Respiratory Care

What can I do in respiratory care?

Respiratory therapists focus on the treatment, management, control, evaluation and care of patients who have trouble breathing. They care for patients with chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema, as well as patients who suffer from heart attacks, sleep apnea, shock or other problems that may affect breathing.

What characteristics and skills do I need to work in this field?

Success requires individuals to enjoy working with people and be able to think quickly and make decisions in stressful situations. Therefore, being detail oriented and having strong problem-solving skills are important. These professionals should be self-motivated and have good communications skills. It’s also important to be compassionate and sensitive when dealing with patients and their families.

Where can I work?

Respiratory therapists work with patients (newborn to geriatric) who have acute and chronic lung conditions. As a respiratory therapist you will be able to work in the intensive care unit, in the emergency department, in doctor’s offices, in patients' homes, and even on the flight team.

What does Trident Technical College offer?

Trident Technical College’s Respiratory Care program prepares students for employment as advanced-level respiratory care practitioners. The program is accredited, and graduates are eligible to take national certificate and registry exams.

Accreditation

Respiratory care practitioners help in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of patients with heart, lung or renal problems. The patients may be adults, children, infants or newborns.

Trident Technical College's respiratory program, located on the Thornley Campus in Charleston, SC, CoARC number 200008, Associate Degree program, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).

The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an ‘outcomes based’ process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.

The following sites are not affiliated with TTC but provide helpful information about the respiratory care field:

• Information regarding membership into the professional organization  - American Association for Respiratory Care   
• Information regarding accreditation - Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and CoARC Programmatic Outcomes 
• Information regarding testing - The National Board for Respiratory Care
• Information regarding state licensure - SC Labor, Licensing, and Regulation

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Non-academic Requirements

The following up to date vaccinations are currently required to attend clinic (these are clinical requirements and NOT Trident Technical College requirements):

1. Tetanus within the past 10 years
2. Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR)
3. Varicella
4. Hepatitis B series
5. Meningitis within the past 5 years (waiver may be an option)
6. COVID series
7. Annual flu vaccine

Other Requirements: 

• Laptop- all coursework will be done on the computer
• Negative background check
• Negative drug screen
• CPR certification 

**These are subject to change based on the requirements of each clinical site.

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Costs Associated with being a Respiratory Care Student

**These costs are approximate and are subject to change

• AARC membership $25/ year
• Health Physical $150 (insurance may pay)
• Vaccines and titers $500 (insurance may pay)
• TB test $75
• Medical Insurance $ varies
• BLS (CPR) $10
• Scrubs $100
• Stethoscope $50
• Background check $50/ year
• Drug screen $40/ year
• Online Learning for clinic $40/ year
• Liability Insurance $40/ year
• Clinical orientation $40/ year
• Board prep course $425
• Practice board exams $130
• Advanced Life Support and Pediatric Life Support $40
• Limited License $40

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Program Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the college’s general admission requirements, which may include submission of official high school and college transcripts, applicants must complete all of the following requirements:

1. Complete the Health Sciences Application.
2. Achieve qualifying score on math placement.
3. Complete BIO 210 Anatomy and Physiology I with a minimum grade of C. This course must have been taken within five years of acceptance into the program.
4. Achieve a minimum cumulative 2.75 GPA at the time of acceptance into the program based on classes at your most recently attended institution taken within five years of acceptance into the program.
5. After submitting the Health Sciences Application, the student will receive details in their Trident Tech email from the Health Sciences Admissions Coordinator regarding the Information Session and quiz. Students must achieve a 100% score on the online quiz following the session to verify the information was reviewed and understood. Effective Aug. 17, 2026, students will be required to attend a mandatory in-person Respiratory Care Information Session. These information sessions will be offered at least monthly in-person and virtually, and the Information Session schedule will be updated each semester.
6. Submit the Statement of Completion.

 

Respiratory Care Info Sessions
June 23, 2026	4 p.m.	In-person	Bldg. 630/Rm. 212
July 9, 2026	6 p.m.	Virtual	Link to attend
Aug. 17, 2026	3 p.m.	In-person	Bldg. 630/Rm. 212
Sept. 14, 2026	3 p.m.	In-person	Bldg. 630/Rm. 212
Oct. 12, 2026	5 p.m.	In-person	Bldg. 630/Rm. 212
Nov. 9, 2026	Virtual	6 p.m.	Link to attend
Dec. 7, 2026	3 p.m.	In-person	Bldg. 630/Rm. 212