General Program Information
The Bachelor of Science degree in Allied Health (B.S.) prepares students to qualify as contributing members of the Allied Health team dedicated to the conservation of life and the maintenance of health. The B.S. degree offers concentrations in Allied Health Leadership, Cardiopulmonary Science, Nutrition, and Radiography. The program correlated classroom and clinical instruction enabling the student to be competent in a specific concentration area. This approach will enable graduates to competently perform tasks as identified in the respective scopes of practice as autonomous health care providers. Students admitted to the program must have a strong and diverse academic background that will facilitate individual judgment, critical thinking skills, and utilization of appropriate professional decision-making skills. Students must also possess psychomotor, cognitive, and affective skills demonstrating competence, flexibility, responsibility, and sensitivity to client populations.
The Allied Health Leadership concentration offers students that have previously graduated from an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) health related program the opportunity to obtain a baccalaureate degree by using more of the A.A.S. credit hours than normally transfer to a four-year institution. The B.S. completion program is designed for health care providers in a medical field such as medical assisting, medical laboratory technology, cardiovascular technology, physical therapy assistant, and occupational therapy assistant. Students must complete 41 credit hours of general education requirements, 28 credit hours of allied health core courses, and 24 credit hours in the Allied Health Leadership concentration.
Cardiopulmonary Science and Radiography concentrations are designed for students who have completed one or two years of pre-professional college work (a minimum of 40 credit hours) that includes the prerequisite courses required by the major. The Allied Health core consists of 28 credit hours and the professional phase (composed of the concentration and clinical practice components) of the curriculum consists of 51 credit hours for both concentrations. The baccalaureate degree in Allied Health requires 120 credit hours.
Cardiopulmonary Science Concentration
Accredited by:
Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)
1248 Harwood Rd.
Bedford, TX 76021-4244
(817) 283-2835
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
1361 Park St.
Clearwater, FL 33756
(727) 210-2350
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, including the supervision of certified respiratory care practitioners. 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 concentration, 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.
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