Respiratory Care

The Respiratory Therapist program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care .

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. Temple College is program #200193.

CoARC’s outcomes webpage

Admission into the Respiratory Care program requires the submission of a completed portfolio and an interview with the selection panel. You will receive the program application at the information session.

Admission Steps

1. Attend an information session and hospital tour
2. Submit transcripts indicating a “C” or above for the prerequisite courses
3. Take and pass TSI or equivalent
4. Take and Pass the most recent TEAS test
5. Submit two letters of reference
6. Be interviewed

Information sessions are held in the Health Sciences Center, Room 1832. Information sessions are from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Dress Code is business casual (ie. no shorts, torn jeans, or Flip flops)

Scheduled Dates for 2024

• Friday, May 17
• Thursday, June 13
• Friday, August 23
• Thursday, September 19
• Thursday, October 24
• Thursday, February 22
• Thursday, November 21

Scheduled Dates for 2025

• Thursday, January 16
• Friday, February 21
• Thursday, March 20
• Thursday, April 24
• Thursday, May 8
• Thursday, June 12
• Friday, August 22
• Thursday, September 18
• Friday, October 17
• Thursday, November 20

Please contact Debbie Parten at debbie.parten@templejc.edu if attending. Dates are subject to change.

Resources

• Program Application
• Information Packet
• American Association of Respiratory Care Career Information
• 2024-2025 RSPT Student Handbook
  

Information Session

• 100% employment rate for students from the 2016 graduating class
• Temple College respiratory care graduates pass national credential exams on par with baccalaureate program graduates*
• Most Temple College graduates attain certification as Registered Respiratory Care Therapists within a month or two of graduation.*
• Distinguished registered respiratory therapist credentialing success award 2018, 2019 and 2020.

*Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care

There are currently eleven active clinical affiliates that give students a broad range of experiences during on-site clinical training:

• Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple
• Baylor Scott & White Healthcare – Round Rock
• Baylor Scott & White Continuing Care Hospital – Temple
• McLane Children’s Hospital at Baylor Scott & White – Temple
• Coryell Memorial Hospital – Gatesville
• Seton Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas – Austin
• Advent Health - Killeen
• Seton Medical Center Harker Heights
• St. David’s Georgetown Hospital – Georgetown
• St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center – Round Rock
• Hillcrest Hospital - Waco
• Providence Hospital - Waco

• Respiratory care practitioners are tested and gain their credentials from the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).
• There is no testing done by any agency in Texas; however passing scores from the Therapist Multiple Choice (TMC) exam are sent to the Texas Medical Board so that a person may receive the Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) credential.
• In Texas it is mandatory to have the RCP. There is also some type of mandatory regulation in all 48 continental states.
• After the graduate passes the TMC exam at the high level, they become eligible to take the Clinical Simulation Exam.
• To become a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) two computerized tests must be taken and passed. The first is the 140-question TMC exam, and the second is the 20-problem clinical simulation exam.
• The NBRC also has a certification (Certified Pulmonary Function Technician – CPFT) and a registry (Registered Pulmonary Function Technologist – RPFT) for pulmonary function testing. There is also a test to become a Neonatal/Pediatric Respiratory Care Specialist (NPS), a Sleep Disorders Specialist (SDS), and one for the Adult Critical Care Specialist (ACCS).

• American Association for Respiratory Care
• State Licensing Requirements
• Texas Society for Respiratory Care
• Texas Medical Board