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). Upon successful completion of the NBRC exam, the graduate is also eligible for state licensing in Respiratory Care by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. A student may enroll at anytime in the first year of curriculum. Enrollment in first year courses does not insure a student’s acceptance into the second (clinical) year of the curriculum.
Admission to Professional/Clinical Phase of Curriculum
Admission to the second (clinical) year of the program is on a selective basis. Students wishing to register for the second (clinical) year of the curriculum must submit an application for admission to the Cardiopulmonary Care Science program no later than July 1. Students will receive this application in CPCS 101.
To apply into the second (clinical) year the student must have:
1. Credit or registration in the first 36 hours of curriculum plus BIOL 203, Computer Literacy Elective, and CPCS 101.
2. Evidence of Immunizations
3. Complete Criminal Background Check
Acceptance into the second (clinical) year is based on:
1. A minimum GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in the required support courses and a minimum overall GPA of 2. Completion of the first 44 hours of the curriculum 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.
Associate of Science Degree in Cardiopulmonary Care Science
- (CLR) Computer Literacy Requirement;
- (GER) General Education Requirement;
- (OCR) Oral Communication Requirement;
- (UR) University Requirement
Suggested Course Sequence:
| FIRST YEAR | Sem. Hrs. |
| BIOL 114, 116 (GER) | 6 |
| BIOL 115, 117 | 2 |
| CHEM 101 or 208 (GER) | 3 |
| ENGL 101, 102 (GER) | 6 |
| Fine Arts Elective (GER) | 3 |
| Freshman Seminar Course (UR) | 1 |
| HIST Elective (GER) | 3 |
| MATH 101, 102 or 214 (GER) | 6 |
| PHSC 101 or PHYS 101 | 3 |
| PSYC 101 (GER) | 3 |
| 36 | |
| SUMMER SESSION | Sem. Hrs. |
| BIOL 203 | 3 |
| Computer Literacy Elective (CLR) | 3 |
| CPCS 101 | 2 |
| 8 | |
| SECOND YEAR | Sem. Hrs. |
| CPCS 150, 151, 201, 202, 203, 214, 217, 218, 219, 222 | 24 |
| 24 | |
| SUMMER SESSION | Sem. Hrs. |
| CPCS 220, 221 | 4 |
| 4 |
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