Pre-Respiratory Therapy

Offered by Health Science Programs

Students may receive a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Health Sciences from the University of Nebraska at Kearney after satisfactory completion of a program consisting of 85 semester hours of pre-respiratory therapy, UNK General Studies requirements, and a (12 month) professional/clinical training year at an affiliated School of Respiratory Therapy. Gaining acceptance into a respiratory therapy professional/clinical program is a very competitive process.  Completion of the pre-requisite courses does not automatically guarantee admission.  The following courses are required prior to application for the clinical training portion of the program:

Required Courses
Take all of the following:
BIOL 103General Biology4
BIOL 211Human Microbiology4
BIOL 225Anatomy and Physiology4
BIOL 226Anatomy and Physiology4
BIOL 325Medical Terminology1
ENG 102Special Topics in Academic Writing and Research3
MATH 102College Algebra3
PE 265Emergency Medical Response2
PSY 203General Psychology3
PSY 230Human Development3
Take one of the following:4
Introductory Chemistry
General Chemistry
and General Chemistry Laboratory
Take one of the following:4-5
General Physics for Allied Health
General Physics I
and Physics I Laboratory
Total Credit Hours39-40
General Studies
Completion of the pre-respiratory therapy courses and a respiratory therapy professional/clinical training program may lead to a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Health Sciences from UNK. Therefore, students should also complete the remaining requirements for the UNK General Studies Program not covered by the Required Courses.
Respiratory Therapy Electives:
Take courses from the following list of electives to reach a total of 85 credit hours. A minimum of 5 hours must be upper division (300-400)
Introduction to Epidemiology
Bioethics
Human Genetics
Counseling Skills
Health Care Economics
Introduction to Nutrition
Orient to Med Prof
Introduction to Public Health
Seminar in Health Sciences
Human Resource Management
Health Care Management I - Managing People Effectively
Health Care Management II - Managing Processes Effectively
Population Health Management: Systems and Policies
Introduction to Health Promotion
Physiology of Exercise
Introduction to Logic 1
Abnormal Behavior and Society
Physiological Psychology
Ethics in Psychology
Adult Development and Aging
Psychopharmacology
Introduction to Sociology 1
Spanish for Special Purposes (Medical) 1
Interpersonal and Relational Communication
Logic Argumentation and Reasoning 1
Elementary Statistics
May take one of the following:
Global Cultures and Diversity 1
Race and Minority Relations 1
Professional Training in Respiratory Therapy
Students must complete a one year professional/clinical training at an affiliated Hospital/School of Respiratory Therapy. Students must register for HSCI 475 - Health Science Internship: Respiratory Therapy, for 5 credit hours, every semester during the clinical training (fall and spring semesters) for a total of 10 credit hours. Students are awarded a total of 25 credit hours for the respiratory therapy training upon completion of the professional/clinical training program. The University of Nebraska is currently affiliated with the clinical program at Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha. Students in the Nebraska Methodist College program may complete the professional/clinical training in Kearney at Good Samaritan Hospital.
1

 This course is recommended by NE Methodist College.