Degree and Certificate Options
What Will I Learn?
Respiratory therapists care for people with heart and lung problems. Students complete 20 credit hours in general education and prerequisite courses, plus 44 credit hours in respiratory care courses. Training includes critical thinking, decision making, critical care, neonatal, and pediatric content.
Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:
- demonstrate the knowledge and critical reasoning skills necessary to pass the NBRC-TMC exam.
- perform the variety of interventions necessary to provide skilled entry-level respiratory care in the clinical setting.
- demonstrate behavioral skills necessary for entry-level practice as a respiratory therapist.
Career Paths
Upon passing the NBRC-TMC and becoming a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), graduates work in a variety of settings including emergency departments, intensive care units, rehabilitation, cardiology, pulmonary labs, sleep labs, and home care.
Points of Pride
Respiratory Care faculty provide personal attention and diverse clinical expertise.
The program emphasizes practical clinical experience in diverse healthcare settings, ensuring students are well-prepared for the workforce. This prepares graduates to confidently enter the workforce and deliver high-quality patient care.
Students interested in the respiratory care program can start in the spring or fall semester.
Accreditation
The KCKCC Respiratory Care program, CoARC number 200412, AAS degree, is located at 7250 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS 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 how program effectiveness is documented. Specific information may be found at: https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/.
Additional Information
Up to three general education courses may be completed concurrently with Respiratory Therapy classes if the student is selected into the program. Preference is given to students who have completed all prerequisites and to students who have completed the required science courses.
KBOR Program Alignment
The Kansas City Kansas Community College Respiratory Care program is in alignment with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CIP code 51.0908: Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist. A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians, to assist in developing respiratory care plans, administer respiratory care procedures, supervise personnel and equipment operation, maintain records, and consult with other health care team members. Includes instruction in the applied basic biomedical sciences; anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the respiratory system; clinical medicine; therapeutic procedures; clinical expressions; data collection and record-keeping; patient communication; equipment operation and maintenance; personnel supervision; and procedures for special population groups.
*Potential salaries use third-party national and regional aggregated data, some of which may be estimates. Results may not reflect local or timely trends. Some careers listed may require additional education or degrees beyond those offered at KCKCC. Completing a program, degree, or certificate does not guarantee employment or a specific salary.