Accreditation commission honors SPC’s Respiratory Care Program

 

LEVELLAND – For the third consecutive year, the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) will present South Plains College’s Respiratory Care Program with the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist Credentialing Success Award during a reception July 20 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The event will be held July 17 at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa. 

The award is presented in support of the CoARC’s efforts to value the RRT credential as a standard of professional achievement. The recipients are reviewed based on a criteria that includes three or more years of outcome data; hold accreditation without a progress report; document RRT credentialing success of 90 percent or above; and meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for CRT credentialing success, retention, on-time graduation rate as well as overall employer and graduate satisfaction. SPC was presented the same award in 2017 and 2018. 

According to Ron Edwards, program director and instructor in Respiratory Care, the award shows the college’s commitment to preparing graduates for the industry. 

“We are honored to receive this award, and we know that we are meeting the standards of success for our students,” Edwards said. 

In 2016, SPC was reaccredited for 10 years – the maximum term possible – by CoARC. For the past three years, South Plains College’s respiratory care graduates had a 100 percent pass rate on the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) exam, a 92.3 percent pass rate on the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) and a 100 job placement of all graduates, Edwards said. The National Average RRT Exam Success is 75 percent. 

Edwards said he plans to spend more time recruiting more quality students into the program.

For more information on the SPC Respiratory Care Program, contact Edwards at (806) 716-4625 or emailredwards@southplainscollege.edu.