History

The program is a joint effort of the university with seven major hospitals in Austin and multiple specialty hospitals throughout the state and country. Didactic and laboratory courses are taught on campus in Round Rock, while clinical rotations are conducted in Austin area affiliates.

In 1972, the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree for Respiratory Therapy was established and a certificate program from entry level technicians was added in 1980. In June of 1992, both program names were changed from Respiratory Therapy to Respiratory Care in accordance with national trends and nomenclature.

In April of 1993, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the university’s request to add the Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care (BSRC) degree and to delete the AAS degree. The BSRC was implemented in September 1993 with an initial enrollment of 41 students. The last AAS graduates completed the program in 1994.

The BSRC program has continued to evolve and grow in response to changing dynamics in the profession to include internships which allow students to specialize in an area of interest pertinent to career goal development. The BSRC Entry-Level program on the Round Rock campus remains one of the largest university-based entry-level BSRC program enrolled in the nation. Clinical affiliates found within the state, the nation and internationally, offer students the opportunity to develop special skills that may lead to additional subspecialty credentials. Internship specialization include neonatal and pediatric critical care specialties, adult critical care specialties, emergent care, pulmonary rehabilitation, biomedical research, homecare, pulmonary function testing, asthma education, polysomnography, case management, hospital administration/management and higher education.  BSRC graduates of the program are qualified to sit for the Therapist Multiple Choice (TMC) exam and the Clinical Simulation Exam (CSE) exam administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) required to earn the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) national credential.

The Department of Respiratory Care also offers a Master of Science in Respiratory Care (MSRC) with a Polysomnography track, Clinical Specialist track, and a Leadership track with a minor in Polysomnography. The online, post-professional MSRC prepares respiratory therapists for advanced roles in research, academia, leadership, and clinical specialization. National board exams in sleep, or polysomnography board exams, are offered  by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists resulting in the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) national credential in sleep and the National Board for Respiratory Care earning the Sleep Disorders Specialist (SDS) national credential.