Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Cardiopulmonary Science, B.S.


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College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences


Department of Allied Health Sciences


Cardiopulmonary Science


Accredited by:

Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)
1248 Harwood Rd.
Bedford, TX 76021-4244
(817) 283-2835

The Respiratory Therapist applies scientific knowledge and theory to practical clinical problems of respiratory care. Respiratory Therapists are qualified to assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities. The Respiratory Therapist may be required to exercise considerable independent clinical judgment, under the supervision of a physician in the treatment of patients with respiratory dysfunction. The Respiratory Care Practitioner may perform the following respiratory care modalities: advanced airway management, pediatric and neonatal critical care, hemodynamic monitoring, metabolic cart studies, cardiopulmonary stress testing, and other advanced procedures.

Upon successful completion of the requirements for the Cardiopulmonary Science degree, students are eligible to apply for admission to sit for three examinations administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Candidates are required to pass the Certified Respiratory Therapist entry-level examination as a prerequisite to the two advanced practitioner examinations.

Licensure requirements for respiratory care practitioners vary according to state statutes. In Tennessee, practitioners are required to pass the national examinations for certified and/or registered respiratory therapist respectively.

Students that have successfully completed an Associate of Applied Science in Cardiopulmonary Science (Respiratory Therapy) or Radiography are eligible for enrollment into an online BS completion program in their discipline. Associate of Applied Science graduates are required to contact and be advised by the Department’s admission coordinator after completion of ALHE 3010, Allied Health Professions.

Admission - Students must be admitted to both the university and to the program, requiring separate application processes. Admission into the Cardiopulmonary Science (CPSC) program is a competitive selection process. Admission to the university does not guarantee entrance into the CPSC program. Application to the Cardiopulmonary Science program requires submission of the online application form, transcripts, written essay, and observation hours by the annual deadline of April 1.

Expenses - In addition to the usual registration and tuition, students are required to purchase items such as scrubs, lab coat, stethoscope, medical scissors, malpractice insurance, background check, drug screening, annual flu vaccinations, professional certifications (BLS, ACLS, PALS, & NRP), various seminars and conferences, board preparation seminars, and organizational memberships. Expenditures for these items are approximately $1,200 and are the responsibility of the student. Fundraising is optional.

Retention/Progression Policy- Students must maintain a grade of C or better in each CPSC course to remain in the program. If a student receives a grade of C- or below in any CPSC course, the student will be terminated from the program immediately. If problems arise during any semester, whereby students are unable to uphold their academic standing, it is their responsibility to seek academic counseling from the course instructor and/or the counseling center on the main ETSU campus. Students must obtain a passing grade (C or above) in each general education course required by the CPSC curriculum. If a passing grade is not obtained in the general education core curriculum, the class must be retaken until the course is successfully completed.

Graduation Requirements- 120 credit hours are needed to graduate with this degree and includes courses from the general education core (41 credit hours), core requirements (25 credit hours), and Cardiopulmonary Science core (54 credit hours). Some of the courses are completely online while others are web-enhanced/hybrid with synchronous face-to-face meetings. Additional graduation requirements include CSCI 1100 or passing the proficiency exam and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST).

Prerequisite General Education and Allied Health


These prerequisite courses MUST be completed prior to enrolling in the Cardiopulmonary Science degree courses.

Note: These prerequisite courses are included in the General Education and Allied Health core.

General Program Information


To earn a degree from ETSU, there are specific course requirements established by ETSU, by the East Tennessee State University Board of Trustees, by each college, and by each department. All students must meet the degree requirements at each of these levels outlined in the following list:

University-level Degree and Graduation Requirements


Total Credit Hours for Degree: 120


General Education Requirements: 41 Credit Hours


Listed below are the categories and courses specified under East Tennessee State University Board of Trustees General Education Requirements. Note that certain courses are required for this degree, specific to this major. Thus, these courses will satisfy both a General Education requirement AND a requirement of this major. (Other majors may require different General Education courses.) Where specific courses are required for this major, only those courses are listed under the category. If there are no specific major requirements for a category, all course options appear.

Communication


9 credits, consisting of 6 credits of written composition and 3 credits of oral communication.

Written Composition


Complete both of the following: 

Oral Communication


Complete one of the following:

Humanities and Fine Arts


9 credits, consisting of 3 credits of literature, 3 credits of fine arts, and 3 credits of humanities electives.

History


6 credits, consisting of both of the following:

Natural Sciences


8 credits, consisting of the following lectures and labs.

Mathematics


Students will enroll in the appropriate general education math course during their first calendar year of enrollment at ETSU. Students required to complete learning support in mathematics must enroll in a learning support-designated section (L01-L99) of MATH 1530  during their first 15 hours at ETSU (not including summer) unless they are also required to complete learning support in reading or writing. Students needing learning support in reading or writing in addition to learning support in math should enroll in MATH 1530-Lxx immediately upon completing their other learning support requirements. Additional information may be found on the University Advisement Center website www.etsu.edu/uac/learningsupport/

Minor: no minor required


Additional Information


Click here to view the Cardiopulmonary Science Suggested Course Sequence 

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