The Respiratory Care Program in the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services has been selected as a recipient of the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care’s Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award.

This award recognizes programs that provide the Registered Respiratory Therapist credential, which the CoARC views as the standard of professional achievement.

Those receiving this award must meet strict criteria based on key accreditation metrics, and were required to: 

1. Have three or more years of acceptable outcomes data
2. Hold accreditation without a progress report at the end of the year
3. Document RRT credentialing success of 90% or above
4. Meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for Therapist Multiple Choice examination high cut score and the Clinical Simulation Exam and an acceptable retention rate.

Presently, the Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care Program maintains a 94% first time exam pass rate and 99% overall pass rate on the national exams for Registered Respiratory Therapists.

Kelly Colwell, the program director for Respiratory Care, said he was truly proud of the faculty who helped the program receive this award for the sixth time.

“This is truly a testament to our faculty’s individual dedication, perseverance and hard work in propelling our program to national recognition and our students to academic success, and for this they should be proud of their efforts,” Colwell said. “Each one of our professors brings a unique, specific expertise that allows our program to bring about a level of student confidence in academia and clinical practice that ultimately creates compassionate healthcare providers that will undoubtedly have an impact in societal health and outcomes.”