Respiratory Care (RESP)

This course includes an in-depth study of the structure and function of the pulmonary and cardiac system. Topics include the circulatory system, applied physiology and physical principles of the respiratory system, and gas exchange.

General principles of respiratory care pharmacology will be covered including review of the anatomic nervous system, the process of drug approval in the United States, principles of drug action, calculating drug dosages, administration of aerosolized agents, administration of surfactants, neuromuscular blocking agents and smoking cessation agents.

This course introduces students to fundamental principles and practice of respiratory care. Topics covered include basic patient assessment, principles of infection control, medical gas therapyand physical properties of gases, oxygen therapy devices, oxygen analyzers, and aerosol and humidity therapy devices.

This course introduces students to fundamental principles and practice of respiratory care in a laboratory setting. Topics covered include professionalism, patient assessment and monitoring, principles of infection control, medical gas therapy, oxygen therapy devices, oxygen analyzers, aerosol and humidity therapy devices, and medical terminology and documentation. The emphasis of the course will be hands-on practice with respiratory care devices.

This course builds on the concepts introduced in RSP 141. Topics presented include patient assessment, airway clearance, lung inflation therapy, airway management, non-invasive ventilation, arterial blood gases, ethics and professionalism, medical documentation, communication, and cultural competencies. This course integrates theory with laboratory and clinical practice.

This is a clinical course designed to enhance the student's practice of respiratory care modalities to adult and pediatric patients.Students will perform supervised floor therapies on adult and pediatric patients in the clinical setting. Students will develop respiratory care plans that integrate respiratory care theory and practice.

This is a seminar course focusing on current issues affecting respiratory care. Students will present future trends topics to the class throughout the semester.  

The course material covers etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic testing, and treatment of diseases affecting the cardiopulmonary system. Students are expected to integrate previous knowledge of cardiopulmonary anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, and treatment modalities into the course content. Students will evaluate case-studies and recommend procedures to gather additional clinical data. Critical thinking and decision making will be stressed in this course.

This course is designed to introduce the student to the principles and practices of invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation.Classification, modes of operation, indications, applications, physiologic effects, complications, and discontinuation of mechanical ventilation will be studied. Laboratory practices will include hands on manipulation of state-of  -the-art mechanical ventilators and simulation experiences.  Troubleshooting, clinical simulations, and case-study presentations will be incorporated into the lecture and laboratory sections.

This course focuses on the critical care patient assessment, the study of invasive and non-invasive hemodynamics to assess oxygenation, heart function and fluid balance, with special attention given to the disease states that may cause an abnormality in any one of these areas. Critical care pharmacology, neurologic assessment and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation will also be discussed.

The student will learn to perform and interpret bedside spirometry tests as well as interpret the results of advanced pulmonary function studies including quality control techniques, exercise testing, cardiovascular stress testing and metabolic monitoring. The student will be introduced to pulmonary rehabilitation, in-home respiratory care, and respiratory care in alternative care settings.

This course provides the student with a comprehensive study of pediatric and neonatal respiratory care. Topics include embryology, fetal development, and neonatal transition diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, cardiopulmonary pathophysiology, ventilation management, and critical care techniques. This course will also include neonatal and pediatric diseases and disorders. 

This course provides supervised clinical experience in providing respiratory therapy to intensive care patients. Clinical experiences will focus on mechanical ventilation of the adult patient. Students will develop respiratory care plans that integrate respiratory care theory and practice.

This course provides supervised clinical experiences in the adult, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units.  Clinical experiences will focus on hemodynamic monitoring and assessment, respiratory care in the emergency setting, and continuous mechanical ventilation of the adult, neonate, and pediatric patient. Students are required to complete a capstone project involving the independent management of critical care patients receiving mechanical ventilation.