BSRT - Traditional 4-Year Degree

The respiratory therapist is one of the most critical members of the health care team, working closely with doctors to diagnose, treat, manage and educate patients with asthma, emphysema and a wide range of other respiratory conditions.

Watch a video: This video shows what respiratory therapists do and why they are so dedicated to their profession. It contains information on growth of the profession, educational requirements, salaries and specialties, in addition to interviews and testimonials from working RTs, physicians and hospital administrators.

Admission Requirements

Note: Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we will not require observation for our 2021 applicants.

A review of the admission application occurs after completion of 29 hours of required courses (see the curriculum for the specific courses which are considered). Students admitted to the entry level BSRT program will begin respiratory therapy courses in the following spring semester.

To be considered for admission to the entry level BSRT program, students must have completed 29 college credit hours identified for the first year’s courses (or their equivalent) in the respiratory therapy curriculum.

General admission guidelines:

Students must have completed all of the following courses with a grade of "C" or better prior to the application deadline of October 1. Applicants in the process of completing required program prerequisites during the fall semester will be given consideration on a contingency basis, although those who have completed all prerequisites will be given first consideration in the selection process.

• Applicants must apply and be accepted to the University of Southern Indiana.  This includes the payment of an application fee as well as the submission of high school and college/university transcripts to USI Undergraduate Admissions, 8600 University Blvd, Evansville, IN 47712.
  
  
• Applicants must complete and submit the Respiratory Therapy Program Application that can be found on the USI website or at the College of Nursing and Health Professions office. Respiratory Therapy Applications are due on or before October 1 for Spring semester admission to the program.
  
  
• Applicants must submit official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended.
  
  
• After completion of the first year required prerequisite courses, pre-respiratory students are eligible to apply to the respiratory program. Accepted admission students must maintain a “C” or better in the completion of all prerequisite second year courses according to the curriculum.

• Admission acknowledgment forms will accompany acceptance letters and must be returned no later than 12:00 midnight on November 7 of each application year. Admission acknowledgment forms not received by this date and time will signify an admission decline.

Admission to the program is competitive and the selection of applicants is based upon the following criteria:

• Applicants must have a grade point average in required first year prerequisite courses of at least 2.5 or above based on a 4.0 scale. These courses are designated with an asterisk (*). GPA will then be multiplied by 6 for total maximum of 24 points. Note: GPA points are calculated based on pre-requisite scores and not overall GPA.
  
  
• 2 points will be awarded for healthcare experience: 2 points for Direct Health Care work experience (i.e. C.N.A. or E.M.T.) or 1 point for Non-Direct Health Care work experience (i.e. receptionist, pharmacy tech) or for completion of a health occupations program.
  
  
• In the event that applicants have equivalent qualifications, SAT and /or ACT scores will be considered.
  
  
• Completion of all required pre-respiratory therapy courses.
  
  
• If an applicant is put on the alternate list, please note that this does not carry a guarantee of acceptance to this class or any future class. Each year, students are selected from the available pool of applicants for that year. If students placed as an alternate for one year, they may apply again the following year and be considered again among those applicants.

Curriculum Outline

The program is comprised of 120 credit hours of coursework leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in Respiratory Therapy. The program includes 41 credit hours from selected shared core of courses, 11 credit hours selected from elective course offerings, and 68 credit hours of required respiratory therapy courses.

The shared Core will consist of 44 credit hours selected from the following:

• English 101 – Rhetoric and Composition I: Literacy and the Self (3 credits)
• English 201 – Rhetoric and Composition II: Literacy and the World (3 credits)
• Math 114 – Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
• BIO 121 – Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4 credits)
• BIO 122 – Human Anatomy and Physiology II (4 credits)
• PSY 201 – Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
• UNIV 101 – Freshman Seminar (1 credit)
• HP 356 – Ethics and Health Care in a Pluralistic Society (3 credits)
• CMST 101 – Introduction to Public Speaking (3 credits) OR CMST 107 – Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
• CHEM 141 – Principles of Chemistry (4 credits)
• KIN 192 – Concepts of Wellness and Fitness (1 credit)
• SOC 121 – Principles of Sociology (3 credits)
• WOK (Elective) – Ways of Knowing (HI, WLC or CAE) (3 credits)
• IPH 401 – Interprofessional Perspectives on Global Health (3 credits)
• WLS (Elective) – World Language and Cultures for BS (3 credits)

The shared required non-respiratory courses will consist of 8 credit hours selected from the following:

• BIOL 272 – Medical Micro Biology (3 credits)
• PHYS 101 – Introduction to Physical Sciences (3 credits)
• HP 115 – Medical Terminology for the Health Professions (2 credits)

The shared respiratory therapy courses will consist of 68 credit hours from the following:

• REST 201 - Introduction to Respiratory (2 credits)
• REST 211 - Respiratory Therapy Modalities I (2 credits)
• REST 211 - 2 hour REST 311 Lab (1 credit)
• REST 216 - Cardiopulmonary A &P I (3 credits)
• REST 223 - Pulmonary Diseases I (3 credits)          
• REST 226 - Cardiopulmonary Pharmacology (3 credits)
• REST 303 - Cardiopulmonary Support and General Airway Mgt. (2 credits)
• REST 322 - Introduction to Mechanical Ventilation I (3 credits)
• REST 322 - 2 hour REST 322 Lab (1 credit)
• REST 312 - Respiratory Therapy Modalities II (3 credits)          
• REST 317 - Cardiopulmonary A&P II (3 credits)
• REST 325 - Pulmonary Diseases II (3 credits)
• REST 381 - Clinical Practice of Respiratory Therapy I (1 credit)
• REST 323 - Mechanical Ventilation II (3 credits)
• REST 323 - 2 hour REST 323 Lab (1 credit)
• REST 361 - Emergency Respiratory Therapy Mgt. (3 credits)
• REST 362 - Pediatric and Newborn Respiratory Therapy (2 credits)
• REST 363 - Pulmonary Diagnostics (3 credits)
• REST 382 - Clinical Practice of Respiratory Therapy II (2 credits)
• REST 451 - Management and Leadership for Respiratory Therapy (3 credits)
• REST 452 - Introduction to Research in Respiratory Therapy (3 credits)
• REST 453 – Respiratory Therapy Disease Management Concepts (3 credits)
• REST 491 - Clinical Practice of Respiratory Therapy IV (3 credits)
• REST 454 - Advanced Critical Care Management (3 credits)
• REST 455 – Pulmonary Rehabilitation Concepts (3 credits)
• REST 492 - Clinical Practice of Respiratory Therapy V - Internship (3 credits)
• REST 456 - Professional Issues in Respiratory Therapy (3 credits)