General Education Core Requirements:

BMS 110	Concepts in Biomedical Sciences	4
COM 115 or COM 205	Fundamentals of Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication Theory and Skills	3
ENG 110	Writing I	3
MTH 103 or higher	Intermediate Algebra (except MTH 197 or 297)	3
PLS 101	American Democracy and Citizenship	3
PSY 121	121 Introductory Psychology	3
IDS110	The University in the Global Community	1
General Core Hours:		20

Respiratory Therapy Core:

ALH 116	Medical Terminology	1
RST 120	Introduction to Respiratory Care/The Respiratory Care Professional	3
RST 124	Cardio-Pulmonary Anatomy and physiology	2
RST 130	Microbiology for Respiratory Therapists	2
RST 210	Respiratory Equipment and Therapeutics	3
RST 216	Respiratory Pharmacology	2
RST 250	Pediatric Respiratory Care	2
RST 280	Clinical Practicum I	2
RST 257	Geriatric Respiratory Care	2
RST 232	Mechanical Ventilation	4
RST 245	Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics	3
RST 281	Clinical Practicum II	6
RST 252	Pulmonary Disease	3
RST 260	Respiratory Care Special Procedures	2
RST 297	Advanced Respiratory Care Theory (capstone course)	6
RST 282	Clinical Practicum III	3
Respiratory Therapy Core Hours:		47

Total Hours Required:

67

The Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy Degree consists of two academic years and one summer session. Students who successfully complete the program are eligible to take the National Board for Respiratory Care Written Registry and Clinical Simulation exam. Both are required to receive the credential of Registered Respiratory Therapist. The required courses are regularly reviewed and updated.

Essential abilities:

The following functional abilities or attributes are essential in order to meet the objectives for the AAS in Respiratory Therapy at Missouri State University-West Plains.

With reasonable accommodation the student must possess:

1. Fine motor skills sufficient to perform skills such as picking up, grasping, and manipulating small objects with hands, and writing with a pen or pencil.
2. Physical mobility and strength sufficient to move about on a nursing unit and participate in client care.
3. Physical stamina sufficient to perform client care for the entire length of the clinical experience (8-12 hour shifts)
4. Auditory ability sufficient for assessment of client health.
5. Visual acuity sufficient to see objects up to 20 inches away and distinguish color.
6. Reading ability sufficient to understand the written word at a minimum of a tenth grade level.
7. Arithmetic competence that would allow the student to read and understand columns of writing; to tell time; to use measuring tools; and to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
8. Emotional stability sufficient to assume responsibility/accountability for actions, to provide client with emotional support, to adapt to environmental stress, and to monitor own emotions.
9. Analytical thinking sufficient to transfer knowledge from one situation to another, to problem solve, to prioritize tasks, and to use long-term and short-term memory.
10. Critical thinking ability sufficient to exercise sound judgment through the sequencing of information and the identification of cause and effect relationships.
11. Interpersonal skills sufficient to establish rapport with clients and co-workers, and to respect the rights of others and the differences in clients.
12. Communication skills sufficient to teach others, to explain procedure, to interact with others, and to convey information in writing.
13. The student must adhere to all confidentiality and HIPAA regulations of the University and of the clinical affiliates.

Admission eligibility:

Missouri State University’s admission criterion uses the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Actions statements found in the University’s policy section of the catalog. To be considered for admission each applicant must achieve a minimum Ranking Score of 52. All applicants will be considered competitively on an annual basis.

1. Ranking score is computed by multiplying the ACT score by the GPA. Incoming freshmen and those with less than 12 college credit hours will have the ranking score computed using their high school GPA. The college GPA will be used for applicants with 12 hours or more. In some cases the admissions committee may elect to use the last 12 hours to compute the ranking score.
2. Applicant must have a minimum of a 2.0 (C) average regardless of ranking score.
3. Complete application instructions and requirements are found in the application packet available in the Respiratory Therapy Department, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Admissions.
4. The application deadline is September 30^th of each year. Those accepted start the program in the spring semester following the application cycle.

Missouri State University-West Plains’ respiratory therapy program is seeking accreditation from the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and is currently under review for accreditation. This program has approval from CoARC to admit and educate students under a Letter of Review issued June 30, 2005.