RC 238 - Clinical Practice III

Credit Hours: 4

This course requires the student to complete a series of special clinical rotations at designated clinical sites. This intensive course affords the student opportunities to practice many respiratory procedures within a hospital setting on both adult and pediatric populations. These procedures include non-invasive positive pressure breathing, incentive spirometry, manual ventilation, postural drainage and percussion, mechanical ventilation as well as the more specialized areas of pulmonary function testing, drawing and analyzing arterial blood gases and home care.

Students are instructed and supervised by designated hospital therapists and instructed and evaluated by college faculty, all of whom are directed and supervised by the director of clinical education. Each semester, students will be assigned to a minimum of two clinical sites. More rotations may be utilized during any given semester depending on the number of students. The director of clinical education will assign students in such a way that each student receives an equal opportunity to achieve the objectives outlined in this manual. At each site, a student is assigned to a designated hospital therapist who he/she accompanies for the day. The student receives ongoing instruction in performing respiratory care procedures and practices these procedures under the supervision of the hospital therapist. An assigned college instructor visits weekly for purposes of providing related instruction, observing student performance, coordinating instructors, holding clinical conferences for students and completing formal evaluations at the end of each site rotation.
Prerequisites: Matriculation in the Respiratory Care Program and successful completion of all RC 100 level coursework.
F (N)