Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy

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Goal and Focus

The goal of the UNC Charlotte Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy Program is to provide graduates of entry into respiratory care professional practice degree programs with additional knowledge, skills, and attributes in leadership, management, education, research, and/or advanced clinical practice that will enable them to meet their current professional goals and prepare them for practice as advanced degree respiratory therapists.

The BSRT degree enhances your professional career in Respiratory Therapy with additional education in administration, evidence-based research, and advanced critical care.

The focus of the program is to:

  • Increase the depth and breadth of knowledge of the associate degree respiratory therapy education.
  • Improve written and oral communication skills.
  • Develop ability to access and evaluate clinical evidence-centered care.

WHY CHOOSE OUR PROGRAM?

  • The program offers flexible and accelerated course options in a 100% online format for working professionals.
  • You can apply for spring, summer, or fall start times.
  • We offer affordable tuition for distance education students.
  • The program offers a direct pathway to graduate level education.
  • Our faculty continuously achieves state and national recognition as experts in their field in teaching, professional service, and research.
  • Our faculty provide you with the personal attention, advising, and mentoring to help you achieve your professional goals.
  • We have over 15 years of experience with online education and includes over 700 BSRT Alumni working as managers, directors, faculty, and bedside clinicians.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Respiratory Therapy Program, you must meet the following minimum admission eligibility requirements:

  • Hold a current respiratory care license in good standing from North Carolina or in the state of current employment (if required by the issuing state).
  • Hold an active Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential issued by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).
  • Graduated from a CoARC accredited associate degree respiratory therapy program taken at a college or university accredited by an accepted accrediting body. The following are accepted accrediting bodies:
    • Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Western Association of Schools and Colleges
    • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
    • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
    • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
    • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
    • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
    • WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
  • Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better from all college level work completed.
  • Earn at least a C in all required coursework in the associate degree respiratory therapy program.
  • Students applying in the last year of their associate degree program must have a respiratory care license (if required by the issuing state) and the NBRC RRT credential at the start of classes.

Admission to UNC Charlotte is independent of admission to the Respiratory Therapy Program. Acceptance by undergraduate admissions and the Department of Applied Physiology, Health & Clinical Sciences is required for this program.

Steps to Apply for Admission to UNC Charlotte as a Transfer Student

  • Complete the application as transfer student. Select Respiratory Therapy as the major.
  • Provide the following credentials:
    • NBRC Registered Respiratory Therapist credential with expiration date (or date for exam)
    • State RCB license with expiration date
    • Basic life support or CPR certification
  • Provide all post-secondary (College) transcripts, a transcript from each school.
  • High School transcripts are not required with an associate degree.

BSRT Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

  • BSRT01: Students will explain the leadership attributes and practices in making contributions to their professional communities including the impact of cultural similarities and differences in contributing to health disparities in communities and society at large.
  • BSRT02: Students will interpret clinical quantitative and qualitative information pertinent to neonatal, pediatric, and adult critical care pathophysiology in order to select the most appropriate therapeutic intervention.
  • BSRT03: Students will use appropriate professional behavior, terminology, and presentation skills for effective written and oral communication.
  • BSRT04: Students will use evidence-based practice concepts to formulate relevant practice-based questions, critically appraise relevant research literature and select appropriate evidence to address the question(s), apply findings to practice, quantitatively and qualitatively assess and interpret health outcome results.
  • BSRT05: Students will analyze a practice-based problem related to clinical practice, administration, education, or research in the respiratory therapy profession to produce evidence-based recommendations for change in practice.
  • BSRT06: Students will use best practice strategies to provide effective and culturally appropriate patient-centered education.

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN RESPIRATORY CARE EARLY ENTRY OPTION

Exceptional BSRT students at UNC Charlotte may apply for the MSRC Early Entry Program and begin work toward the graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree. Please contact the program for more information.

RESPIRATORY THERAPY PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION

The BSRT program is offered through the Department of Applied Physiology, Health and Clinical Sciences in partnership with our Distance Education division in the School of Professional Studies.

Program Director

Kim Clark, EdD, RRT, FAARC, FNAP BSRT
MSRC Program Director
Department of Applied Physiology, Health, and Clinical Sciences
kmclark1@charlotte.edu | 704-687-0706

Distance Education

Stephannie Miles | Senior Program Manager
smiles16@charlotte.edu
704-687-1285

CoARC Accreditation Information

The UNC Charlotte Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy program (#500001) holds Provisional Accreditation from 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.

CoARC Program Outcomes