YTI Career Institute - Altoona offers an Associate in Specialized Technology degree in Respiratory Therapy. The Respiratory Therapy program is designed to provide the student with the theory, and basic and advanced clinical skills necessary to secure, at a minimum, an entry-level position in the field of Respiratory Therapy. The goal is to prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).
Throughout the program, students will gain knowledge during the course of study as it relates to evaluation, treatment, blood gas analysis, hemodynamic monitoring, bronchodilator administration, and care for all types of patients with breathing and cardiopulmonary disorders. The therapist will perform under the direct supervision of a physician at all times. For example, therapists will consult with physicians, develop and modify care plans, and care for the patients in more critical clinical settings. However, the term respiratory therapist, in the medical field, encompasses both the therapist and the technician. Duty differentiation is defined by the individual hiring institution. The therapist can secure employment in, but are not limited to: hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, pulmonary function labs, and sleep clinics/labs. Specific job titles for this profession are, but not limited to: Entry Level Respiratory Therapist, Advanced Level Respiratory Therapist, RRT, Respiratory Therapy Technician II, Respiratory Therapy Shift Supervisor, Respiratory Therapy Equipment Technician, and Sales Representative for home health care agencies.
Relocation may be required to enhance available career opportunities.
The Respiratory Therapy program at YTI Career Institute - Altoona has earned Continuing Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (www.coarc.com). This status signifies that a program that has been granted continuing accreditation has demonstrated continuous compliance in accordance with the Standards following submission of a continuing self-study report and completion of an on-site visit as required by the CoARC Board. YTI Career Institute-Altoona’s Respiratory Therapy program is recognized by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) and graduates are eligible to sit for the Respiratory Care Credentialing Examination(s). Enrolled students completing the program under Continuing Accreditation are considered graduates of a CoARC accredited program. Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, 264 Precision Boulevard, Telford, TN 37690, (817) 283-2835, webmaster@coarc.com.
Students in the Respiratory Therapy program will have a schedule of approximately 24 hours a week for the entire program. The Respiratory Therapy program is offered in a Hybrid instructional delivery format, with didactic instruction occurring online, and clinical rotations occurring at approved clinical sites (generally within a 60 mile radius of the student’s residence) and labs occurring on campus or at approved clinical sites. Assignments and homework are accessible 24 hours a day/seven days per week through the Learning Management System (LMS).All laboratory instruction for this program will occur exclusively at the main campus or, when applicable, at the York campus as an approved off-campus laboratory/remote site. No lab instruction will be conducted at any other location. Both the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (PLS) have approved the York campus as a designated remote laboratory site.
In Terms 1 through 2, all instruction is accessed online using the LMS in an asynchronous modality. Students should expect to spend an average of 24 hours per week, engaging in online instruction, and an additional three to five hours per day in reading, homewrk, activities, online discussion boards and simulations. In Terms 3, lab work on campus or at approved clinical sites is approximately 4 hours per week in addition to online didactic work. In person labs are held in terms 3(16 hours, weeks 5 and 7), term 4(16 hours, weeks 6 and 8), term 5 (16 hours, weeks 1 & 3), term 6 (12 hours, weeks 2 & 4), term 7 (6 hours, weeks 6 & 8). didactic instruction and homework and other online assignments and clinical rotations.
Clinical rotations and lab instruction will be completed at approved clinical sites. Term 8 contains online didactic and clinical rotations. Clinical assignments for Term 4 will be a minimum of six hours per week between Monday and Friday, and for Terms 5-8, a minimum of 12 hours per week between Monday and Friday.
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