Respiratory Therapy Program
Delivery Options:
Hybrid, OneMSU
Delivery Type:
Associate of Applied Science Degree
Program Length Once Accepted to Program:
4 Semesters
Why Pursue the Respiratory Therapy Program?
Respiratory care is a healthcare specialty that offers a set of unique challenges in prevention, treatment, management and rehabilitation of people with lung problems. Respiratory therapists work side by side with physicians, nurses and others on the healthcare team to treat patients from newborns to senior citizens. As part of the OneMSU Network, Great Falls College’ program is available to students in Great Falls, Billings, Bozeman, Kalispell and surrounding areas. Coursework is completed online and labs and clinicals are completed in-person at medical centers across Montana.
Graduates are Prepared to:
- Administer treatments using advanced medical equipment for patients with lung disorders like asthma, emphysema, pneumonia and bronchitis.
- Work as a member of the critical care team in laboratories, rehabilitation, and home care settings.
- Demonstrate, excellent judgment, assessment and communication skills.
- Use problem-solving and creative thinking in their practice.
- Implement logical actions based on data analysis.
- Assist anesthesiologist in monitoring patients’ breathing during surgery.
- Diagnose and treat sleep disorders, such as apnea.
- Provide emergency care, first responders to lung injuries from fires or other disasters.
- Conduct smoking, cessation classes and help patients quit tobacco.
- Develop critical thinking and analytical skills for data collection and organization.
How to apply to the Respiratory Therapy program
Step 1
Step 1: Complete all prerequisites with at least a C- grade and be in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
Step 2
Step 2: Collect official transcripts if all prerequisites were not taken at Great Falls College
Step 3
Step 3: Be admitted to Great Falls College and have a complete admissions file before applying to the program.
- New to Great Falls College? Apply here
- Continuing student at Great Falls College? Your admissions file is already complete.
Step 4
Step 4: Submit the program application (instructions in application).
Application opens March 3 (delayed from Feb. 15) and application packets are accepted on an ongoing basis but must be dropped off or postmarked on or before May 17 to meet the priority deadline to get into the Respiratory Therapy program for the upcoming semester. Only complete application packets will be processed, so do not send items separately.
Types of Courses
| AHRC 152 | Respiratory Care |
| AHRC 180 | Ventilator Management |
| AHRC 251 | Hemodynamic Monitoring |
| AHRC 281 | Respiratory Law and Ethics |
Career Opportunities
Respiratory Therapists have the opportunity to work in an incredibly rewarding career where they help others with their health care needs. RTs are critical to the delivery of quality healthcare in hospitals, clinics and private practice settings, to name a few options.
Demand continues to grow across Montana and the United States for educated and highly skilled respiratory professionals. Students graduating from the Great Falls College MSU Respiratory Therapy program have the opportunity to help others, make a difference in healthcare delivery, earn competitive wages, grow and advance professionally. The RT program at Great Falls College MSU prepares students to take and pass the national credentialing exams (NBRC) and enter the workforce ready to work and make a difference. Once the NBRC exam is successfully passed, a graduate may be eligible to apply for licensure in any of the 50 states, U.S. territories and Canada in some circumstances.
Local Career Opportunities
Great Falls
Benefis Job Listings – Respiratory Keyword Search
Billings
St. Vincent Job Listings – Respiratory Keyword Search
Billings Clinic Job Listings – Respiratory Keyword Search
Bozeman
Bozeman Health Job Listings – Respiratory Keyword Search
Kalispell
Kalispell Regional Healthcare Job Listings – Respiratory Keyword Search
Logan Health – Respiratory Keyword Search
Google Search Results – Montana Respiratory Therapy Jobs Keyword Search
I was working as a CNA, and I fell in love with the respiratory therapists when I would follow them around doing their rounds and watching what they did, how they did things, the way they interacted with their patients. I was like that's what I want to do. Great Falls College was an option for me because it was remote. It allowed me to stay home and still raise my family.
Additional Program Information
Application Deadlines
Program admission process
The Respiratory Therapist program admissions committee reviews application packets and uses established admissions criteria to rank applicants for admission. Criteria for selection emphasize academic performance in prerequisite coursework and previous education.
The priority deadline for applications to the Respiratory Therapist program is May 12, 2023. Completed program application packets may be hand-delivered to Health Science Program Assistant at the college or mailed to the college.
Contact Information
Health Science Administrative Assistant
Room R227
406.771.4350
Mailing Address
Respiratory Therapy Program Admissions Committee
Attention: Respiratory Therapy Program
Great Falls College MSU
2100 16th Avenue South
Great Falls, MT 59405
Please send all application items as a completed packet. Items sent separately and at random are easily lost or misfiled. We are not responsible for any late, lost or misfiled information. Please only send required documentation as other supplemental items will be discarded.
Priority Application Due Date: May 17, 2024
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all requirements are met by the established deadline. Deadlines, guidelines, and policies apply equally to all students; thus, there can be no exceptions.
Great Falls College MSU’s Respiratory Therapist program does not maintain a waiting list. Applicants must reapply each year.
Certification/Accreditation
Information about Great Falls College’s Respiratory Therapist Program is posted on the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) website, https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/. You can see information about our program by selecting interactive map of CoARC program data and then Great Falls from the map. Graduate job placement and credentialing success as well as program attrition data for all CoARC accredited program is also posted at this site. Click on Outcomes data from the Annual Report of Current Status. Programs are listed by state.
The Associate of Applied Science Program in Respiratory Therapy at Great Falls College – Montana State University (#200327), is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (www.coarc.com).
The Board of Respiratory Care Practitioners:
The Board of Respiratory Care Practitioners are the licensing authority for the State of Montana.
Professional Association
The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) encourages students and graduates to become members and participate in national and state meetings. The AARC’s aim is to foster professional growth, encourage research, and provide services and representation to its members. Further information may be obtained from the national office.
Earn Your Bachelor's Degree
Great Falls College’s Respiratory Therapist program has teamed up with Boise State University to help you seamlessly finish up your bachelor’s of science degree in Respiratory Therapy after you complete your degree at Great Falls College.
There are some things you will want to know about degree advancement early in your time with us here at MSU so please visit the Boise State Degree Advancement Program for information about what you can do now to take the first step towards your BSRT degree and then schedule a meeting with your program faculty to discuss this important next step.
Curriculum Map & Assessment Plan
Respiratory Therapy Program Assessment Plan: Outcomes, curriculum map, and plan are under review AY 21-22. Annual report will be submitted in May 2023.
