Respiratory Care

At Delta College, we want every student to get the best education, so they're ready to hit the ground running when they graduate. Accreditation is one way we do that.

The respiratory therapist program at Delta College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC Program Number 200266, AAS Degree).

Getting your degree in a health field is unique compared to other Delta programs. You must first take your prerequisite core courses, and then you'll apply for validation.

What's validation?

The Registrar's Office validates your prerequisite courses to confirm you are eligible to begin the clinical portion of your program.

Success tips

• Declare the respiratory therapist program.
• Meet with your advisor regularly. Stay on track with what you need to do to apply.
• Apply for validation with the Registrar's Office once you've started your final semester of prerequisite courses.
• Stay connected for important updates from Delta.

Scholar admission

All validated RT students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply for one of the RT program’s scholar admission positions. Up to eight people may be selected/offered a position using this process.  

The advantage of being selected via scholar admission is that you can essentially “skip ahead” on the validation list. The remainder of the positions in the class will be offered to individuals using the current waitlist process.

The criteria that is reviewed for scholar admission is as follows:

• Overall GPA
• Number of credits at Delta College
• BIO 140/152-153 Grade
• Previously earned degrees or certifications
• Paid work experience
• Unpaid/volunteer work experience
• Presidential Honors Scholar
• Honors classes

Advance-standing admission

Any student wishing to enroll with advance standing in the respiratory therapist program must follow these steps.

• You must request copies of all official transcripts be sent to Delta College. 
• Schedule an appointment with the Counseling & Advising office.
• Complete request for credit/waiver of required coursework with advisor. Come prepared with all course descriptions and course objectives.
• This must be completed  by January of the year your wish to enroll.
• You must demonstrate at a level consistent with current program standards (program defined criteria) the knowledge and clinical skills (demonstrated appropriate competencies) from that portion of the program for which the advance standing is requested. This will include both written didactic and clinical examinations.
• You must satisfy all general education and respiratory therapist course requirements (sponsor defined criteria) before a degree will be awarded.

All validated RT students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply for one of the RT program’s scholar admission positions. Up to eight people may be selected/offered a position in the Fall 2025 class using this process.         

We think it's important to know how we're doing so we can continually improve our programs—collegewide. We work really hard to give our students the best possible education. So, we annually evaluate and show you what we find out. 

CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an outcomes 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. Programmatic outcomes data is reported below and on the CoARC website.

In addition to tuition there are other expenses for program requirements.

The costs include:

• Textbooks, $500
• Embroidered hunter green scrubs, $70 a set, 2 recommended
• Shoes, $100
• Stethoscope, $75
• Protective eyewear, $5
• Watch with second hand (recommended), $50
• Fall conference, $100
• RT program identification tag, $5
• Physical examination, $75
• Immunizations (possibly), $300
• Influenza vaccination annually, $60
• 10 panel urine drug screen, $50
• Criminal background check, $75
• TMC self-assessment exam, $90
• CSE self-assessment exam, $100
• Kettering classmate, $100
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support Workshop, $150

TOTAL $1,980

You must also provide your own transportation to clinical settings, plus possible hospital parking charges.

We want to make sure you're ready when you graduate and that the knowledge you gain from your Delta degree is top-notch. 

Program Goal

The minimum expectation of the program is to prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).

When you're done, here's what you'll be able to do:

Outcome 1

Apply the cognitive skills consistent with effective Respiratory Practitioners performing services such as, but not limited to, oxygen therapy, aerosol therapy, chest physiotherapy, airway management, blood gas interpretation, infection control, mechanical ventilation, home care, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary anatomy and physiology, cardiopulmonary pathophysiology and hemodynamic monitoring.

Outcome 2

Demonstrate the psychomotor skills consistent with Respiratory Practitioners including, but not limited to, oxygen therapy, aerosol therapy, chest physiotherapy, airway management, arterial blood sample withdraw, arterial line insertion, infection control, mechanical ventilation, home care, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation and electronic medical records documentation.

Outcome 3

Describe and use Michigan legal standards and ethical standards consistent with the American Association for Respiratory Care code of ethics, including but not limited to, effective communication skills both written and verbal, honesty, integrity, compassion, caring, cooperation and understanding death and dying in the acute care environment.

The student will not be considered a member of any hospital staff during the clinical education course. Students must not be used as substitutes for clinical instructional or administrative staff. Students shall not receive any form of remuneration in exchange for work performed during clinical rotations. Students may be employed as paid externs but extern time and clinical education time may not occur simultaneously.

Technical standards are the mental and physical skills and abilities needed to fulfill the clinical and academic requirements of the respiratory care program. Those skills and abilities include:

• Ability to communicate effectively to patients, families and health care members in English
• Ability to work with individuals of various ethnicities, abilities and ages
• Ability to push/pull or lift medical equipment in excess of 50 pounds, with or without assistance
• Safely transfer patients, with or without assistance and without restrictions
• Successfully complete all required program clinical experiences and required program courses
• Respond appropriately and promptly to emergency situations
• Assess a patient’s condition through interaction with patient and caregivers, observation of conditions and behaviors and perform a thorough chart review
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time
• Ability to move freely around a Respiratory Care Department, as well as other areas of the hospital, surgery and intensive care unit rooms
• Ability to reach 6 feet off of the ground
• Ability to assume varied postural positions (i.e., bending, kneeling, stretching) to work with equipment and patients
• Must have dexterity to manipulate respiratory care equipment, work in a sterile environment, and prepare sterile fields
• Strong hand/eye coordination
• Ability to write legible English in a readable style
• Ability to hear breath sounds, heart sounds and blood pressures utilizing a stethoscope
• Ability to read and comprehend written orders in English
• Ability to read and comprehend relevant information in textbooks, medical records and professional literature
• Ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate and synthesize in the context of the respiratory care profession and to make critical thinking decisions
• Ability to organize and accurately perform individual steps in a respiratory care procedure in proper sequence and time frame
• Ability to function under all circumstances, including highly stressful and/or fast-paced environments
• Ability to adapt to an environment that may change rapidly, without warning and/or in unpredictable ways
• Ability to show empathy, compassion and concern for others
• Ability to remain calm and focused during stressful situations, including competency performance evaluations
• Demonstrate integrity, honesty, and professionalism in all matters with peers, faculty, staff and patients
• Demonstrate accountability, problem solving, sound judgment and listening skills at all times
• Ability to maintain confidences, according to professional and legal (i.e., HIPPA) standards
• Comply with the Respiratory Care Code of Ethics, Clinical Practice Standards and Scope of Practice

Delta is committed to ensuring that otherwise qualified students with disabilities are given equal access through reasonable accommodations to its services, programs and activities for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are required to perform all essential functions of the program, with or without reasonable accommodation. Delta will work with the student and the Disability Resources Office to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

While we will make every effort to work with our students with disabilities to accommodate their disability-related needs, it is important to note we are not required to provide requested accommodations that would fundamentally alter the essential functions or technical standards of the program. Students can contact Disability Resources at 989-686-9794 or disabilityresources@delta.edu.