Respiratory Care

Respiratory Therapists, also known as respiratory care practitioners, evaluate, treat and care for patients with cardiopulmonary disorders. Graduates of respiratory care programs work closely with patients, doctors, and other healthcare personnel to provide diagnostic testing, therapeutics, education, rehabilitation, monitoring, life support, and other specialized methods of treatment. Achievement of the respiratory care degree requires students to participate in classroom, laboratory, and patient care clinical environments, such as hospitals. Upon completion of the program, students are eligible to sit for the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) Examination.

The Respiratory Care A.A.S. degree is a cooperative program in conjunction with Brookdale Community College. The program meets the needs of students seeking licensure and employment in the community as Registered Respiratory Therapist. The 73 credit program is offered in two (2) phases. Students are able to complete the first or pre-professional phase of the program at Atlantic Cape with the second phase or the professional phase of the program completed at Brookdale. The pre-professional phase offered at Atlantic Cape includes 31 credits of general education, mathematics, and science courses. The professional phase of the program is 42 credits with respiratory care courses occurring at Brookdale once a year in a four-semester course sequence. For additional information visit the Brookdale Community College Respiratory Care program website at https://www.brookdalecc.edu/health-sciences-institute/respiratory-care-clarus/.

The Brookdale Community College Respiratory Care Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in cooperation with the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoArc), 1701 West Euless Blvd., Suite 300, Euless, TX 76040, (817) 283-2835. 

A dual application is required for this degree. Admission to the professional phase of the program requires that all Atlantic Cape pre-professional phase coursework be completed with a grade of “C” or better by the end of the Winter semester for fall admission. Students are to notify the Assistant Dean, Nursing & Health Sciences by January 1 of their intent to apply. All classes must be completed and appear on an Atlantic Cape transcript. As part of the admission process, student will need to pass a standardized Health Science entrance exam and a criminal history background check prior to admission to the Brookdale Respiratory Care program. The application is available on the Health Sciences Admissions section of Brookdale’s website at https://www.brookdalecc.edu/academic-institutes-and-departments/health-sciences/. 

Acceptance to the Respiratory Care course sequence (professional phase) is competitive as Atlantic Cape is allotted a minimum of three student spaces annually. Student selection for the professional phase of the program is based on the GPA of the required first year or pre-professional phase. Completion of the pre-professional phase at Atlantic Cape does not guarantee admission to the professional phase at Brookdale. 

Students are responsible for meeting any additional requirements at Brookdale Community College including the physical examination for admission to the clinical education component.