Students begin the respiratory therapy program by taking core requirement courses. A separate application is filed to request assessment into the clinical portion (upper division) of respiratory therapy. The department assesses students for eligibility for the upper division respiratory therapy program in the spring of each year. The deadline for submission of applications for assessment to the upper division program of respiratory therapy is June 1st for fall. Late applications are not accepted. Only students who have been admitted to Jacksonville State University and who meet eligibility requirements may apply for assessment into the upper division respiratory therapy program. Those planning to apply for assessment into the upper division respiratory therapy program should contact the Director of Academic Services in the College of Health Professions and Wellness well in advance of the application deadline in order to confirm eligibility.
Entry into the upper division of respiratory therapy requires completion of all core requirement courses with a core requirement grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 or above and a minimum grade of “C” in each core requirement course. Once a passing grade of “C” or above has been earned in a course, that course cannot be repeated for a higher grade. Students who do not meet the above standards are not eligible to apply for assessment into upper division. Each student’s record will be assessed for completion of core requirements and as a basis for approval to enter the upper division. The review process may include a personal interview with the candidate, a background check, contact with personal references, and, if the student has been enrolled in other respiratory therapy programs, contact with previous respiratory therapy faculty. The assessment process may also include evaluation of essential academic skills and critical thinking. Students admitted to the university Fall 2018 and thereafter must have a current ACT score of 18 (within five years). Students who have English as a second language must present a minimum score on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam taken within four years. To be eligible for assessment into upper division, minimum scores are: 560 for TOEFL Written (paper based), 220 for TOEFL CBT (computer based), or 83 for iBT (internet based). Students native to countries where English is a commonly used language and/or those who have been living in a country for many years where English is a primary spoken language may request a waiver of this requirement. The Department of Respiratory Therapy reserves the right to limit the number of students enrolled in respiratory therapy courses in order to make the most effective use of the educational resources available. Because of limited resources, eligibility for the program is competitive; all students who qualify may not be selected. Students must comply with all Department of Respiratory Therapy policies for entrance into and continuation in the respiratory therapy program, which include, but are not limited to, a clear criminal background check and drug screen.
Traditional BSRT program students must pass each course with a 70% (C) or better to be eligible to move forward in the program. If a student is unsuccessful in one course, they are required to retrack with the next cohort. The student must repeat the course in which they were unsuccessful, along with the appropriate level review course (RT 365 Respiratory Therapy Junior Level Review (3) or RT 439 Respiratory Therapy Senior Level Review (3)) to return to the normal course sequencing with the following cohort.
Core Requirement Courses for Upper Division in Respiratory Therapy (56 Semester Hours)
The following list of courses is not intended to be a substitute for individual advisement by an academic advisor.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Area I (6 Semester Hours) 1 | ||
| EH Composition sequence | 3 | |
| EH Composition sequence | 3 | |
| Area II (12 Semester Hours) | ||
| Literature | 3 | |
| Literature | 3 | |
| Fine Arts | 3 | |
| EH 141 | Speech | 3 |
| Area III (11 Semester Hours) | ||
| BY 101 & BY 103 | Introductory Biology I and Introductory Biology Lab I | 4 |
| CY 115 | Concepts of General Chemistry I | 4 |
| MS 112 | Precalculus Algebra | 3 |
| Area IV (12 Semester Hours) | ||
| History | 3 | |
| History | 3 | |
| PSY 201 | Principles of Psychology | 3 |
| SY 221 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Area V (15 Semester Hours) | ||
