This four-hour lecture, two-hour lab course is designed to acquaint the student with fundamental patient assessment skills to include chest auscultation, vital signs, and ability to perform a basic physical assessment. In addition, students will learn medication delivery via small volume nebulizer, MDI's and DPI's, theory of equipment operation, and indications and hazards of clinical applications. Content also includes therapeutic gas administration, humidity and aerosol therapy, hyperinflation therapy, and chest physiotherapy. Laboratory sections are used to familiarize the student with operation, safety, and assembly of various pieces of equipment and to practice application of knowledge gained in election to patient care. Clinical sections will introduce students to the clinical setting allowing them to apply concepts learned in class and lab to patient care. The clinical and laboratory components are graded as a pass/fail and the theory with a letter grade. If either component is failed, the concurrent component is also failed.
Prerequisites
Admission to the Respiratory Therapy Program.