It is never too early to meet with the Respiratory Therapy Academic Advisor to review your transcripts and then you may apply for admission to the program. Completing the application and gathering additional information from the check list will take time, so plan accordingly. 

Based on the pool of applicants in a given year, the Respiratory Therapy program uses a defined point system to rank order candidates from highest to lowest until all seats are filled.

Go to Admissions for information about the admission process for the Respiratory Therapy program (RESP THRPY).

Students may view the application deadline and admission process by visiting Health Sciences Admission website

Program application is open January 15th - May 15th for classes beginning in the fall. Pre-requisite courses can be in progress when submitting an application. No applications submitted after the deadline date will be considered.

Applicants who have been granted admission into the program will receive an email acceptance in their SLCC bruin mail account. In the event that additional seats become available, the next ranked candidate will be offered a seat until all seats are filled.

Respiratory therapists provide the hands-on care that helps people recover from a wide range of medical conditions. Therapists get to know their patients, and their patients' families, and have the opportunity to help them through trying times. Whenever breathing is an issue, they are there. For example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. Their patients range from premature infants with undeveloped lungs to elderly patients who have diseased lungs. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning, or shock.

Respiratory Therapists work in intensive units, emergency rooms, and in new-born pediatric units to provide life-saving treatment and interventions.

If you enjoy communicating and working with children, adolescents, adults, seniors, and special needs populations as a vital member of the Respiratory team, then Respiratory Therapy may be the career for you. As a professional health care provider, the Respiratory Therapist plays an important role in helping patients maintain optimal pulmonary health as it relates to patients' total well-being.

The program will take 4 semesters (Fall, Spring, Fall, Spring) plus one to two semesters for prerequisite courses.

Upon graduation, students may use the statewide Utah transfer agreement to attend any of Utah’s four-year colleges to earn a Bachelor’s degree.

Courses

Spring semester prerequisite courses may still be in progress when you submit your application. However, your application will not be considered complete and therefore no acceptance/denial will be determined until after the grades for the prerequisite courses have been posted. Your final grades will be assessed at the end of the semester and your acceptance into the program will be based on your grades being high enough to meet the program’s selection requirements.

The following courses and labs (or equivalent transfer credit, AP or CLEP) must be completed prior to the  start date of the Respiratory Therapy Program. Each course and lab must be completed, with a C grade or better. Courses that have not been completed with a C grade or better will not be considered. BIOL 2320/2325 & CHEM 1110 must have been completed within seven years of the start of the program. 

*APA Referencing section highly suggested.

**MATH 1010 w/C grade or better or appropriate placement score into MATH 1050 is a prerequisite to CHEM 1110.

***BIOL 1610 & 1615 are not required for transfer students who have previously completed Human Anatomy w/ Lab or Human Physiology w/Lab with a “C” grade, or better. If you are taking BIOL 2320 & 2325 and/or BIOL 2420 & 2425 at SLCC, you must take BIOL 1610 & 1615 first.

****CHEM 1110 is a required pre-requisite for BIOL 2420/BIOL 2425. Students transferring in with Human Physiology completed, CHEM 1010 is accepted. 

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT TRANSFER CREDIT

• It is the applicant's responsibility to make sure their transfer credit has been fully transferred to SLCC prior to the program's application deadlines.
• If a student has courses they are transferring from another school, their transcripts must be evaluated by the SLCC Transfer Evaluation Office and their grades must be posted to SLCC DegreeWorks (their MySLCC account), before the program’s application deadline (priority and final application deadlines apply). IT CAN TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS FOR TRANSCRIPTS TO BE EVALUATED.
• Students should declare Health Sciences as their Area of Study, and Respiratory Therapy as the Program of Study when applying to SLCC. If the correct information is not submitted within the transfer evaluation request, courses applicable to the program may not be transferred to SLCC. 

An Academic Advisor will be happy to discuss the application process and answer any questions you may have. It is highly recommended that applicants call (801) 957-6215 to schedule an appointment. To schedule an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please call (801) 957 – 4410 or (801) 957-2683. The admissions office can be reached at 801-957-6253 or healthsciencesadmissions@slcc.edu.

25 students are admitted each year and it is very competitive.

You will be notified of your acceptance into the Respiratory Therapy program via your Bruinmail account. 

Acceptances into the Respiratory Therapy program will be given on a "conditional" basis.  Students must complete the following within the allotted time in their conditional acceptance letter to receive a full acceptance:

1. Order Complio compliance package.
2. Order background check.
3. Upload and enter documentation showing compliance for immunizations.
4. Complete drug screening (directions will be provided in the conditional acceptance letter)
5. Complete the American Heart Association BLS CPR certification.

Once all of the above items have been completed, the student will need to contact the Admissions Office for verification of compliance.  If compliant, a full acceptance letter will be sent with additional instructions for anything else that will need to be completed before beginning the program. 

Please read all emails carefully and thoroughly to make sure you don't miss any information. If additional seats become available, new candidates will be accepted based on their place in the applicant ranking system. 

Please do not initiate any of the compliance tasks unless you have received a conditional acceptance letter.

