Request for Exception to 60 Credit Hour A.S. Degree
Contact:
Bruce Feistner, MSS, RRT
Department: Respiratory Care
Phone:
605/322-8613
College:
Arts and Sciences
Email:
bruce.feistner@dsu.edu
University:
Dakota State University
Accrediting
Commission on Accreditation for
Organization: Respiratory Care (CoARC)
Major:
A.S. in Respiratory Care
Total credits required for degree:
73
69
Current
Proposed
Bruce Feistner
Department Chair Approval
Kari Forbes Boyte
School/College Dean Approval
Institutional Approval
Brief summary/Justification:
We propose decreasing credits in RESP 250 from 6 credits to 5, decreasing RESP 310 from 5
credits to 4, decreasing RESP 350 from 6 credits to 5, and decreasing RESP 355 from 4 credits to
3. This reduces the total number of credits required for the A.S. in Respiratory Care degree by 4
credits, moving it from 73 credits currently to 69 credits.
Exception is requested due to:
a) Accreditation standards:
(Explain why curriculum cannot be modified to meet standards)
Respiratory Care programs nationwide prepare students at an outcomes-based competency
level consistent with the national credentialing examination for Registered Respiratory
Therapists. Graduates must prove competency through several methods, such as surveys,
credentialing success on the national exams, and employability. This level of preparation better
equips graduates to begin practice with the professional competencies needed to work
effectively in partnership with other healthcare providers. The Commission on Accreditation of
Respiratory Care’s Standards reflect an appropriate balance between the processes to be
followed and outcomes to be achieved.
According to Standard IV. 4.01, programs must prepare students to meet the recognized
competencies for Registered Respiratory Therapists. Compliance is documented through
competencies and evaluations of knowledge, clinical proficiency, and behavior domains. If we
decrease the credits of our major classes any further beyond our proposal, students may not
have enough exposure to critical techniques and procedures and will fall behind in their skills
on entry to the workforce.
According to Standard IV. 4.04, the curriculum’s content must be integrated to ensure
achievement of the curriculum’s defined competencies. If credits are decreased below our
proposal, our students may not identify the linkages between all segments of the curriculum
(classroom, lab and clinical), which will decrease their effectiveness in patient care.
According to Standard IV. 4.12, clinical education experiences at clinical sites must be of
sufficient quality and duration to enable students to meet program goals and acquire the
competencies needed for clinical practice. If hours are reduced below our proposal, especially
the clinical rotation classes, students may feel more rushed to complete evaluations on
procedures every semester, possibly leading to lower grades, confidence, and skills. Adequate
time must be ensured during clinical rotations to allow students to process information from
classroom and lab experiences, and then apply it to the clinical areas.
Although we are not required to meet a minimum number of lecture or lab or clinical hours,
time and contact must be adequate to train students in the techniques and procedures to be
successful and accurate on the job. Our graduates are evaluated instead of the processes to get
them to that stage. Our reaccreditation results have always been positive, and decreasing
credits further would negatively impact the quality of our graduates.
We are unable to cut any other hours of training from the professional (RESP-prefix) classes
without jeopardizing the training level and graduate potential of our students.
It should also be noted that the A.S. in respiratory care already has an exception for general
education, completing one additional science course rather than the 3 credits of social sciences
and 3 credits of arts and humanities generally expected for 2-year programs.
A comparison was made with other respiratory care programs in the surrounding states (MN,
IA, NE, WY, and MT) to determine the number of credits they require for an AS in respiratory
care degree:
College and Location
Saint Paul College, St Paul, MN
Northland Community & Technical College, East Grand Forks, MN
Lake Superior College, Duluth, MN
Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA
Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, IA
Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, IA
Northeast Iowa Community College, Peosta, IA
St Luke’s College, Sioux City, IA
AS Credits
78
78
76
82.5
79
75
86
74
Southeast Iowa Community College, West Burlington, IA
Southeast Community College Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, NE
Nebraska Methodist College, Omaha, NE
Casper College, Casper, WY
Montana State University Great Falls, Great Falls, MT
University of Montana Missoula, Missoula, MT
72.5
79
88
79
83
72+pre-req
74
As can be seen, DSU’s current AS program with 73 credits is comparable to all the regional
programs, and our proposed curriculum change would decrease it further, to 69 credits.
Learning Domains
Course Numbers That Address the Learning
Domains
BIOL 151, CHEM 112, CSC 105, MATH 102,
BIOL 221, ENGL 101, HIM 130, RESP 105,
SPCM 101, RESP 110, RESP 150, RESP 180,
RESP 210, RESP 250, RESP 310, RESP 350, RESP
355, RESP 381, RESP 395
RESP 105, RESP 110, RESP 150, RESP 180, RESP
210, RESP 250, RESP 310, RESP 350, RESP 355,
RESP 381, RESP 395
RESP 105, RESP 110, RESP 150, RESP 180, RESP
210, RESP 250, RESP 310, RESP 350, RESP 355,
RESP 381, RESP 395
Cognitive (Knowledge)
Psychomotor (Skills)
Affective (Behaviors)
Program requirements listed within the catalog:
Current:
BIOL 151 General Biology I
CHEM 112 General Chemistry I
CSC 105 Intro to Computers
MATH 102 College Algebra
BIOL 221 Human Anatomy
ENGL 101 Composition I
HIM 130 Basic Medical Terminology
RESP 105 Resp Care Physical Science
SPCM 101 Fundamentals of Speech
RESP 110 Intro to Respiratory Care
RESP 150 Clinical Experience I
RESP 180 Pathophysiology for Resp Care
RESP 210 Respiratory Critical Care
RESP 250 Clinical Experience II
Proposed:
4 cr
4 cr
3 cr
3 cr
4 cr
3 cr
2 cr
3 cr
3 cr
6 cr
6 cr
3 cr
5 cr
6 cr
5 cr
RESP 395 Observation Practicum
RESP 310 Advanced Respiratory Care
RESP 350 Clinical Experience III
RESP 355 Resp Care in Clinical Medicine
RESP 381 Respiratory Care Management
2 cr
5 cr
6 cr
4 cr
1 cr
4 cr
5 cr
3 cr
Total Credits:
73 cr
69 cr