Click on the following link to visit the Programmatic Outcomes Data page. Look for CoARC Program Number 200293: https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/
Respiratory Care Science
Welcome to the Respiratory Care Science Program!
CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
The mission of the Respiratory Care Science program is to educate students in the following learning domains of the respiratory care practice: cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior), as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs). The program provides enthusiastic students with high-quality instruction, equipping graduates with the employable skills they need to become an entry-level therapist and to be successful on the National Board for Respiratory Care’s Entry Level CRT Examination, as well as the Written Registry and Clinical Simulation Examination for advanced-level students. A caring team of educational faculty, clinical instructors, and physicians supports the program’s mission with expertise in various aspects of respiratory care. Students will engage with an extensive array of didactic resources and clinical practicum experiences at Lower Rio Grande Valley affiliate sites to gain the skills and versatility needed to function in various healthcare facilities. The program will be conscientious about healthcare needs and educational requirements.
The following organizations accredit the Respiratory Care Program:
Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), demonstrates the college’s ability to graduate competent individuals and serves as a process for helping the program focus on continuous improvement. CoARC’s mission is to assure quality education utilizing due process, and its purpose is to provide accreditation services. If these can be achieved, all respiratory care graduates will be competent, and all educational institutions will have been dealt with fairly and consistently. “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 program’s educational goals are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.” (CoARC Accreditation Policies and Procedures Manual)
Applications for admission into the Respiratory Care program will be accepted for consideration only if the applicant:
- Has been accepted to TSC. Admission to TSC — Contact the enrollment office at (956) 295-3600 for admission requirements
- Submits a complete application for admission to the Respiratory Care Program. The admission application deadline is the last working day of May.
- Submits unofficial transcripts to Respiratory Care Program to verify completion of BIOL 2301, ENGL 1301, and MATH 1342 (or MATH 1314) with a grade of “C” or better
[Prerequisite courses must be completed PRIOR to applying to the program] Must have a GPA of 2.5 - Writes a one-page application letter or letter of intent addressing the prompt: Why I Have Chosen the Respiratory Care Profession
- Provides a letter of recommendation
Applications will be accepted from September 1st to the last working day of May. They will be reviewed and ranked using prerequisite course grades, college GPA, previous degree, and application letter. Students submitting a complete application on or before the deadline will be given priority for acceptance. Students submitting an application on or before the deadline date but requiring an additional semester (summer) to complete prerequisite course(s) cannot be guaranteed acceptance if enrollment capacity is met prior to completion of their prerequisite course(s).
If there are more qualified applicants than the program can accept in a given admissions period, a waiting list will be developed based on the dates of the original applications. Those students accepted into the program will be informed of their acceptance status by way of a letter to the address indicated on their application. Students accepted into the program will be required to attend an orientation.
SELECTION PROCESS
Prospective students applying to the Respiratory Care Science Program will be selected based on the following criteria:
1. Prerequisite Course Completion and Scoring:
Prerequisite courses will be scored based on the letter grade earned for each course. Each letter grade will be converted to a numeric equivalent. Students making an A in a prerequisite course will receive 4 points, B grades will receive 3 points, and C grades will receive 2 points. D and F grades will not be considered. Students completing BIOL 2301 and 2302 will have their numeric equivalent scores for each of these courses averaged. The maximum score for this section will be 16 points.
Students submitting an application on or before the last working day in May with all prerequisites completed will be given priority status in the selection process. Students completing prerequisites during summer sessions may not be considered for acceptance if the program has met the enrollment capacity for a given academic year.
2. GPA Scoring:
The prerequisite GPA will be scored according to the conventional calculation of college GPA (quality points divided by semester credit hours). The GPA will be part of the prospective student’s total score. The maximum score for this section will be 4 points.
3. Points awarded for a previous degree:
Bachelor’s = 4
Associate’s = 2
4. Application Letter or Letter of Intent:
The application letter or letter of intent entitled Why I Have Chosen the Respiratory Care Profession will be handwritten (not typed), single spaced, and one page in length. The maximum score for this section will be 10 points.
Letters with grammatical/typographical errors or that are too brief or lengthy will receive a reduction in points. A five-point reduction in score will be given for improper length and/or grammatical/typographical errors.
No. |
Criteria |
Maximum Score |
1. |
Prerequisite Courses: | |
|
4 |
|
|
4 |
|
|
4 |
|
|
4 |
|
2. |
GPA Scoring: |
4 |
3. |
Previous Degree |
4 |
4. |
Application Letter or Letter of Intent |
10 |
Total Score |
34 Points |
Applicants may use this form to help determine whether they meet the requirements to apply. The score at the bottom will be used to consider admission to this program.
