Cardiopulmonary Care Science Program
The university awards the Associate of Science degree to students who successfully complete the two year curriculum in Cardiopulmonary Care Science. This program prepares students at the entry-level to provide respiratory care techniques and cardiopulmonary testing and monitoring to patients of all ages. The graduate is a care provider, client teacher, and respected member of the allied health profession.
The program of study includes academic, laboratory, and clinical experiences in hospital and free-standing clinic settings. Upon completion of the program, the student is eligible to complete examinations that lead to dual entry level credentialing in the allied health disciplines of Respiratory Care and Cardiovascular Technology. These examinations are administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) and Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI). Graduates are also eligible for state licensing in Respiratory Care by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. A student may enroll at anytime in the pre professional phase of curriculum.
Admission to Professional/Clinical Phase of Curriculum
Students wishing to register for the professional/clinical phase of the curriculum must submit an application to the Department no later than May 1. Acceptance into the professional/clinical phase is based on:
- A minimum GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in the required support courses and a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.
- Completion of all required academic course work with a minimum grade of C or better.
For students accepted into the program, a minimum grade of C is required in all courses for that semester to progress in the curriculum sequence.
Students seeking transfer or re entry into the program must have a transcript of prior credits on file in the Office of Records and Registration and evaluated by said office before a request for admission to courses titled Cardiopulmonary Care Science can be submitted to the program. Qualified applicants with credits in Cardiopulmonary Care who have not been enrolled in an approved program for five years will be required to repeat all professional/clinical courses.
Those applicants not accepted into the clinical courses will receive, at their option, counseling regarding alternate career plans.
This curriculum is subject to change as deemed necessary by the faculty and administration to ensure an effective program of study that is reflective of the breadth, depth, and scope-of-practice.
All required courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C or better to qualify for the degree.
| FIRST YEAR | Sem.Hrs. | SECOND YEAR | Sem.Hrs. |
| BIOL 114, 116 (GER) | 6 | BIOL 203 | 3 |
| BIOL 115, 117 | 2 | CPCS 201, 202, 203, 214, 217, 218, 219 |
18 |
| CPCS 101 | 1 | Fine Arts Elective (GER) | 3 |
| CHEM 101 or 208 (GER) | 3 | HIST Elective (GER) | 3 |
| ENGL 101, 102 (GER) | 6 | 27 | |
| Freshman Seminar Course (UR) | 1 | ||
| MATH 101, 102 or 214 (GER) | 6 | ||
| PHSC 101 or PHYS 101 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 101 (GER) | 3 | ||
| 31 | |||
| SUMMER SESSION | Sem.Hrs. | SUMMER SESSION | Sem.Hrs. |
| CPCS 150, 151 | 4 | CPCS 220, 221, 222 | 7 |
| Computer Literacy Elective (CLR) | 3 | 7 | |
| 7 |
Total Hours Required for Degree: 72
Respiratory Therapy Advanced Course Offerings
The advanced course offerings in respiratory therapy are an accelerated, non-traditional pathway composed of sixteen hours of academic, laboratory, and clinical education experiences that prepare students as advanced level respiratory therapists.
Students applying for admission must be graduates of a CAAHEP accredited entry-level respiratory therapy program, be credentialed as a CRTT/CRT by the National Board for Respiratory Care and/or licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. The student must also have an Associate degree with a minimum of one college course in: (a) Chemistry; (b) Physics; (c) Anatomy and Physiology; (d) Microbiology; (e) Computer Science; (f) Mathematics; and (g) English. It is also suggested that the individual have twelve months of validated clinical experience and be employed by an accredited/licensed health care facility.
Students meeting the general education requirement and successfully completing specific advanced course offerings may qualify for the following credentialing examinations administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care: (a) Certified and/or Registered Pulmonary Function Technologist; (b) Specialist in Perinatal/Pediatric Respiratory Care; and (c) Registered Respiratory Therapist (all 6 courses required).
Advanced course offerings in respiratory therapy are offered in the following semester sequence (a student may enter during any semester).
Course Offerings
| FALL SEMESTER | Sem.Hrs. | SPRING SEMESTER | Sem.Hrs. |
| RSPT 301, 303, 305 | 8 | RSPT 302, 304, 306 | 9 |
Total Credit Hours: 17