What's the starting pay?

• Lane County average hourly - $29.32; average annual - $60,979
• Oregon average hourly - $30.16; average annual - $62,738

Career Overview
The Respiratory Care Program prepares students for a career as a Registered Respiratory Therapist. Respiratory therapists, or respiratory care practitioners, treat patients with abnormalities associated with the cardiopulmonary system—or breathing disorders— under the direction of a licensed physician and as part of a health care team. Respiratory therapists administer therapeutic or diagnostic drugs to patients as part of a physician-prescribed treatment plan, implement a physician's orders for respiratory treatments, observe and monitor patient symptoms, and assist with administering medical gases (including hyperbaric or standard oxygen, vapor therapies and ventilation support). Administration of anesthesia falls outside the scope of practice of a respiratory therapist. Detailed information is available at the American Association for Respiratory Care website: Be an RT.

Accreditation
The Respiratory Care Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care. The student earns an Associate of Applied Science degree on completion of the program. The purpose of the program is to prepare graduates to pass the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Entry-Level Exam (CRT) and the Advanced Practitioner Examination to become competent Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRT).

October 2015 Annual Report from Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care

Licensure and Employment Outlook
Respiratory Care Practitioners are required to be licensed in the State of Oregon. Requirements for licensure include graduation from an accredited respiratory care program, and successful completion the national Entry Level Exam thereby earning the Certified Respiratory Therapist credential.

Licensure is based on graduation from an accredited respiratory care program, and successful completion the national Entry Level Exam thereby earning the Certified Respiratory Therapist credential as well as successfully passing an FBI background check.

Employment in this occupation is at about the statewide average for all occupations.  Average annual earnings in $62,738 in Oregon. More information is available online from the Oregon Labor Market Information System.

Further Information
Explore linked pages at the left to learn more about program requirements and guidelines.

To Our Students: Please be informed that Lane Community College Division of Health Professions requires all students to submit appropriate personal information (such as immunization records, federal and state background checks, drug screens and others) to CastleBranch, a company specializing in the collection and storage of student health care information. Submission of required documents must be accomplished prior to the beginning of classes. Both the drug screens and background checks must be clear (e.g. absence of positive results for narcotics, marijuana, alcohol and/or other illicit substances for drug screen) to ensure clinical placements and graduation from Health Profession programs. Specifics on required documents, costs, timelines, and how to access CastleBranch, will be included in the letter of program acceptance and/or discussed at the Mandatory Program Orientation.

Dear Students:
Please be aware that you will be required to have a minimum 2.0 gpa at the time of graduation in order to graduate and receive your certificate or associate's degree from LCC. Please also be aware that only LCC courses count toward your final gpa.

What's the Respiratory Care program at Lane like?
Get the scoop from students and faculty in this career preview video.