Application Deadline Nearing for Labette Community College Respiratory Care Program

The deadline to apply for the Labette Community College (LCC) Respiratory Care Program is quickly approaching. Interested students must apply by July 8, 2024, for consideration for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

LCC established its Respiratory Care (RC) Program in 1984. Since that date, over 300 students have graduated from the program. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook, the national median income for Respiratory Therapists in 2023 was $77,960 per year or $37.48 per hour and the job outlook is growing by 13%, which is much faster than the average of other occupations. 

The program goal is to prepare RC graduates with the knowledge, skills, and ability to become registered respiratory therapists (RRTs) through guided study in classroom and clinical settings. LCC students receive instruction and guidance from experienced professionals with over 50 years of combined knowledge and expertise in the field.

A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare practitioner trained in critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine. They work under the direction of doctors to treat a range of patients, from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to elderly people with lung disease. They give patients oxygen, manage ventilators, and administer drugs to the lungs.

“LCC Respiratory Care students have a wonderful learning environment inside our state-of-the-art Zetmeir Health Science Building,” said program director Susan Stolte. “The RC classroom and lab provide a perfect place for lectures and hands-on learning, while the Simulation Center offers a hospital-like setting with computerized mannequins to replicate real life patient experiences in a fully interactive way. Students get to try out various patient care approaches and learn from their mistakes while acquiring important skills and gaining confidence before seeing real patients.” 

LCC’s Respiratory Care program is a two-year (22 month) Associate of Applied Science Degree program. The course of study is comprised of five semesters, including summer months. Classes vary by semester and consist of two days per week of classroom and laboratory instruction. After the first semester an additional one to two days of clinical practice is completed as well.

The clinical educational experience for RC students is a crucial part of the coursework. “Hospitals and other clinical settings are always eager to have our students at their facilities,” said Stolte. “It's in these clinical settings that the respiratory care students learn and demonstrate their ability to apply the classroom and lab concepts they’ve learned. Our program has affiliations with several hospitals and home care agencies within a 150-mile radius from Parsons.   

"We enjoy having the LCC respiratory students do their clinicals at our facility because they are not afraid to get involved with patient care,” said Charles Forbes, Supervisor of Respiratory Therapy and Sleep Center at Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg. “As a graduate of LCC, I can attest to the high quality of the Respiratory Care program. The sim lab training, small class sizes, and very experienced faculty provide students with the essential foundation, critical thinking skills, and confidence needed to excel in clinical situations."

Upon graduating from LCC’s Respiratory Care Program, students will be prepared to take the national credentialing exams, function as advanced level respiratory therapists performing both routine patient care and critical care procedures, and matriculate into a college or university to earn a higher degree if they wish.

The Labette Community College Respiratory Care program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (www.coarc.com.) For more information on the program and how to apply, please visit www.labette.edu/respiratory or contact Stolte at susans@labette.edu or 620-820-1160.