Academic Catalog

RSPT 200L: INTRODUCTION TO RESPIRATORY THERAPY

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2025
Units: 1
Hours: 1 lecture, 1 laboratory per week (24 total per quarter)
Advisory: Students are not required to have been admitted to the Respiratory Therapy Program.
Degree & Credit Status: Non-Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: None
Grade Type: Letter Grade Only
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Describe the state licensing requirements for respiratory care practitioners.
  • Students will become familiar with different respiratory therapy modalities.

Description

Introduction to the career of respiratory therapy. Role of the respiratory therapist, areas of specialization in the field, educational requirements, and future outlook. Clinical tasks and skills are also introduced.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Define respiratory therapy and the different credentials that may be acquired.
  2. Describe the state licensing requirements for respiratory care practitioners.
  3. Report the National Board for Respiratory Care credentialing process.
  4. Summarize the requirements of the program, both academic and personal.
  5. Describe the personal and academic preparation needed to enter the Respiratory Therapy Program.
  6. Describe the basics of respiration and ventilation.
  7. Demonstrate proper infection control and universal precautions.
  8. Perform basic pulmonary function screening.
  9. Perform bag mask valve resuscitation.
  10. Describe proper insertion of an oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airway adjunct.
  11. Describe the steps involved in CPR.
  12. Differentiate between small volume nebulizers, inhalers/DPIs, and capsule devices.
  13. Distinguish between normal and adventitious lung sounds.
  14. Explain the indications for incentive spirometry devices.
  15. Discuss the importance of understanding cultural differences.

Course Content

  1. Credentialing process
    1. Respiratory therapy as a profession
      1. History of respiratory therapy
      2. Role of a respiratory therapist
      3. Work settings
      4. Patient population
      5. Specialties within respiratory therapy
  2. RCB license requirements
    1. Completion of an accredited program in respiratory care with a minimum of an AS degree
    2. CRT/RRT credentials
    3. Livescan fingerprinting background check
    4. DMV background check
    5. Complete application
    6. Completion of an approved ethics course
    7. Official transcripts which show degree awarded
  3. NBRC credentialing
    1. TMC examination
    2. Clinical simulation exam
    3. NPS examination
    4. AEC exam
    5. CPFT exam
    6. RPFT exam
  4. Program requirements
    1. Cost of program
    2. Academic
  5. Preparing for the program
    1. Application process
      1. Prerequisites
      2. Advisories
      3. GE requirements
      4. Technical standards
  6. Basics of respiration and ventilation
    1. Fundamentals of respiration
    2. Respiratory physiology
    3. Fundamentals of ventilation
    4. Philosophy of ventilation
  7. Infection control and standard precautions
    1. Hand washing
    2. PPE
    3. Isolation procedures
  8. Basic spirometry
    1. Peak flows
    2. FVC maneuvers
  9. Bag mask valve resuscitation
    1. Proper hand placement
    2. Adequate volume assessment
    3. Bag/mask features
  10. NPA and OPA placement
    1. Measures for correct size needed
    2. Indications and contraindications
    3. Proper placement
  11. Basic CPR review
    1. One rescuer and two rescuer
    2. Rate/depth of compressions
  12. Adjuncts used to deliver inhaled medications
    1. Small volume nebulizer
    2. MDIs
    3. DPIs
  13. Auscultation of breath sounds
    1. Normal
    2. Crackles
    3. Rhonchi
    4. Wheezes
    5. Stridor
    6. Pleural rub
    7. Other adventitious lung sounds
  14. Incentive spirometry
    1. Indications
    2. Volume vs. flow devices
  15. Cultural competency

Lab Content

  1. Infection control and standard precautions
    1. Hand washing
    2. PPE
    3. Isolation procedures
  2. Basic spirometry
    1. Peak flows
    2. FVC maneuvers
  3. Bag mask valve resuscitation
    1. Proper hand placement
    2. Adequate volume assessment
    3. Bag/mask features
  4. NPA and OPA placement
    1. Measures for correct size needed
    2. Indications and contraindications
    3. Proper placement
  5. Basic CPR review
    1. One rescuer and two rescuer CPR
    2. Rate/depth of compressions
  6. Adjuncts used to deliver Inhaled medications
    1. Small volume nebulizer
    2. MDIs
    3. DPIs
  7. Auscultation of breath sounds
    1. Normal
    2. Crackles
    3. Rhonchi
    4. Wheezes
    5. Stridor
    6. Pleural rub
    7. Other adventitious lung sounds
  8. Incentive spirometry
    1. Indications
    2. Volume vs. flow devices

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

Computer and internet access to online learning system.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Written paper
Discussion board participation
Quizzes

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture presentation on the topic of respiratory therapy as a career
Lecture and lab presentations and demonstrations of the various treatments and equipment commonly used by respiratory therapists

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

No course materials.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

The students will be given a research paper assignment on a topic related to respiratory therapy.

Discipline(s)

Respiratory Technologies