Program Objectives
Our Respiratory Care (MS) program is dedicated to clinical and academic excellence in teaching, research, service and patient care.
The program provides you with an outstanding education in preparation for a satisfying career as an advanced respiratory care practitioner. It also provides a foundation for leadership in management and supervision, research and clinical specialization.
Interaction with faculty, respiratory therapists, physicians and nurses is essential to the program. You engage in seminars, intensive classes and laboratories, and clinical training in hospitals. The result is not only an outstanding education in respiratory care, but also a sense of personal growth and a real commitment to serving people.
Graduation Requirements
The Respiratory Care program requires a minimum of 92 term hours of credit for graduation.
This is an integrated program that requires 29 semester hours of program preprofessional prerequisite requirements prior to admission to Rush for the 24-month professional phase.
The preprofessional phase requirements can be completed at any accredited college or university and include completion of a bachelor’s degree. The professional phase includes over 1,000 hours of clinical practice.
Students who have respiratory care credit from other institutions may enter the program through the RRT Advanced Standing (MS) track. We attempt to grant academic credit for equivalent courses and knowledge acquired from experience or completion of the RRT.
All students must meet the same standards for graduation.
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Review the course catalog for our most up-to-date curriculum information.
Students accepted into the professional phase begin coursework in the fall term of their first year. Courses is this phase are taken on a full-time basis in the following sequence:
First year
Fall term
- RCP - 501 Foundations of Professional Practice (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 511 Introduction to Respiratory Care (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 512 Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology (Credits: 5)
- RCP - 515 Respiratory Care Pharmacology (Credits: 2)
Spring term
- RCP - 520 Respiratory Care Equipment and Techniques (Credits: 4)
- RCP - 521 Patient Assessment (Credits: 4)
- RCP - 522 Pulmonary Disease (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 523 Mechanical Ventilation (Credits: 4)
Summer term
- RCP - 531 Critical Respiratory Care (Credits: 4)
- RCP - 532 Pulmonary Function Testing (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 534 Clinical Practice I (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 563 Research Methods (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 566 Education (Credits: 3)
Second year
Fall term
- CHS - 601 Introduction to Biostatistics (Credits: 2)
- RCP - 530 Cardiac Diseases (Credits: 2)
- RCP - 533 Pediatric and Neonatal Respiratory Care (Credits: 4)
- RCP - 565 Research Project I (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 569 Clinical Practice II (Credits: 7)
Spring term
- RCP - 567 Management (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 570 Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics (Credits: 2)
- RCP - 573 Research Project II (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 575 Clinical Practice III (Credits: 7)
- RCP - 577 Clinical Seminar (Credits: 3)
Summer term
- RCP - 583 Research Project III (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 585 Clinical Practice IV (Credits: 4-8)
- RCP - 589 Disease Management/Home Health Care (Credits: 3)
- CHS - 605 Introduction to Ethics in Health Care (Credits: 2)
- CHS - 620 Health Care in America (Credits: 2)
Program total: 92 credit hours
View the current course catalog
Refer to the course catalog for our most up-to-date curriculum information.
-
Review the course catalog for our most up-to-date curriculum information.
Advanced standing is available to individuals who have successfully completed the National Board for Respiratory Care’s Respiratory Therapy Registry (RRT), who hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
Credit based on the RRT credential
Students who hold the RRT credential may receive credit for the following theory courses:
- RCP - 511 Introduction to Respiratory Care (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 515 Respiratory Care Pharmacology (Credits: 2)
- RCP - 520 Respiratory Care Equipment and Techniques (Credits: 4)
- RCP - 521 Patient Assessment (Credits: 4)
- RCP - 534 Clinical Practice I (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 569 Clinical Practice II (Credits: 7)
- RCP - 575 Clinical Practice III (Credits: 7)
- RCP - 577 Clinical Seminar (Credits: 3)
Total: 33 credit hours
Required courses
RRT students must complete the following required courses:
- RCP - 501 Foundations of Professional Practice (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 563 Research Methods (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 565 Research Project I (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 566 Education (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 567 Management (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 573 Research Project II (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 583 Research Project III (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 585 Clinical Practice IV (Credits: 4-8)*
- RCP - 589 Disease Management/Home Health Care (Credits: 3)
- CHS - 601 Introduction to Biostatistics (Credits: 2)
- CHS - 605 Introduction to Ethics in Health Care (Credits: 2)
* With the program director’s permission, RCP - 585 may be taken twice for four credit hours each (over two semesters instead of as a single, eight-hour course).
Total: 30 credit hours
Elective courses
RRT students must select a minimum of nine semester hours from the following courses. All other required elective courses will be assigned proficiency credit.
- RCP - 570 Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics (Credits: 2)
- RCP - 530 Cardiac Diseases (Credits: 2)
- RCP - 531 Critical Respiratory Care (Credits: 4)
- RCP - 532 Pulmonary Function Testing (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 533 Pediatric and Neonatal Respiratory Care (Credits: 4)
- RCP - 512 Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology (Credits: 5)
- RCP - 522 Pulmonary Disease (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 523 Mechanical Ventilation (Credits: 4)
- CHS - 620 Health Care in America (Credits: 2)
Total: 29 credit hours
Total credit that may be awarded based on the RRT credential: 53
Credit hours that must be completed at Rush: 39
Total respiratory care course hours required for the degree: 92
Sample advanced-standing program student schedule
Fall term
- RCP - 501 Foundations of Professional Practice (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 563 Research Methods (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 565 Research Project I (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 566 Education (Credits: 3)
- RCP - 567 Management (Credits: 3)
Spring term
- RCP - 573 Research Project II (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 523 Mechanical Ventilation (Credits: 4)
- CHS - 601 Introduction to Biostatistics (Credits: 2)
- RCP - 585 Clinical Practice IV (Credits: 4-8)
Summer term
- CHS - 605 Introduction to Ethics in Health Care (Credits: 2)
- RCP - 583 Research Project III (Credits: 1)
- RCP - 532 Pulmonary Function Testing (Credits: 3)
- CHS - 620 Health Care in America (Credits: 2)
View the current course catalog
Refer to the course catalog for our most up-to-date curriculum information.