Respiratory Care

In this academic degree program, students are trained to work as a part of a highly technical life-support team. The program provides clinical experiences to build student competencies in treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation of individuals suffering from breathing abnormalities and traumas.

Respiratory Care is a health care specialty relating to the diagnosis, treatment, education, and preventive and rehabilitative care of individuals suffering from deficiencies, diseases, and abnormalities, and trauma affecting the process of breathing. They are trained to be members of the highly technical life support teams, patient educators, diagnostic labs, and rehabilitation specialists.

Students graduating from the Respiratory Care program are eligible to take the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) Therapist Multiple-Choice Examination and the Clinical Simulation Examination given by the NBRC. Upon successful completion of these registry examinations, graduates are designated as Registered Respiratory Therapists. Graduates from the program are eligible to apply to the South Carolina State Board of Medical Examiners for state licensing.

Learning experiences for students in the Respiratory Care program are provided in classrooms and pre-clinical laboratories on the Airport Campus in the Academic Center. Additional pre-clinical learning takes place in a simulation lab in Lexington Hall. Required clinical experiences (externships/internships) are arranged through affiliations with local hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

In addition to the college’s placement test and the admissions requirements of the School of Health Care, there are additional specific eligibility and admissions criteria to the Respiratory Care program.

Accreditation

The Midlands Technical College Respiratory Care program, CoARC # 200091, awards an Associate in Applied Science degree from the Airport Campus location and 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.

Click on the link for CoARC’s Programatic Outcomes Data to see how MTC’s Respiratory Care program (CoARC # 200091) compares to other accredited programs in the nation.

CoARC awards a program with the President’s Award for Excellence for achieving the following rigorous criteria: (1) have three or more years of outcomes; (2) hold accreditation without a progress report; (3) document RRT credentialing success of 100%, and (4) meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for TMC high cut score and retention. We are proud to announce that in 2021, MTC’s Respiratory Care Program was one of the 26 programs out of over 400 accredited programs to receive this award. CoARC also acknowledges a Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award to program’s with at least a 90% success threshold and we are proud to announce that MTC’s program’s has gained this award in 2024.

• CoARC 2024 Award (PDF)
• CoARC 2023 Award (JPG)
• President’s Award for Excellence Certificate (PDF)

Curriculum

The Respiratory Care curriculum has a variety of program options sequenced to offer the student the greatest flexibility in achieving their career goals. While the programs are listed separately, they are actually combined in a unique sequencing format. They can be taken in phases. Students may enter at any time to complete the general education and related courses (English, math, anatomy and physiology, integrated science, etc.) required by the curriculum. The student can take all or part of these courses prior to taking the professional courses. The student determines the length of time they want to spend in this phase before moving into the next phase (Phase II).

Phase II may be started only in the fall semester and completes the technical or professional training. Here, students study respiratory care procedures and concepts in class, laboratory and clinical facilities. The curriculum blends classroom, laboratory, and hospital experience. Much of the time is spent in supervised patient-care learning while working with physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other members of the health care team at clinical sites.​

Pre-Application Considerations

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• High school or college credits in mathematics/science (algebra, chemistry, physics or biology) recommended.​

Requirements and Eligibility

Students may apply to the program after earning a minimum grade of "C" in ENG 101, COL 106 and MAT 102. A minimum grade of “B” on the first attempt in BIO 112 or in an equivalent course is required for program admission.

Students in the program are required to purchase and maintain two monogrammed uniforms, two lab coats, clinic-style shoes, a stethoscope, and a watch at an approximate cost of $225. Students are required to join the professional association (AARC) at the student rate of $25 and attend some workshops and scheduled professional meetings at their own expense (averaging $150/year).

Students must earn at least a “B” in BIO 112 on the first attempt. Students must attain a grade of at least a “C” in all other respiratory care, mathematics, and science courses to successfully complete the program. Students may not repeat mathematics, science, and/or major courses more than once and are permitted to repeat no more than two different curriculum courses.

If time allows, students are strongly encouraged to complete AHS 102 - Medical Terminology, BIO 115 - Basic Microbiology, AHS 145 - Electrocardiography and AHS 156 Electrocardiography Practicum prior to program entry. Please see your academic advisor.

Acceptable Admissions Criteria

• Respiratory care information session and hospital observation as notified by the Admissions Office.
• Successful program interview scheduled after the completion of the hospital observation.
• Health form completed and turned in prior to the start of the first semester of classes.
• Acceptable criminal background check and drug screening results.
• First aid and CPR Certificates A Community and Basic Life Support CPR for Adults and Children certificate from the American Red Cross or Heart Association is due before entry into the first respiratory care class and must be current (within 3 months of starting the program).

​Individual evaluations may be given to applicants who do not meet all of the above criteria. Students must have a clinical observation before being interviewed.