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Respiratory Therapy Program

Associate of Applied Science│2 Years│Full-Time Only │68 Credits│Fond du Lac Campus│Eligible for Financial Aid

WI Median Salary for Recent Graduates: $54,044

Become a respiratory therapist in under three years with an associate degree from Moraine Park Technical College. The Respiratory Therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

Respiratory therapists work as part of a health care team to evaluate, treat and manage patients of all ages with respiratory and other cardiopulmonary disorders.

Respiratory therapists see patients with diseases, infections and viruses of the cardiopulmonary system, such as lung cancer, asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and pneumonia. Common respiratory care includes managing mechanical ventilation life support systems, assessing the cardiopulmonary status of patients, drawing blood samples, performing blood gas analysis and pulmonary function testing, initiating ordered respiratory care, evaluating and monitoring patients’ responses to such care and modifying the prescribed respiratory therapy and cardiopulmonary procedures.

Respiratory therapists also provide patient, family and community education, and participate in life support activities as required. Upon graduation, Moraine Park Respiratory Therapy students are qualified for admission to the entry-level and advanced practitioner examinations to become a registered respiratory therapist.

What You’ll Learn

Moraine Park Respiratory Therapy program students gain hands-on experience in applying respiratory therapy concepts to patient care situations, demonstrating technical proficiency required to fulfill the role of a respiratory therapist and practice respiratory therapy according to established professional and ethical standards.

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, Moraine Park’s Respiratory Therapy program (CoARC #2004441) awards an Associate of Applied Science degree, and is offered at the Fond du Lac Campus. CoARC 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.

1 Outcomes data from the 2022 Annual Report of Current Status has been posted on the CoARC website. Follow this link directly to the CoARC website: https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/

Career opportunities include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

  • Respiratory Therapist
  • Respiratory Care Practitioner
  • Respiratory Care Therapist
  • Staff Therapist
  • Pulmonary Rehabilitation Therapist
  • Perinatal/Pediatric Therapist
  • Pulmonary Function Technologist/Therapist
  • Sleep Disorder Center Technician
  • Nursing Home Therapist
  • Respiratory Care Educator
  • Pulmonary Case Navigator
  • Home Care Therapist/Manager
  • Acute Care Respiratory Therapist

Median Salary for Recent Graduates: $58,496

Course Requirements

Course requirements are subject to change. Visit our catalog for up-to-date information.

Course Highlights

  • Respiratory Therapeutics
  • Respiratory and Cardiac Physiology
  • Respiratory Neonatal and Pediatric Care
  • More

Moraine Park’s admissions starts with the online application. The admissions steps and financial aid process can take 4-5 weeks for some programs, so plan ahead.

View and begin standard admissions steps.

This program also requires:

  • Health Requirements
  • Criminal Background Check

Core Intent Form Details: Students are provisionally accepted to the Respiratory Therapy Program in “pre-core” status. Before students are able to begin core program classes, the Core Intent Form must be submitted.

If you have any questions or need help with the process, please contact us at  admissions@morainepark.edu OR 920-924-3200, TTY/VP:Use Relay VRS.

Tuition Costs

The cost of your degree depends on a number of factors such as total credits required, textbooks and the financial aid you receive. Some programs have additional costs such as uniforms, technology and equipment.

Please refer to the Tuition & Fee Information for enrollment fee information.

Additional Program Costs

Uniform

  • PRE-CORE: BLS – $25
  • ACLS – $70
  • CORE: Stethescope – $160
  • CORE: Watch w/ second hand – $25
  • CORE: Scrubs (top & bottom) 2 sets/Royal Blue – $60
  • CORE: Long sleeve lab coat (white) OPTIONAL – $20
  • CORE: MPTC patch – $20
  • CORE: ID Badge – $15

Equipment

  • Calculator – $15
  • CORE: Cengage unlimited subscription- semester long – $180
  • CORE: Trajecys subscription (12 mth) – $115
  • CORE: Parking pass for Froedtert Health – $5

Cost of Attendance

Cost of attendance (sometimes referred to as the “sticker price”) is the maximum amount of money it costs to attend college for one year and is used to determine your financial aid offering.

While attending Moraine Park during the 2023-24 school year, your estimated cost of attendance for one full year includes tuition of $4,375 (15 credits for fall and spring semester), fees of $338, food and housing of $4,052 (if living with parents, $9,614 if living on your own), books and supplies of $2,061, personal expenses of $2,245, and transportation of $2,007 for a total of $15,161. Your direct costs (those costs paid directly to the college) include tuition & fees. The indirect costs (costs not paid to the college) can vary from individual to individual and your own personal needs.

Slide the green circle to adjust credits and cost estimate

Credits:

Your estimated cost for your selected credit load is: $

Cost breakdown:

Tuition: $
Supplemental Fee: $
Material Fee: $

Books and required tools, supplies, or attire are additional.

State Licensure Disclosure:
Moraine Park’s Respiratory Therapy program prepares students to obtain the educational requirements for licensure to be employed/practice in the state of Wisconsin. No determination has been made if the curriculum matches the educational requirements for preparation, examinations, or licensure for other states. Visit the Accreditation page for more details about accreditation.

Licensing Organization:
American Association of Respiratory Care

Clinical evaluation of competencies is the exit assessment graduation requirement for the program.

  • This program requires all students to train at off-site agencies – external to the College. As such, students must remain compliant with both the criminal background and healthcare requirements. Falling out of compliance may prevent students from progressing in or result in administrative removal from the program.
  • Health requirements are subject to change based on external agency requirements.
  • A full list of health requirements for this program is available from your academic advisor or by contacting the Student Health Record Representative at drhoads1@morainepark.edu.

Respiratory Therapy Student Voices

"I liked having instructors who took the time to get to know you and your goals, not only professionally but personally. They truly had your back and did everything in their power to help you succeed." - Ashley Aden

High school dual credit provides high school students the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school, without leaving their high school classroom. The courses are taught by certified high school instructors using technical college curriculum, grading policies and textbooks.

Has previous life experience already helped you build knowledge and skills applicable to your studies? Applying previously earned credits to a program of study can save you both time spent in the classroom and money spent on tuition and fees.

Transferring here is easy! You can transfer in prior college work by submitting official college transcripts or get a free transcript review.

Financial Aid is provided to aid eligible associate degree and technical diploma programs with 28 credits or more. Processing can take 4-6 weeks after a student’s completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is received.

Our recruiters on any of the three campuses are ready to help you plan your future!