Respiratory Therapy Program

WELCOME TO THE Respiratory Therapy Program AT UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY!

Respiratory therapists care for patients who have trouble breathing—for example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. Their patients range from premature infants with undeveloped lungs to elderly patients who have diseased lungs. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning, or shock.

How to Apply

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Utah Tech University Respiratory Therapy Program is to provide comprehensive and integrated education of the highest quality in order to meet the needs of our students, potential employers, and the communities we serve.

Goals

• Critical Thinking: To foster critical thinking in the classroom and the clinical setting.
• Teamwork: To begin teamwork in the classroom that will carry over to the clinical sites and future employment.
• Personal Responsibility: All students will take responsibility for all assignments, paperwork, and actions performed in the classroom and at the clinical sites. There is an expectation that all students will have a good attitude when representing Utah Tech University.
• Maintain a Dynamic Learning Environment: Faculty will stay abreast of current respiratory practice, procedures, and research to assure that students will be able to pass national exams and be clinically competent.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the successful conclusion of this program, students will be able to:

• Provide comprehensive patient assessment and care using therapist-driven protocols and evidence-based medicine.
• Demonstrate understanding and application of the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) code of ethics and professionalism, including patient rights and HIPPA confidentiality.
• Promote health and wellness through patient and family education and community outreach.
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills when making patient bedside decisions.
• Use oral and written communication skills in collaboration with other members of the health care team.

Statement of Program Goals Defining Minimum Expectations

1. To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).
2. To prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content with objectives related to the acquisition of skills in one or more of the following: management, education, research and advanced clinical practice (which may include an area of clinical specialization).

Credentialing/Licensure

Graduates are eligible to sit for the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) examinations. Upon passing these examinations they become credentialed as Certified or Registered Respiratory Therapists (CRT or RRT).

These credentials allow therapists to become licensed to practice respiratory care in Utah by contacting the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL). To see all the DOPL licensure requirements visit https://dopl.utah.gov/resp/index.html. Candidates may also be licensed in any state throughout the USA and in Canada.