| BY 263 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BY 264 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| BY 283 | Health Microbiology | 4 |
| MS 204 | Basic Statistics | 3 |
| Total Hours | 56 | |
| 1 | All students with less than 24 earned hours must take SSC 101 First Year Experience (0). |
Upper Division Respiratory Therapy Courses
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Semester (14 Semester Hours) | ||
| RT 299 | Respiratory Therapy Introduction | 0 |
| RT 301 | Fundamentals of Respiratory Care I | 3 |
| RT 306 | Patient Assessment | 3 |
| RT 310 | Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| RT 315 | Respiratory Care Pharmacology | 2 |
| RT 320 | Clinical I | 1 |
| RT 322 | Respiratory Therapy Lab I | 2 |
| Second Semester (14 Semester Hours) | ||
| RT 326 | Fundamentals of Respiratory Care II | 2 |
| RT 330 | Airway Management and Resuscitation | 2 |
| RT 335 | Pathology for Respiratory Care | 3 |
| RT 340 | Research (WI) | 3 |
| RT 345 | Clinical II | 2 |
| RT 347 | Respiratory Therapy Lab II | 2 |
| Third Semester (9 Semester Hours) | ||
| RT 351 | Ventilatory Support I | 2 |
| RT 356 | Respiratory Critical Care Monitoring | 3 |
| RT 360 | Clinical III | 2 |
| RT 362 | Respiratory Therapy Lab III | 2 |
| Fourth Semester (13 Semester Hours) | ||
| RT 401 | Ventilatory Support II | 2 |
| RT 405 | Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care | 3 |
| RT 411 | Pulmonary Diagnostics | 3 |
| RT 415 | Clinical IV (WI) | 3 |
| RT 417 | Respiratory Therapy Lab IV | 2 |
| Fifth Semester (15 Semester Hours) | ||
| RT 420 | Pulmonary Disease Management | 3 |
| RT 425 | Respiratory Therapy Education | 3 |
| RT 430 | Respiratory Therapy Leadership | 2 |
| RT 435 | Clinical V | 4 |
| RT 440 | Advanced-Level Exam Review | 3 |
| Total Hours | 65 | |
Total hours required for degree: 121
In addition to courses noted below, candidates for graduation must successfully complete all JSU Academic Regulations. More information about general education requirements can be found in the Summary of Degrees/Requirements section of the catalog.
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| EH Composition sequence | 3 | |
| Fine Arts | 3 | |
| BY 101 & BY 103 | Introductory Biology I and Introductory Biology Lab I | 4 |
| MS 112 | Precalculus Algebra | 3 |
| SSC 101 | First Year Experience | 0 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| EH Composition sequence | 3 | |
| EH 141 | Speech | 3 |
| CY 115 | Concepts of General Chemistry I | 4 |
| History | 3 | |
| PSY 201 | Principles of Psychology | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| Literature | 3 | |
| History/Social/Behavioral Science | 3 | |
| BY 263 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BY 283 | Health Microbiology | 4 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| Literature/Humanities/Fine Arts | 3 | |
| SY 221 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| BY 264 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| MS 204 | Basic Statistics | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| RT 299 | Respiratory Therapy Introduction | 0 |
| RT 301 | Fundamentals of Respiratory Care I | 3 |
| RT 306 | Patient Assessment | 3 |
| RT 310 | Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| RT 315 | Respiratory Care Pharmacology | 2 |
| RT 320 | Clinical I | 1 |
| RT 322 | Respiratory Therapy Lab I | 2 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| RT 326 | Fundamentals of Respiratory Care II | 2 |
| RT 330 | Airway Management and Resuscitation | 2 |
| RT 335 | Pathology for Respiratory Care | 3 |
| RT 340 | Research (WI) | 3 |
| RT 345 | Clinical II | 2 |
| RT 347 | Respiratory Therapy Lab II | 2 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Summer | ||
| RT 351 | Ventilatory Support I | 2 |
| RT 356 | Respiratory Critical Care Monitoring | 3 |
| RT 360 | Clinical III | 2 |
| RT 362 | Respiratory Therapy Lab III | 2 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| RT 401 | Ventilatory Support II | 2 |
| RT 405 | Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care | 3 |
| RT 411 | Pulmonary Diagnostics | 3 |
| RT 415 | Clinical IV (WI) | 3 |
| RT 417 | Respiratory Therapy Lab IV | 2 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| RT 420 | Pulmonary Disease Management | 3 |
| RT 425 | Respiratory Therapy Education | 3 |
| RT 430 | Respiratory Therapy Leadership | 2 |
| RT 435 | Clinical V | 4 |
| RT 440 | Advanced-Level Exam Review | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 121 | |