Offered at the SPC Reese Center, Respiratory Care is a rapidly expanding medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of people with cardiopulmonary disorders. South Plains College offers a two-year program that culminates in an Associate of Applied Science degree in Respiratory Care. To qualify for the A.A.S. degree, the student must complete a Capstone Experience during the final semester of the program. This degree confers eligibility to apply for the entry-level and advanced-level therapist examinations given by the National Board for Respiratory Care. A successful score on the entry-level examination qualifies the applicant as a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and allows application for a Texas Respiratory Care Practitioner license. Successful completion of the advanced-level examination leads to the Registered Respiratory Therapist credential (RRT). The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC); 264 Precision Blvd, Telford, TN 37690, www.coarc.com. Program admission requirements for persons interested in the Respiratory Care program, must complete the following entrance requirements: admission to South Plains College, Admission to the college does not guarantee admission to the Respiratory Care program, complete a career planning session with the Respiratory Care program director, and receive a program application. The applicant should contact the program at (806) 716-4625 and submit a program application to the program director by June 9th to be eligible for the upcoming August class. Submitting an early application is recommended. Complete the mandatory prerequisite classes before June 1st. It is recommended that applicants complete as many of the remaining general education classes as possible. Classes must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. Admission to the program is limited, based on clinical training space. Eligible applicants will be evaluated by the following criteria: Must successfully complete all prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better before June 1st. Completion of all general education classes is strongly recommended. Candidates will be evaluated based on grade point average of prerequisites and submission date of application. The Program Director is Ron Edwards, Instructor in Respiratory Care. An articulation agreement has been established with Texas Tech Univesity Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) to offer a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a specialization in Respiratory Care. Students may transfer up to 90 hours of community college credit into the program (42 hours required Common Core credits and 48 hours of approved Technical Credits) and complete the remaining 30 credits through TTUHSC. Applications are accepted every semester. All Texas Tech Bachelor of Health Science courses are offered online and are structured on the Fall, Spring and Summer semester system. For those students interested in the Texas Tech BSHS program an unconditional admission is offered to: Students who have an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in an allied health discipline, an overall GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and have completed the common core curriculum requirements for a baccalaureate degree, have their certification / licensure /registration in their professional field. Common Core Requirements are: English 6 hours, History 6 hours, Math 3 hours, Political Science 6 hours, Humanities 3 hours, Natural Science 6 hours, Social Science 6 hours, Visual and Performing Arts 3 hours, Common Core Elective 3 hours, and an Associate of Applied Science Degree.