Respiratory Therapy
Department of Allied Health: (361) 698-2820
Respiratory Therapy is a health sciences specialty employed in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with breathing disorders. Respiratory Therapists provide therapeutic and diagnostic services for pediatric and adult clients within hospitals and in the home care setting.
Del Mar College offers a 66 credit hour Associate of Applied Science degree in Respiratory Therapy; a 21-month program accredited by the Committee of Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), 777 Cannon Dr., P.O. Box 54876, Hurst, Texas 76054-4876, (817) 283-2835.
In addition to meeting the general College admission requirements, the applicant must be at least 17 years of age and must submit an application for admission to the Respiratory Therapy program. The Application for Allied Health Programs (PDF) can be found on the Respiratory Therapy—Admission Requirements section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/degrees/respiratory-therapy/admission-requirements.html) or may be requested by calling (361) 698-2820. The program accepts 18 students per year.
In order to be eligible to be considered for admission into the program, the student must
- submit the completed application for admission and all required admission documentation by July 15
- complete all prerequisite course requirements
- have a grade point average of 2.0
- be TSI compliant or be exempt according to the Texas Success Initiative standards
- must complete HPRS 1006 before applying to the program
After program acceptance, the student must submit a completed physical examination which includes the complete Hepatitis B series, a current college transcript and a current card of completion in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Health Care Providers which must be maintained throughout the program.
Upon enrollment, the student must pass a background check and drug screen test, at student’s expense, for security clearance and continued enrollment in the program.
Graduates of the program are eligible to apply to the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) to take board examinations; Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT). Graduates must pass the CRT examination before applying for the RRT examination.
Graduates of the program may be able to transfer some acquired credit hours to a baccalaureate degree curriculum. The number of transferable credit hours can be maximized with appropriate faculty advisement prior to and during the student's enrollment.