Chair and Associate Professor-C. Harkins. Associate Professors-Harford, L. Harkins, Jenkinson, Klepper, Lore, Marshall, Mazza. Assistant Professor-Hagus. Medical Director-Handley. Instructor-C. Wharton. Clinical Professor-Petroff. Lecturers-Barnes, Little, Medina, Mollaei, Montoya, Morton, Paquette, Spector, Tovar, Villalobos. Clinical Faculty-Barker, Batten, Boultinghouse, Cox, Emody, Garza, Hall, Hoffman, Holman, Jones, Kloppe, Morris-Garcia, Welch, Wharton. SWT/HMC Consortium Faculty-Program Administrator-Riley, Program Director-Lawrence, Clinical Coordinator-Cusson, Medical Director-Walke.

Liability Insurance
 

1. Students who participate in the clinical portion of the respiratory care program are required to purchase liability insurance, or demonstrate proof that they are insured.
2. Students may obtain information on liability insurance from the departmental office.

Immunization Requirements

It is a policy of the School of Health Professions that each student must provide a Health Report completed by a physician, and must take certain immunizations before the student can be placed in a clinical or internship assignment. Information on these requirements and forms to be supplied may be obtained through the departmental office.

Respiratory Care

The program in respiratory care prepares students to treat patients with deficiencies or abnormalities in respiration. Therapists work for hospitals, clinics, and home health agencies.

Respiratory care majors take classes on campus and gain clinical experience in area hospitals. RC courses must be taken in sequence if possible. Students taking courses prior to applying for admission to the RC program should see an RC adviser for counseling. Students who have completed an associate degree program elsewhere may be eligible for transfer to SWT's baccalaureate degree program. For information on this option, see the RC department chair. SWT's respiratory care program is accredited by the Commission Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
(CAAHEP) and qualifies graduates to take the appropriate exams offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care when all requirements have been met.

Admission Criteria

Application must be made to the program in respiratory care in addition to regular university admission procedures. All students entering this program must be accepted by both the university and the respiratory care program. All applicants will be notified of their admittance status. Enrollment in the respiratory care program is limited by student/faculty ratio in the clinical phases of the program. All respiratory care courses must be taken in sequence and must be passed with at least a "C" grade.

Freshman Year	Hours
General Studies 1100	1
English 1310, 1320	6
Math 1315	3
Biology 1310 or Biology 1420	3-4
Biology 2430	4
Health Info Mgt 2360	3
RC 1135,1313,1314,1315,1316,1245, 1321	18
	38-39
Sophomore Year
History 1310, 1320	6
Communications 1310	3
Physics 1310	3
Physics Lab 1110	1
Psychology 1300	3
Physical Fitness Perspective	1
RC 1211,2352, 2355, 2365, 3330, 3331	18
	35
Junior Year
Biology 2440	4
Chemistry 1410	4
Political Science 2310, 2320	6
RC 2375, 3352, 3365, 3375, 3411, 4341	19
	33
Senior Year
Philosophy 1305	3
Literary Perspective *	3
International Perspective *	3
Art, Dance, Music, or Theatre 3313 *	3
HA Designated Elective -
HA 3324, or 3327, or 3375, or 4376	3
Physical Fitness Perspective	1
Health Professions 3302	3
RC 4220, 4246, 4315, 4320, 4330	13
	32
*See General Studies requirements on page 60.

Courses in Respiratory Care (RC)

1135 Respiratory Care Clinical Laboratory I. (0-16) Introduction to clinical skills, including vital signs, infection control procedures, and basic patient care techniques. This course prepares the student for direct patient care to be performed in more advanced courses.

1245 Respiratory Care Clinical Laboratory II. (0-32) Direct patient care is performed under close supervision in a non-critical setting. Routine procedures are performed, including delivery of aerosolized medications, oxygen therapy, incentive spirometry, postural drainage and chest percussion.

1313 Introduction to Respiratory Care. (3-0) Introductory course to field of respiratory care. Designed to acquaint student with responsibilities of technician as a member of health team. Airway management, gas therapy, and humidity therapy will be covered.

1314 Respiratory Care Instrumentation I. (3-0) Designed to teach the design, function, and operation of basic respiratory care equipment. Regulators, flow meters, humidifiers, and nebulizers will be covered.

1315 Basic Technology in Respiratory Care. (3-0) Designed to teach students basic principles of respiratory care techniques and basic operations of equipment. Artificial ventilation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and chest physiotherapy will be covered.

1316 Respiratory Care Instrumentation II. (3-0) Acquaints students with concepts of design, function, and operation of more advanced respiratory care equipment. Pressure cycled ventilators, spirometers, airways, cardiopulmonary resuscitation equipment will be covered.

1321 Introduction to Pharmacology. (3-0) Designed to familiarize students with general principles of drug action methods of administration, elements of dispension and with adverse reactions to drugs. This course is specifically designed for respiratory care practitioners.

2311 Cardiopulmonary Disease I. (3-0) Introduction to the assessment and treatment of the patient with respiratory disease. The course focuses on the signs, symptoms, causes, and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diseases of the nervous system, respiratory muscles and occupational lung diseases. In addition, the assessment and treatment of patients with cardiopulmonary disease to include restrictive lung disease, cardiac disease, infectious disease, and lung cancer.

