Respiratory Therapy

Now is the time to pursue a career in healthcare. To get started, enroll at the college, then complete a program application using the instructions on this page. Program applications are currently being accepted by email only. Admissions Specialists are available to help you by phone or by email.

What You Will Learn

You have patience and empathy. Respiratory therapists must have strong communication skills — both with patients and their extended healthcare teams. They are great at analyzing data, problem-solving, and focusing on details. Enroll in the Respiratory Therapy program at Central Piedmont and earn an Associate of Applied Science in respiratory therapy.

Respiratory therapists treat people with disorders affecting the cardiopulmonary system, such as asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, cardiovascular disorders, and trauma. They perform diagnostic testing, treatments, and management of patients with heart and lung diseases. While on the job, the respiratory therapist will assist with preparing care plans for patients with diagnose lung and breathing disorders . They will interview patients, perform patient assessments and analyze tissue specimens. Managing ventilators and artificial airway devices for patients who cannot breathe normally on their own is also a primary responsibility of these professionals. The respiratory therapist plays a prominent role in responding to urgent calls for care throughout hospital.

In the respiratory therapy program at Central Piedmont, you will master skills in patient assessment and treatment of cardiopulmonary diseases. These skills include life support, monitoring, drug administration, and treatment of patients of all ages in a variety of settings. You will become well-versed in cardiopulmonary anatomy and physiology to provide care for patients of all ages within a variety of medical settings. You will practice routine assessments, create patience care plans, detect symptoms, and diagnose infections and diseases in the heart and lungs. You will also study pharmacology to learn treatment options. Through labs, you will use medical technology and equipment to monitor, manage, and assist patients.

Learn More in Our Information Session

The goal of the Central Piedmont respiratory therapy program is 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 (RRTs). We want to provide Mecklenburg County and the nation with respiratory professionals who are:

• caring and compassionate
• excellent communicators
• problem solvers
• team-oriented

When you finish the program, you will be able to:

• institute an action plan for the management of Reactive Airway Disease based upon published National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/NIH guidelines
• assess a patient's clinical presentation and recommend appropriate Volume Expansion Therapy. Using established protocols, indicated therapy will be initiated, and an appropriate plan of care created and adhered to
• institute mechanical ventilatory support consistent with an individual patient's diagnosis, current history and physical, and arterial blood gas results

You will also be eligible to take the National Board for Respiratory Care certification examination.

The Central Piedmont respiratory therapy program incorporates simulation technology (video) into the curriculum in order to immerse you in “real life” situations. Two classrooms are equipped with lab areas designed to represent hospital wards, and advanced computerized high-fidelity and mid-fidelity simulation manikins. The manikins are utilized to provide simulation-based education to challenge and test students' clinical and decision-making skills during realistic patient care scenarios. Students can perform intubations, bag mask ventilations, resuscitation procedures and administer medications. Simulation manikins can be remotely controlled to enact planned scenarios replicating various clinical events. The simulation experiences can also be video-recorded for later review by instructor and students. Task trainer simulators provide students the opportunity to learn, practice and become comfortable with specific clinical skills in the safety of the simulated environment prior to encountering patients in the clinical setting. Our task trainers include:

• full-body adult airway management trainer
• partial-body adult and neonatal airway management trainers
• pediatric advance life support mannequin
• NG tube and trach care simulator
• airway vent simulator
• arterial blood gas collection training arms
• breath sounds simulator

Apply by March 15

Why Choose Central Piedmont

Using Central Piedmont's advanced and task trainer simulators, you will learn proper techniques and improve your decision-making skills in an interactive environment. Through repeated skills and scenario training, you will be better prepared to work safely with patients.

Our respiratory therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). We pride ourselves in a competitive, award-winning program; we received the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) Credentialing Success award from 2017-2023.

Our students create networking opportunities and friendships through the College’s Future Respiratory Therapists Club. With campus locations around Charlotte, students have a variety of clinical practice and employment options in the greater Charlotte region. You will also have the opportunity to participate in the Future Respiratory Therapists student organization.

Real World Education

At Central Piedmont, your education goes beyond what you learn in class. We offer numerous opportunities for you to enhance your learning — and to make friends, network, and pursue your passions — through clubs and organizations, sports, events and activities, leadership opportunities, job experience, volunteer experiences, visual and performing arts, and even international experiences.