Mail the complete application to:
Texas Southmost College
Division of Health Professions
Respiratory Care Science Program Application
80 Fort Brown
Brownsville, Texas 78520
OR
Hand deliver the complete application to:
ITEC Center
Allied Health
Respiratory Care Science Program Application
301 Mexico Blvd Office H3A
Brownsville, Texas 78520
Effective September 1, 2017, HB 1508, 85th Leg., R.S. (2017), amended Chapter 53 of the Texas Occupations Code to add Subchapter E relating to notice to applicants to and enrollees in certain educational programs regarding the consequences of a criminal conviction on eligibility for an occupational license.
Pursuant to Chapter 53, Subchapter E, of the Texas Occupations Code, please be advised that Texas Southmost College offers programs that lead to an occupational license as defined under Texas Occupations Code 58.001. Licensing authorities may have guidelines concerning prior criminal convictions that would make an individual ineligible for the issuance of a given license. If you are enrolled in a program that may prepare an individual for an occupational license and/or if you later decide to change to a program that prepares you for an occupational license as defined under Texas Occupations Code 58.001, in accordance with state law, please be advised of the following:
- An individual who has been convicted of an offense may be ineligible for issuance of an occupational license upon completion of the educational program;
- Each licensing authority that may issue an occupational license to an individual who completes an educational program must establish guidelines that state the reasons a particular crime is considered to relate to a particular license and any other criterion that affects the decisions of the licensing authority.
- Local or county licensing authorities may issue additional guidelines related to criminal history. Applicants should contact their respective local or county licensing authority for more details.
- A person may request a criminal history evaluation letter regarding personal eligibility for a license issued by a licensing authority under Texas Occupations Code 53.102.
Note that the provisions of Chapter 53 of the Texas Occupations Code relating to the consequences of criminal conviction do not apply to licenses granted by the Supreme Court of Texas, law enforcement officers (Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1701), emergency medical services personnel (Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 773), or persons licensed by the Texas Medical Board, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, the State Board of Dental Examiners, or the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners that have been convicted of a felony under Chapter 481 or 483 or Section 485.003 of the Texas Health and Safety Code. If you are seeking one of these licenses, please be aware that other law provisions may apply to the consequences of a criminal conviction.
All applicants to and enrollees of Texas Southmost College are encouraged to review all applicable eligibility requirements related to the respective occupational license. Questions related to eligibility requirements should be directed to the applicable licensing authority.
Essential Functions
- Knowledge: prepare competent respiratory students through the cognitive process of current textbook studies
- Skills: prepare competent respiratory students through the process of psychomotor, by making sure they have adequate time to learn and master all the required skills of patient care, with knowledge of basic non-invasive respiratory procedures, including but not limited to patient, physician, and nursing interaction, with a strong understanding of disease management and critical thinking.
- Behavior: prepare competent respiratory students to become effective future employees with a minimal learning curve. The affective learning curve is established through the extensive learning skills obtained at the college and clinical rotations. The definition of TSC Respiratory minimum expectations mandated includes the ability to understand knowledge, skills, and behavior from the entry-level and graduate-level clinical competencies using the clinical skills manual. The Respiratory curriculum is designed to maximize the appropriate sequence of classroom instruction followed by a series of structured laboratory and hands-on clinical experiences. The clinical skills check sheet provides evidence that respiratory students have achieved the basic expected competencies and specified advanced competencies before entering the field.
The scope of practice for respiratory care students includes, but is not limited to:
- Acquiring and evaluating clinical patient data
- Assessing the cardiopulmonary status of patients
- Participating in life support activities as required and promoting evidence-based medicine, research, and clinical practice guidelines
- Evaluating data to assess the appropriateness of prescribed respiratory care
- Initiating prescribed respiratory care treatments, evaluating and monitoring patient responses to such therapy, and modifying the prescribed therapy to achieve the desired therapeutic objectives
- Establishing therapeutic goals for patients with cardiopulmonary disease
- Performing and assisting in the performance of prescribed diagnostic studies such as obtaining blood samples, blood gas analysis, pulmonary function testing, and bronchoscope assistance
- Participating in the development and modification of respiratory patient care plans
- Managing cases of patients with cardiopulmonary and related diseases
- Preparing case studies
- Initiating and conducting prescribed pulmonary rehabilitation
- Promoting cardiopulmonary wellness, disease prevention, and disease management
- Providing patient, family, and community education
Click on the links below to see RCS students in action!
TSC Respiratory Care Science – Breathe new life
Check out the latest equipment and technology in the Respiratory Care Science lab