Respiratory Therapy Program

Respiratory therapists are skilled professionals qualified by education to evaluate, treat, rehabilitate, and educate patients with cardiopulmonary disorders. They work with patients of all ages from premature infants to the elderly. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning, or shock.

They are actively involved in health promotion and disease prevention. Respiratory therapists may work in hospitals, nursing care facilities, in home health care, clinics, and companies that provide medical equipment.

What They Do

Respiratory therapists are skilled professionals qualified by education to evaluate, treat, rehabilitate, and educate patients with cardiopulmonary disorders. They work with patients of all ages from premature infants to the elderly. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning, or shock.

They are actively involved in health promotion and disease prevention. Respiratory therapists may work in hospitals, nursing care facilities, in home health care, clinics, and companies that provide medical equipment.

Prerequisite courses: 2 years of specific college courses with an affiliated university
Respiratory therapy courses: 21 months; primarily full-time days

If you are a graduate of an associate degree program in respiratory therapy and want to earn your bachelor's degree, contact Christopher Porter at IRTEC@iuhealth.org.

Three central Indiana universities have joined IU Health in a consortium to offer a bachelor's degree in respiratory therapy. Students complete all prerequisites at their home university and then come together for two years of professional courses at IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Student's remain enrolled in and receive the respiratory therapy degree from their home university.

For specific information on the program, please go to Prospective Student Information.

Duration of Education

Prerequisite courses: 2 years of specific college courses with an affiliated university
Respiratory therapy courses: 21 months; primarily full-time days

If you are a graduate of an associate degree program in respiratory therapy and want to earn your bachelor's degree, contact Christopher Porter at IRTEC@iuhealth.org.

Three central Indiana universities have joined IU Health in a consortium to offer a bachelor's degree in respiratory therapy. Students complete all prerequisites at their home university and then come together for two years of professional courses at IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Student's remain enrolled in and receive the respiratory therapy degree from their home university.

For specific information on the program, please go to Prospective Student Information.

Application Deadline

First Business Day of February

Program Start Date

August

Key Dates

Application Deadline

First Business Day of February

Program Start Date

August

University tuition plus books/uniforms/fees

Cost

University tuition plus books/uniforms/fees

Admission to the university does not guarantee acceptance to the professional studies phase of the program. Preference in admission will be given to applicants who are residents of the State of Indiana. The number of non-resident applicants accepted into the program will be limited to a maximum of 10% of each class. Students may apply for admission to the professional studies portion of the program when the following requirements are met:

28 hours of required courses are completed
10 of these completed hours are in required math/science courses
"C" or better in required math/science courses
2.5 overall GPA

A personal interview is required, during which communication skills in English will be assessed.

Completion of all prerequisites is required by Aug. 1, the year of admission to the professional studies portion of the program.

Due to the vulnerable nature of the patients treated by respiratory therapists, a criminal background check, drug screen and the documentation of vaccinations is required prior to admission.

A social security number is necessary to facilitate the background check and allow students access to hospitals that serve as the programs' clinical partners.

Admission

Admission to the university does not guarantee acceptance to the professional studies phase of the program. Preference in admission will be given to applicants who are residents of the State of Indiana. The number of non-resident applicants accepted into the program will be limited to a maximum of 10% of each class. Students may apply for admission to the professional studies portion of the program when the following requirements are met:

28 hours of required courses are completed
10 of these completed hours are in required math/science courses
"C" or better in required math/science courses
2.5 overall GPA

A personal interview is required, during which communication skills in English will be assessed.

Completion of all prerequisites is required by Aug. 1, the year of admission to the professional studies portion of the program.

Due to the vulnerable nature of the patients treated by respiratory therapists, a criminal background check, drug screen and the documentation of vaccinations is required prior to admission.

A social security number is necessary to facilitate the background check and allow students access to hospitals that serve as the programs' clinical partners.

Students will complete their general studies at their "home" university. During this time they will also complete graduation requirements of the university. In addition, prerequisite courses for the Respiratory Therapy Program include the following:

English (2 courses)
Speech
Chemistry with Lab
Introductory Psychology
Developmental Psychology/Life Span Development
College Level Mathematics (2 courses)
Human Anatomy with Lab
Ethics
Physics
Human Physiology with Lab
Statistics
Microbiology

General Studies Requirements

Students will complete their general studies at their "home" university. During this time they will also complete graduation requirements of the university. In addition, prerequisite courses for the Respiratory Therapy Program include the following:

English (2 courses)
Speech
Chemistry with Lab
Introductory Psychology
Developmental Psychology/Life Span Development
College Level Mathematics (2 courses)
Human Anatomy with Lab
Ethics
Physics
Human Physiology with Lab
Statistics
Microbiology

The goals of the respiratory therapy program are:

To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists.
To prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content related to the acquisition of skills in management, education and research.

Program Goals

The goals of the respiratory therapy program are:

To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists.
To prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content related to the acquisition of skills in management, education and research.

Christopher Porter, MPH, RRT, RRT-NPS; Program Director
Peter Bischoff, MHA, RRT-ACCS; Educator
Tammy Hunt-Dimirsky, MS, RRT, SDS, RPFT; Educator and Clinical Coordinator
Debbie Koehl, MS, RRT, AE-C, FAARC; Lecturer
Chris C. Naum, MD; Medical Director
Ashley McClain, BS, RRT, AE-C, TTS; Educator
Terran Newby, BS, RRT; Educator
Jay Sears, BS, RRT-ACCS; Educator

Faculty

Christopher Porter, MPH, RRT, RRT-NPS; Program Director
Peter Bischoff, MHA, RRT-ACCS; Educator
Tammy Hunt-Dimirsky, MS, RRT, SDS, RPFT; Educator and Clinical Coordinator
Debbie Koehl, MS, RRT, AE-C, FAARC; Lecturer
Chris C. Naum, MD; Medical Director
Ashley McClain, BS, RRT, AE-C, TTS; Educator
Terran Newby, BS, RRT; Educator
Jay Sears, BS, RRT-ACCS; Educator

The Indiana Respiratory Therapy Education Consortium (program #200039), which grants a bachelor's degree with Ball State University, Indiana University, and the University of Indianapolis, is located in Indianapolis. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, CoARC utilizes an "outcome based" process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.

Find outcome data for the program on the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care website.

Accreditation

The Indiana Respiratory Therapy Education Consortium (program #200039), which grants a bachelor's degree with Ball State University, Indiana University, and the University of Indianapolis, is located in Indianapolis. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, CoARC utilizes an "outcome based" process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.

Find outcome data for the program on the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care website.

Interested applicants must apply to the program through one of the affiliated universities. Admission to the university does not guarantee acceptance to the professional studies phase of the program. For more information please contact the appropriate university.

To request information:

Email: learning@iuhealth.org

Phone: 317.962.5470

IU Health Methodist Hospital
Wile Hall, Room 629
PO Box 1367
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1367

Respiratory Therapy Program Director
Christopher Porter, MPH, RRT, RRT-NPS
317.962.8475

Application/Contact Information