To renew the license, you must accumulate continuing education units (CEU’S). Twenty four are required every two years. The CEU's are offered by:
  • Local Hospitals
  • The State Society (FSRC)
  • The National Organization (AARC) ​
Links
American Association for Respiratory Care
This is the official site for the national association.  It is loaded with lots of respiratory events, information on a career, other web related links and how to sign up as a member.
 
Florida Society for Respiratory Care
The state society keeps you posted on issues in the state, continuing education seminars and allows you to sign up as a member.
 
Florida Board of Respiratory Care
Gives you instructions on obtaining your license to practice respiratory care, describes the laws and rules of the profession, includes the rules for continuing education hours, lists all licensed respiratory therapists in the state of Florida.
http://floridasrespiratorycare.gov/
 
National Board for Respiratory Care
The national board creates the national exams and monitors the administration of the exams.  You will apply to the NBRC in order to take your TMC(Therapist Multiple Choice ) and Clinical Simulation exams.
 
Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
Lists the respiratory care programs in the country that are accredited.  The site also lists the standards needed to achieve accreditation and the outcomes of each program.
For Alumni
If you graduated from the Respiratory Care program, give back to the college that helped you launch your career. Donate to a scholarship for Broward College students and join the Alumni & Friends Association for exclusive alumni perks and events.
 
Attendance at the Advisory Committee Meetings is welcomed and allows an opportunity for feedback to the committee on your new career.
 
Share your knowledge and experience by providing guest lectures to the current students in the respiratory care program.
Career Coach; Find the career that's right for you.Not sure where to start? 

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