IRSC Respiratory Care Program Earns Highest Credentialing Honors

June 22, 2021 Suzanne Seldes

The Respiratory Care program offered by Indian River State College is among a select group of programs recently recognized with a President’s Award for Excellence in Credentialing Success Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). CoARCviews the Registered Respiratory Therapist credential as a measure of a program’s success in inspiring its graduates to achieve their highest educational and professional aspirations.

IRSC President Dr. Timothy Moore (left) recognizes Georgette Rosenfeld (center) and Rob Walsh (right) at the June IRSC District Board of Trustees Meeting for the IRSC Respiratory Care Program for its CoARC award.

The IRSC Respiratory Care program is a selective-admissions program designed 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). Graduates generally seek employment in a hospital or other medical facility.

“Completion of Indian River State College’s CoARC-accredited Respiratory Care Associate Degree program meets the educational requirements to apply for a Respiratory Care Professional license in Florida,” states Dr. Ann Hubbard, IRSC Dean of Health Science. “For 14 consecutive years, students in the program have earned 100% pass rates on their national board exams. This is in no small part due to the dedication of their professors—Georgette Rosenfeld and Robert Walsh.”

In selecting programs for this recognition, the CoARC Board used objective criteria based on key accreditation metrics documented in the 2020 Annual Report of Current Status. These programs were required to: (1) have three or more years of outcomes data; (2) hold accreditation without a progress report; (3) document RRT credentialing success of 100%, and (4) meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for TMC high cut score and retention.

Students interested in the Respiratory Care program can review the program’s Information packet. Additionally, free information sessions are held periodically throughout the year. Visit irsc.edu for more information.