2326 Topics in Respiratory Care. (3-0) Designed to survey respiratory therapy problems and related topics. Students will review multiple written and simulated examination material.

2352 Cardiopulmonary-Renal Anatomy and Physiology. (3-0) Detailed study of the structure and function of the respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal systems. Prerequisites: Biology 2430 or instructor approval.

2355 Respiratory Care Practice I. (0-16) Student gains skill in clinical procedures, interactions with patients and professional personnel as he practices, under supervision, respiratory care therapeutic modalities in a healthcare setting. Becomes familiar with various RT aspects of patient care as presented in medical/surgical and pediatric clinical situations.

2365 Respiratory Care Practice II. (0-16) Students will perform respiratory therapy procedures in a healthcare institution under the supervision of a Respiratory Therapist. Preparatory instruction is provided for mechanical ventilation and other primary critical care procedures.

2375 Respiratory Care Practice III. (0-16) A supervised clinical education experience in which the student organizes and administers advanced respiratory therapeutics on assigned patients in adult critical care. Diagnostic procedures, including arterial blood gas procurement and measurement, bedside physiologic monitoring, airway care, basic pulmonary function testing, as well as monitoring and maintenance of ventilator parameters are performed.

3330 Advanced Respiratory Care Technology. (3-0) In-depth study of respiratory physiology comparing the cardiopulmonary system of the adult, infant, and fetus. Emphasis is placed on how to evaluate, treat and monitor patients with respiratory insufficiency or failure.

3331 Advanced Respiratory Care Instrumentation. (3-0) A comprehensive focus on advanced equipment and rehabilitation technology utilized in the critical care, homecare, pulmonary rehabilitation and blood gas lab settings. Lectures and class activities will detail hardware for hemodynamic monitoring, supplemental oxygen administration, noninvasive monitoring, blood gas measurement, quality control, quality assurance and various other support advances in healthcare.

3352 Advanced Ventilator Concepts. (3-0) In-depth study of specific ventilators used in adult, pediatric and neonatal ventilation to include ventilator classification, method of operation, parameter interrelationships and ventilator patient monitoring. Lectures and class activities will focus on ventilator analysis of several contemporary volume, time, pressure, and flow-cycled ventilators.

3365 Respiratory Care Practice IV. (0-16) Advanced clinical education in the intensive care setting in which the student monitors and administers critical care therapeutics on assigned patients in the adult and neonatal intensive care setting. Physician input and pulmonary rounds assist the student in theory and application of care for the critically ill patient.

3375 Clinical Observation. (0-16) Through affiliations with agencies, hospitals and selected treatment centers the student accompanies a healthcare specialist and observes patient treatment and diagnostics in homecare, cardiac catherization, pulmonary rehabilitation, pulmonary function testing, hyperbaric medicine and other progressive healthcare specialties.

(WI) 3411 Applied Pathology. (3-4) Lecture series and case presentation related to pathophysiology, etiology, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of selected pulmonary disease entities, cardiac diseases, neurologic disease processes and occupationally acquired disease entities as they relate to respiratory function. Laboratory includes clinical patient assessment, diagnostic data gathering and observation of proper approach to the care of the cardiopulmonary patient.

4220 Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Diagnostics. (2-0) Examination of non-invasive monitoring technology in respiratory care, hemodynamic monitoring, acid-base interpretation of blood gas and application, and pulmonary function test interpretation.

4246 Respiratory Care Internship. (0-16) Provides the student with opportunities to gain clinical experience in specialty areas to include pediatrics, adult critical care, neonatal intensive care, pulmonary function diagnostics, home care, subacute care, pulmonary rehabilitation or polysomnography. Specific specialty offerings will be based on clinical availability.

4315 Neonatal Respiratory Care. (3-0) In-depth study of neonatal intensive care, pediatric/neonatal respiratory emergencies, chronic pediatric respiratory diseases, fetal lung development, fetal circulation, changes at birth, neonatal respiratory disease and its management, congenital defects and other related aspects.

(WI) 4320 Contemporary Issues in Cardiopulmonary Care. (3-0) This course is designed to prepare senior-level students for the dynamic evolution of respiratory care as a profession. It will build on previous didactic courses and clinical experiences. It will examine opportunities for respiratory therapists in continuing care and home care and also cover the impact and role of legislation, regulations, professional organizations and politics in respiratory care. Ethics of patient care and professional behavior will be explored.

4330 Pulmonary Rehabilitation. (3-0) An introduction to medical, ethical, and reimbursement issues of respiratory care pulmonary rehab and home care. The role of the therapist in cost containment, treatment requirements, and discharge planning will be addressed. Frequently applied respiratory and durable medical equipment will be discussed in detail.

(WI) 4341 Respiratory Care Seminar. (3-0) Individual and group presentation of selected case studies by the student to physicians, therapists and other students. Emphasis placed on total patient management with etiology, symptoms, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of specific diseases such as asthma, pulmonary edema, CHF, CF, COPD, ARDS, neurologic diseases, pulmonary fibrosis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, AIDS and drug overdose