Respiratory Care

Please note this important information in effect for 2023-2024 admission:
The program’s application window is April 1–May 31. (Please note: The application WILL NOT work with Explorer. Please use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.)

The Respiratory Care Program accepts online applications here. The student’s application must not be submitted until all three prerequisite courses found here have been completed. If a student is currently enrolled in any prerequisite courses during the spring semester, he or she should NOT submit the application until the grades have been posted. The application is reviewed “as is” when it is received. A student who submits an incomplete application is not considered for admission.

Please review the application checklist before submitting the final application. Questions about the application process can be directed to the Respiratory Care Program Director.

RESPIRATORY CARE PROGRAM RECEIVES THE DISTINGUISHED RRT CREDENTIALING SUCCESS AWARD FOR THE NINETH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

The Polk State College Respiratory Care Program prepares outstanding entry-level respiratory therapists (RTs) to meet the dynamic healthcare needs of the community. This two-year career-oriented program consists of classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences that lead to a Polk State Associate of Science in Respiratory Care degree. The College’s Respiratory Care Program is located on the Lakeland Campus. Classroom, laboratory, and clinical assignments are scheduled Monday through Friday.

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. Outcome data from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) Annual Report of Current Status is posted CoARC’s outcomes webpage http://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/ on the CoARC website. The following link is a map of the accredited respiratory care programs. To locate Polk State College’s Respiratory Care Program, an individual should scroll within the map of Central Florida and click on the school. The Polk State Respiratory Care Program boasts due to the 2022 and 2023 program graduates achieved 100% job placement rate, 100% Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credentialing, and 100% Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credentialing; these statistics are well above the national average for similar programs.

The Polk State College Respiratory Care Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care; 264 Precision Blvd.; Telford, TN, 37690;  817-283-2835 (www.coarc.com).CoARC Program Number: 200520