Medical Education and Training Campus for the Interservice Respiratory Therapy Program

Thomas Edison State College has been selected to partner with the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to provide a degree completion program for the Interservice Respiratory Therapy Program (IRTP). Upon the completion of this program, students will earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in Respiratory Therapy.

Since August 2010, Thomas Edison State College has provided an 8-week general education portion to the Army Respiratory Therapy training program prior to the didactic phase. 

During this period, Army students complete three courses taught in a classroom setting at Fort Sam Houston.  These courses will fulfill the remaining general education requirements needed for degree completion. The three courses are:

• English Composition II (ENC-102)
• Introduction to Psychology (PSY-101)
• Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics (MAT-105)

Academic Prerequisites

Transfer credits to complete the degree program requirements must be from a regionally accredited colleges or universities or from credit-by-exam programs such as the College-Level Exam Program (CLEP) or DSST Exams, and meet Thomas Edison State College's academic policies and requirements for transfer credits. 

These courses must be transferred to the college within the first few weeks of the course. 

Army students are required to enter the program with the following credits completed:

• 3 semester hours of English Composition 101 with a C or better from a regionally accredited college
• 3 semester hours of Humanities (i.e. Art, Communications, Speech, Foreign Language, Philosophy, etc.)
   

AAS Credit Distribution

Earning Additional Credits
Thomas Edison State College conducted an academic program review of the Army’s Respiratory Therapy Specialists Program, which enable students to earn 21 additional credits toward the Associate in Applied Science degree. Remaining credits will come from transfer credits and credits awarded from the students’ Army American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS) transcript.

CRT Examination & Earning RRT Credentials

Students who complete the degree program are eligible to challenge the entry-level National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) CRT examination to become a certified respiratory therapist.  Because the program is now a level 2 training program, students who pass the CRT examination are also eligible to challenge the Registry Examination immediately.  Those who pass will be granted Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credentials.  The CoARC number associated with this program is 200585.

Future Degree Plans for Respiratory Therapists

Thomas Edison State College has additional degree programs for students who wish to continue their education. 

• Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology (BSAST) degree in Respiratory Care: limited to registered respiratory therapists possessing the required certification: NBRC RRT Registered Respiratory Therapist. 
  
   
• Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology (BSAST) degree in Health Services Technology: combines medical training with professional electives in the area of study to aid in careers in the healthcare administrative field.