Mission Statement

To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists and who are ready to assume patient care responsibilities in all the different settings where respiratory therapy is practiced. To provide our service community with adequate numbers of qualified Respiratory Care graduates to meet the current and burgeoning needs of the industry.

Program Description

The Respiratory Care Program at Butte College has been successful in meeting the goals of its mission statement by providing our service community with graduates that are highly sought after. The program has had an excellent reputation throughout Northern California and beyond since its first graduating class in 1970. The program grew from its traditional pedagogical cap of twenty-four students to forty students from 2007-2011.  The program reduced enrollment to thirty-two with the class entering the program in the fall of 2011 due to required budget cuts in the Health Occupations area.  This growth has been supported by equipment grant money through the Chancellor�s Office, an adequate associate faculty pool, an ongoing need in the industry of new graduates, and an increased student interest in the program.  A waiting list continues to exist for the program on the main campus.  To reduce the impact on the local clinical sites, rotations are being conducted in both the Redding and Yuba City/Marysville areas.  Currently there are 47 students enrolled in the first and second years of the program.  The program made the decision to reduce enrollment to sixteen students in the Fall of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and associated limitations with student clinical placement.  We are currently in discussions regarding student enrollment numbers in the Fall of 2021 with our program advisory committee.  

Accountability for Previously Funded Items

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

SLO Findings FA 2020:
RT 145 is taught in the Fall of each year only; review of competency check offs will not occur until the end of the Fall 2020 semester. RT 115 - program faculty are currently working on updating the History and Physicals for all standardized; this course is taught in the Winter session of each year and we are not able to assess improvements in the evaluation feedback. RT 135 is taught only in the summer of each year; due to Covid 19, the clinical rotations were reduced from 6 weeks to 4 weeks which made it VERY difficult for faculty to complete the assigned competencies., We will not be able to accurately assess our changes to the RT 135 competency list until the summer of 2021 at the earliest.
Faculty involved with SLO conversation: Gina Maclean, Donna Davis, Jared Alexis, Erika Twitchell, Lisa Morales, Scott Fedrizzi, Brandon Mortimer, Randi Kious, Chris Lephart, Megan Neufeld, Ryan Wikum, Ivy Spencer, and Errin Spencer

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (Instruction Departments)

Fill rates for the 2017-2019 fall terms averaged 94.42%; success and retention rates averaged 100% over the same time period for the Respiratory Care program. 89% of the 2019 graduates are licensed respiratory therapists and employed in their field of study; currently 75% of the 2020 graduates are licensed, both of which are above the Vison for Success/Balanced Scorecard standard of 70%.  The majority of these graduates were in the 25-49 age range.  Covid-19 delays with testing, and changes to the testing matrices and process through the National Board of Respiratory Care are being attributed to a lower than normal licensure rate for the graduating class of 2020.  
Over 55% of the 2019 program graduates were economically disadvantaged and students of color; 11% were DSPS students. 44.44% of the Respiratory Care program 2019 graduates are white; 51.85% are students of color (Asian, Hispanic, African American, and American Indian) and 3.7% are unknown/other. In comparison, the 2018-2019 graduates of the college earning an AA/AS degree were 54.59% are white, 24.34% are Hispanic, 9.55% are Asian, 3.09% are African American, 3.37% are American Indian, and 4.31% are unknown/other.  
Student success (male and female of all ethnicities) in the Fall of 2018 for the program was 100%; college success during the same time period was 78.54% with female success rates higher than the male students.  Focused persistence in the program was 98.31% for the fall of 2018, while the college averaged 55.43% during the same time period.  

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

Strategic Direction

The Respiratory Care program supports the college in meeting the following Strategic Direction and Priority Themes:
1. Implementing GP: program map development and ongoing review for accuracy for the GP website
2. Meeting enrollment targets: the program continues to have more applications than seats available each year; program enrollment was decreased from 32 to 16 the fall of 2020 due to Covid-19 and hospital limitations on student clinical placement.  Program retention rates remain high, averaging 96% from 2017 to 2019.  
3. Meeting student achievement goals: 89% of the 2019 graduates are licensed respiratory therapist and currently, 75% of the 2020 graduates are licensed, both of which are above the standard of 70%.  Covid-19 delays with testing, and changes to the testing matrices and process through the National Board of Respiratory Care are being attributed to a lower than normal licensure rate for the graduating class of 2020.
4.  Closing equity gaps: over 55% of the 2019 program graduates were economically disadvantaged and students of color; 11% were DSPS students.  We do not have data on the 2020 graduates and incoming class at this time. 
5. Fostering a culture of inclusiveness:  over 55% of the 2019 program graduates were economically disadvantaged and students of color; 11% were DSPS students. We do not have data on the 2020 graduates and incoming class at this time. 
 

Program Review

RECOMMENDATIONS STILL OUTSTANDING:
1. Funding sources be identified for the software, laptops and tablets needed for the program. Ideally, Perkins funding will be identified. Alternatively, other (possibly district) funding should be pursued.
 
2.  That the Respiratory Care Program add a full time faculty member to help reduce the significant overload currently required of the two full time faculty and to provide the opportunity for program expansion if needed. 
3. Augmentation of the department budget to allow for reimbursement of all travel necessary to assure proper evaluation of all clinical sites. Mileage has also been funded through the Dean's budget. 
ACTIONS STILL TO BE ADDRESSED FROM ABOVE:
1. We are requesting 6 more laptops to be shared with the Aliied Health Programs.  These will be utilized for online testing, clinical simulations, etc. We currently do not have enough laptops to allow every student in our classes to use one at the same time. 
2. That the Respiratory Care Program add a full time faculty member to help reduce the significant overload currently required of the two full time faculty and to provide the opportunity for program expansion if needed.
3. There have been no augmentations made at this time to allow the DCE to travel to clinical sites.  This visit is needed to maintain clinical relationships and ensure that students are having the most appropriate training at their clinical sites. These visits have primarily been paid for by the faculty member out of their own pocket.  

Department Goals

The program's goals for the next year include:
1.  Professional development in the field for the full time faculty (i.e. attendance at the American Association of Respiratory Care Summer Forum for educators).
2.  Institutionalize a $10,000 stipend for the program's Medical Director, to compensate for the required duties defined by our accrediting body, the Commitee on the Accreditation of Respiratory Care programs (CoARC)
3.  Maintaining program success rates for course completion, program completion, licensure and job placement, with an eye towards any additional measures that could be taken by the program for improvement as well.
 

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests