BSRT - Traditional 4-Year Degree

Admission Requirements

A review of the admission application occurs after completion of 29 hours of required courses (see the curriculum for the specific courses which are considered). Students admitted to the entry level BSRT program will begin respiratory therapy courses in the following spring semester.

To be considered for admission to the entry level BSRT program, students must have completed 29 college credit hours identified for the first year’s courses (or their equivalent) in the respiratory therapy curriculum.

General admission guidelines:

Students must have completed all of the following courses with a grade of "C" or better prior to the application deadline. Applicants in the process of completing required program prerequisites during the fall semester will be given consideration on a contingency basis, although those who have completed all prerequisites will be given first consideration in the selection process.

• Applicants must apply and be accepted to the University of Southern Indiana before being admitted to the respiratory therapy program. This includes payment of an application fee as well as submission of high school and college/university transcripts to Undergraduate Admissions, 8600 University Blvd., Evansville, IN 47712.
• In addition, applicants must complete and submit a separate Respiratory Therapy Program application or in the College of Nursing and Health Professions (812-464-1708). Prior to acceptance into the respiratory therapy program, students are classified as pre-respiratory therapy majors. Enrollment in pre-respiratory therapy does not ensure admission to the respiratory therapy program.
• After completion of the first-year pre-requisite courses, pre-respiratory therapy students are eligible to apply to the respiratory therapy program. The Respiratory Therapy Program has established a priority deadline of August 15th for submission of applications. However, the final deadline for application submission is November 1st. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials by the priority deadline to ensure full consideration for admission. A complete set of official high school and any college/university transcripts must be included with the program application form.

Admission to the program is competitive and the selection of applicants is based on the following criteria:

• Applicants must have a minimum high school or college grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or above based on a 4.0 scale.
• Completion or in Progress of all required pre-requisite courses by the application deadline of November 1st. If pre-requisite courses are in progress, conditional acceptance may be given with the requirement of earning a passing grade in the courses prior to the program start date.
• Students must be able to perform essential functions, eligible for respiratory therapy certification and capable of fulfilling clinical practice requirements.

Applications will be scored using the following guidelines - 27 points possible:

• Applicants must have a grade point average in the required first year pre-requisite courses of at least 2.5 or above based on a 4.0 scale. GPA will be then be multiplied by six for a total maximum of 24 points.
• Optional-Up to 2 points will be awarded for health care experience: 2 points for direct health care work (i.e. CNA or EMT), or 1 point for non-direct health care work experience (i.e. receptionist, pharmacy tech) or for completion of a health occupation program.
• Optional-1 point may be awarded for verification of 12 hours of observation in a hospital respiratory therapy department. The observation verification form can be found on the respiratory therapy page.
•  In the event that applicants have equivalent qualifications, SAT and/or ACT scores will be considered.

The shared Core will consist of 44 credit hours selected from the following:

• English 101 – Rhetoric and Composition I: Literacy and the Self (3 credits)
• English 201 – Rhetoric and Composition II: Literacy and the World (3 credits)
• Math 114 – Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
• BIO 121 – Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4 credits)
• BIO 122 – Human Anatomy and Physiology II (4 credits)
• PSY 201 – Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
• UNIV 101 – Freshman Seminar (1 credit)
• HP 356 – Ethics and Health Care in a Pluralistic Society (3 credits)
• CMST 101 – Introduction to Public Speaking (3 credits) OR CMST 107 – Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
• PHYS 101 – Introduction to Physical Sciences (3 credits)
• KIN 192 – Concepts of Wellness and Fitness (1 credit)
• SOC 121 – Principles of Sociology (3 credits)
• WOK (Elective) – Ways of Knowing (HI, WLC or CAE) (3 credits)
• IPH 401 – Interprofessional Perspectives on Global Health (3 credits)
• WLS (Elective) – World Language and Cultures for BS (3 credits)

The shared required non-respiratory courses will consist of 8 credit hours selected from the following:

• BIOL 272 – Medical Micro Biology (4 credits)
• CHEM 141 – Principles of Chemistry (4 credits)
• HP 115 – Medical Terminology for the Health Professions (2 credits)

The shared respiratory therapy courses will consist of 68 credit hours from the following:

• REST 201 - Introduction to Respiratory (2 credits)
• REST 211 - Respiratory Therapy Modalities I (2 credits)
• REST 211 - 2 hour REST 311 Lab (1 credit)
• REST 216 - Cardiopulmonary A &P I (3 credits)
• REST 223 - Pulmonary Diseases I (3 credits)          
• REST 226 - Cardiopulmonary Pharmacology (3 credits)
• REST 303 - General Airway Mgt. (1 credit)
• REST 322 - Introduction to Mechanical Ventilation I (3 credits)
• REST 322 - 2 hour REST 322 Lab (1 credit)
• REST 312 - Respiratory Therapy Modalities II (3 credits)          
• REST 317 - Cardiopulmonary A&P II (3 credits)
• REST 325 - Pulmonary Diseases II (3 credits)
• REST 381 - Clinical Practice of Respiratory Therapy I (1 credit)
• REST 323 - Mechanical Ventilation II (3 credits)
• REST 323 - 2 hour REST 323 Lab (1 credit)
• REST 361 - Emergency Respiratory Therapy Mgt. (3 credits)
• REST 362 - Pediatric and Newborn Respiratory Therapy (2 credits)
• REST 363 - Pulmonary Diagnostics (3 credits)
• REST 382 - Clinical Practice of Respiratory Therapy II (2 credits)
• REST 451 - Management and Leadership for Respiratory Therapy (3 credits)
• REST 452 - Introduction to Research in Respiratory Therapy (3 credits)
• REST 453 – Respiratory Therapy Disease Management Concepts (3 credits)
• REST 491 - Clinical Practice of Respiratory Therapy IV (3 credits)
• REST 454 - Advanced Critical Care Management (3 credits)
• REST 455 – Pulmonary Rehabilitation Concepts (3 credits)
• REST 492 - Clinical Practice of Respiratory Therapy V - Internship (3 credits)
• REST 456 - Professional Issues in Respiratory Therapy (3 credits)

1. To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains required of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).
2. To prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content with objectives related to the field of respiratory care in one or more of the following: management, education, research, and advanced clinical practice (which may include an area of specialization).
3. To promote and advance personal development of respiratory faculty, staff, and health professionals.