BACKGROUND CHECK AND COMPLIANCE PACKAGE

A full criminal background check is required for the Respiratory Therapy Program. To order a Criminal Background Check Package and a Compliance Package (which includes immunization and CPR tracking):

1. Go to Complio
2. Follow the instructions to set up an account.
3. Order the Criminal Background Check Package ($29.00) the Drug Screening Package ($35) and the Compliance Package ($15.00). The compliance package is a 12-month subscription that will need to be renewed every 12 months that you are in the program at a cost of $15.00.

Students who do not receive favorable background checks, may not be able to sit for national certification exams or meet the requirements for clinical placement.  Students who do not receive favorable background checks should contact the Health Sciences Admissions Coordinator immediately.  An unfavorable background check may prevent acceptance into the program. The School of Health Sciences strongly recommends that prospective students take measures to have criminal offenses (felonies and or misdemeanors) expunged if possible.  Information regarding how to expunge criminal records may be found here:  https://www.utcourts.gov/howto/expunge/

IMMUNIZATIONS

Proof of immunization is required by clinical affiliates and must be completed upon acceptance into the program. Clinical affiliates mandate all students comply with program immunization requirements, as failure to immunize is not only a risk to patients but also students. Failure to immunize may result in the inability to place students at clinical sites, which would also preclude students from completing required clinical coursework.  Students that cannot comply may forfeit their placement in the program. Students claiming a religious or personal exemption for an immunization should fill out this form (link) and provide to the Associate Dean of the specific program.  Students claiming an allergy to an immunization should complete this form (link) and provide to the Admissions Coordinator in the Dean’s Office.  The School of Health Sciences does not guarantee that clinical affiliates will accept exemption requests.

In your Compliance Package, you must provide proof of the following immunizations:

1. Annual Influenza Vaccination:
   Required annually, students must provide proof of receiving the Influenza vaccination between September 1 and October 31 or submit a signed exemption request form between September 1 and October 31.
2. Tuberculosis Skin or Blood Test: Required Annually
   Proof of a negative 2-step PPD or QuantiFERON TB Gold test or T-SPOT.TB; if positive or you have had a past positive test, you must submit a negative chest x-ray. This requirement also includes international students who have had the BCG immunization. X-ray results are good for one year. If you choose to do a PPD please know that the PPD is a 2-step test, the 1st step must be done no sooner than the dates specified in Complio and the 2nd step is required within 1 - 3 weeks after the 1st step is read. Results are good for 1 year. (Please note that a 2 step PPD test requires 4 office visits, 1. Test is administered 2. Test is read 3. 2nd test is administered 4. Test is read.) The annual TB test would be a 1-step PPD, QuantiFERON or T-SPOT.
3. Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap) Booster:
   Tdap booster is good for 10 years. TD will be given subsequent to Tdap.
4. Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR):
   Proof of two doses or positive titer (blood draw) on all three. Equivocal results are not acceptable; you must test in the positive range if you choose to do a titer. NOTE: If given to adult females, since this is a live virus, you cannot be pregnant at the time you receive the immunization and you must avoid pregnancy for 3 months after administration.
5. Varicella (Chicken Pox):
   Proof of two doses or a positive titer (blood draw). Stating you had the disease is not acceptable. Varicella immunizations are expensive, if you had the disease it is recommended to start with a less expensive titer first for proof of immunity before starting the immunizations.
6. Hepatitis B vaccination series:
   You must provide proof of a Hep B titer (blood draw) with a positive (reactive) result. If your titer is negative (non-reactive) or equivocal you will need to reinitiate the three shot series and provide proof of that series and a repeat titer. The series of shots can take up to 6 months so please plan ahead so this does not delay or jeopardize your admissions and clinical placement.
7. Hepatitis A vaccination series: Highly recommended but not required.
   Proof of a two dose series or a positive titer. If you start the series, you must complete it.
8. COVID Vaccine: Proof of complete doses or an approved Health Sciences exemption form on file. Unvaccinated students may not be eligible to be placed or complete a clinical requirement necessary for graduation. *Subject to change based on mandates*

The SLCC Center for Health and Counseling offers immunizations at a discounted rate for students who are low income. For a discounted rate, take your previous income tax return or your last 30 days pay stubs. Some clinical facilities may require additional immunizations.

Changes based on CDC recommendations, see below links:

• Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Recommendations
• Testing Health Care Workers
• Hepatitis B FAQs for Health Professionals

All immunization information is subject to change. Please contact us at 801-957-6253 if you have questions.

CPR CERTIFICATION

Only American Heart Association Two-Year BLS Providers will be accepted. Must be kept current throughout the program.

The majority of the clinical experiences take place at the various hospitals and clinics where students will gain their hands on clinical experience. There will be travel involved, typically in the Salt Lake valley area.

Completion of all prerequisite general education courses and Respiratory Therapy coursework. The completion of all clinical requirements including clinical hours.

The Respiratory Therapy Program, 200630, Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, Salt Lake Community College Jordan Campus holds provisional accreditation from the Commission Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).

Candidates for licensure must be graduates of an accredited Respiratory Therapy program, have successfully completed the NBRC CRTT exam. Candidates must also complete the application process from the Department of Professional Licensing (DOPL), hold a current CPR certification, and submit all board scores and official college transcripts.

Approximate total expenses is $9000. This does not include prerequisite courses. Additional fees may be charged for books, uniforms, immunizations, testing, etc.