Respiratory Care ... A Career for You!

At 9:32 a.m., Wendy assisted in bringing back to life a newborn baby who was struggling to breathe. Wendy is a respiratory care practitioner (also known as a respiratory therapist). Did you know that:

• Respiratory care practitioners are directly involved in diagnosis, treatment and preventive care of patients with respiratory problems.
• Respiratory care practitioners are specialists in the area of lung problems and, as such, are respected members of the healthcare team.
• In cooperation with physicians, nurses and other healthcare practitioners, respiratory care practitioners participate in a variety of life-saving and life-support efforts for patients ranging from newborns to senior citizens.
• Career opportunities for respiratory care practitioners are competitive with other health professions.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of respiratory therapists is expected to increase faster than average over the next decade, primarily because the aging baby boom generation will increase the number of older adults, who tend to suffer the most from respiratory conditions like pneumonia and COPD and who often have respiratory complications due to heart disease and other common diseases of aging.

About the School

St. John's Hospital, together with Lincoln Land Community College, provides an associate's degree program for advanced-level respiratory care practitioners. The program is 21 months in length. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be awarded an associate degree in general education from Lincoln Land Community College and a certificate of completion from St. John's Hospital/Lincoln Land Community College School of Respiratory Care. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply for the registry exam in respiratory care administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. The Illinois Department of Regulations governs title protection of respiratory care practitioners in Illinois. Both agencies may take into account felony convictions and substance-abuse convictions

St. John's Hospital/Lincoln Land Community College School of Respiratory Care is accredited as an advanced-level therapist program through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in collaboration with the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).

St. John's School of Respiratory Care offers the atmosphere and individual attention to students that would be found at a private institution for the price of a community college education. Twelve students are accepted each year. The board exam pass rate for graduates is high and job placement has been excellent

For more information about respiratory care as a profession, visit the American Association for Respiratory Care web site

For inquiries about accreditation, please contact:
The Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)
1248 Harwood Road
Bedford, Texas 76021
1-800-874-5615
Program number: 200481

For more information

Please contact the School of Respiratory Care office at 217-544-6464, ext. 44255, or email Margaret Bierbaum. Please include your name and address.