The Respiratory Care program is part of BGSU Firelands.

Two students in the Respiratory Care program.
  • Bachelors Available
  • Available at Firelands Campus
  • Bachelors Available
  • Available at Firelands Campus

Bachelor of Science in

Respiratory Care

The Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care program is designed to prepare students for practice in respiratory care. Theory, laboratory and clinical experiences provide students with the skills to work as a respiratory therapist in a wide variety of clinical settings evaluating, treating and managing patients of all ages with respiratory illnesses and other cardiopulmonary disorders. Respiratory therapists provide patient care, which includes clinical decision-making and patient education.

New first-year, transfer and continuing students can pursue this program while starting on the Bowling Green or Firelands campus in Huron, Ohio. With the hybrid format, students will need to attend in-person classes one day per week at the BGSU Firelands campus; the remaining instruction will be completed online.

Students will declare this major as part of enrollment in the professional portion of the program in the student’s junior and senior years, culminating in the degree’s conferral via BGSU Firelands. While clinical rotations are a required component of the degree, the program has location options across northern Ohio from Cleveland to Toledo including Bowling Green in order to meet your specific needs.

  • Setting: Full-time or part-time, hybrid with in-person, online, and clinical courses
  • Prerequisites required:  2.5 GPA or higher, completed CHEM 1090/1100, BIOL 3140/3150, BIOL 3310, BIOL 3320 and math (MATH 1150 stats and MATH 1220 algebra). Applicants must have completed a CoARC accredited Associate degree program in Respiratory Care. Students can concurrently complete the Associate degree program while working toward the BSRC.
  • Adjectives for a successful student: Motivated, flexible, enthusiastic

Prepare to apply

Students must apply by April 1 for admission consideration. Late applications may be considered if there is an open slot.  

  1. Apply here for admission to the college.
  2. Complete and submit the Respiratory Care Program admission application and return it to program director Carol Puder by email: cpuder@bgsu.edu.
  3. Choose to attend classes at our base program at BGSU Firelands, or at our satellite program offered through the University Partnership at Lorain County Community College.  All admitted cohorts will start in the fall semester.  

Quality hybrid classroom experiences

Students take a combination of in-person, online, and hybrid classes. Each hybrid course meets one hour per week in-person, with the remaining instruction completed online. All in-person components for classes are scheduled for the same day each week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an hour lunch break. The remaining instruction is delivered asynchronously online.  

Clinical rotations start in the spring semester of the junior year, and they continue for three consecutive semesters (spring, summer, and fall). Generally, students attend clinicals two days per week at various locations for either an eight- or 12-hour shift.   

Students completing the associate degree concurrently with the BSRC will graduate with the associate degree in the fall of the senior year. The final semester of the BSRC program is delivered fully online. This allows students to take their board exams to get their credentials as well as work part-time for a hospital as a student respiratory therapist while they finish the BSRC degree. 

Respiratory therapists already working in the profession who are returning to complete the BSRC are generally able to complete any remaining courses for graduation in an online format. Degree audits will be evaluated for all respiratory therapists returning to advance their education as individual circumstances may vary.   

Take courses about

  • Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology
  • Pulmonary Pathophysiology
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support
  • Critical Care Concepts in Respiratory Care
  • Allied Health Education
  • Health Care Management
  • Medical Ethics
  • Pharmacology

Graduates have employment opportunities in hospitals, clinics, long term care, home care, sleep lab, and specialty areas including neonatal/pediatric critical care, cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation, pulmonary function testing and disease management.

Graduates can expect to: 

  • Learn advanced critical care techniques for patient management.
  • Become familiar with advanced diagnostic testing related to respiratory care.
  • Complete reviews of scientific literature and use them to apply evidence-based care to patients.
  • Develop additional skills to educate patients and families on disease management. 
  • Gain a skillset to support advancement into management and supervisory positions. hirable for virtually any hospital or health care facility with a respiratory department.

Program Goal Statements:

  1. To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) domains 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 that includes objectives related to acquisition of skills in one or more of the following: management, education, research, advanced clinical practice (which may include an area of clinical specialization).

Learning Outcomes: Graduates from our program should be qualified to:

  • Master fundamental principles of natural, physical, and social science and mathematics related to respiratory care.
  • Identify, evaluate, and apply technical information related to the role and scope of practice for the respiratory care professional.
  • Apply fundamental knowledge of respiratory care as well as advanced concepts in adult, pediatric, and neonatal patient management in the diagnostic assessment, management, and treatment of patients.
  • Analyze scientific literature and critically evaluate clinical research findings related to respiratory care.
  • Educate patients, their families, and other health care professionals in respiratory care practices and procedures.
  • Demonstrate professional behaviors expected of the advanced respiratory care professional including adherence to state laws, patient privacy (HIPAA), patient safety regulations, and the code of ethics for the profession.
  • Meet nationally accepted standards for the scope of practice of the respiratory care professional as stated in the Standards and Guidelines for the profession of respiratory care promulgated by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
BGSU Firelands Nursing Skills Lab

Carol Puder

Director, respiratory care
cpuder@bgsu.edu
419-372-0671

Message from the director: The respiratory care program at BGSU Firelands is well respected across Northern Ohio and health care facilities actively recruit our students for employment. Respiratory care is a specialized profession treating patients with cardiopulmonary diseases across all areas of the hospital including the emergency room and critical care areas. Respiratory therapists can also specialize in many areas including neonatal/pediatrics, long-term care, sleep lab, pulmonary rehab, and pulmonary function testing. Students complete clinical requirements at award-winning medical facilities throughout northern Ohio including Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, University Hospitals and Mercy Health among many others. Graduates are eligible to sit for the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) examinations to become a Registered Respiratory Therapist and are also able to pursue a graduate degree.

Updated: 05/04/2023 02:30PM