Curriculum: Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy

This distance learning course considers ethical theories and principles applicable to the allied health professions with a focus on Respiratory Care. Using scholarly inquiry, including case studies, students will analyze ethical dilemmas that may occur in their professional roles as respiratory specialists. Students will address ethical and legal issues across the lifespan in diverse global, socioeconomic and cultural situations.

This course is designed to improve writing competence as a health care leader, clinician, or educator. Focus will be on the construction, evaluation, and organization of written communication in the health care setting with an emphasis on Respiratory Care. Topics will include,but are not limited to: written medical documentation, article and proposal writing using APA style for citations and references, and patient education materials. Students will also review the basics of both written and oral clear communication.

This course focuses on determinants of the health of individuals and the challenges faced by communities as they work to improve the health of their residents. The student will develop plans tomaximize the use of community resources to addressboth acute and chronic respiratory conditions.

The course provides students with an overview of how the health care system works in the United States. Specifically, the focus of the course is the role of the respiratory therapist within the healthcare system. The differences between the public and private healthcare insurance will be evaluated throughout the course. Students will gain insight into healthcare from both a clinical and management aspect. The course will provide thestudent with the tools to function more efficiently as part of an integrated healthcare team.

This course will focus on the basics of health care management, including budgeting and financialmanagement; data management; managing in clinical settings; and resource utilization. Respiratory Therapy students will learn how to assess healthcare information systems and database management systems.

This course provides Respiratory Therapy students with an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of gerontology. Topics include theories of aging, health and illness in later life, diversityand aging, and bio-psycho/social and spiritual aspects of growing old. Respiratory Therapy content includes the biology of aging on lung function and working with older patients with multiple impairments.

This course will develop expertise in the science and art of caregiving from the perspective of the health care professional. Students will study age-specific care issues; culturally specific caregiving; compassion fatigue; family interaction; family-centered care; and death and dying. Caregiving issues directly related to patients with respiratory disease will be emphasized.

Students in this course will learn to communicate with patients regarding their disease state by developing a detailed knowledge of respiratory disease and treatment options. Future practitioners will be prepared to educate and advise patients on how to deal with their respiratory disease using a pre-prescribed treatment regime.

Respiratory Therapy students in this course will learn to develop skills needed to conduct basic research in healthcare settings. Topics include development of a research construct. Students willlearn to develop and narrow a research topic by demographic and variables. In addition, students will learn how to search for peer reviewed sourcesand develop literature reviews. Students will learn about populations and sampling. The student will learn about the importance of institutional review boards when conducting research.

Students will review basic statistical models and inference applied to problems in health care, with an emphasis on Respiratory Therapy. Students will develop an understanding of research protocols and evaluation, critically analyze research data, and develop skills in interpreting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative research in Respiratory Therapy. Topics will include IRBs and clinical trials. By completing this course, students will be prepared to write an abstract, develop a proposal, and be capable of undertaking a significant research project.

A study of the Respiratory Therapist role in other healthcare areas and an analysis of current administrative, legal, regulatory, professional issues, and current trends which influence the Respiratory Care Profession.

This course focuses on strategic, operational, and project management topics in the healthcare/respiratory care field, with an emphasis on increasing efficiency and quality of care. Topics include: allocating staff and resources effectively; assessing financial and regulatory implications from a business perspective; developing, negotiating, and managing comprehensive programs; and leading and motivating effective teams.

An internship that will focus on specialty disciplines within respiratory therapy that potentially will foster an interest for the student to sit for one of NBRC or its affiliates specialty exams (NPS, CPFT, RPFT, SDS, ACCS, or AE-C). The course is designed to promote interest for RRTs in the specialty practices of respiratory therapy. The internship design and placement will be determined by the interest area of the student (neonatal, pediatrics, sleep disorders, asthma, diagnostics, or critical care). The students will complete 20 hours of observation in their chosen specialty of respiratory therapy. The observation can be performed at the student’s place of employment as long as it is a specialty area in which the students does not currently work and during non-working hours. Paid work time cannot count as observation time. The program director will help the student arrange an alternate observation site other than the site of employment within close proximity to where the student lives if necessary. In addition to other assignments, the student will develop a comprehensive reflective journal detailing their experiences as the final project for the course.

Registered Respiratory Therapist can practice in expanded respiratory care areas that require additional training, education, credentials, and knowledge that goes beyond what is taught in an introductory respiratory care program. This course will focus on the expanded roles that Respiratory Therapists can take beyond traditional in-patient hospital care. Students will identify the benefits of these expanded roles and how these roles impact patient care.

This culminating course will enable senior-level Respiratory Therapy students to develop a proposal and complete a project or research paper based upon one of their areas of interest (Disease Management, Leadership and Project Management, or Education and Research). Presentations of completed papers or projects will be delivered by the student to selected Respiratory Therapy managers/specialists at a pre-determined site.