Respiratory Care in Rapid City
The Respiratory Care Program has the advantage of being located right in the Respiratory Care Department at Rapid City Regional Hospital (RCRH). You are a part of the work environment from the first day of class. The professional courses start each May. We accept 10 students and it is competitive based on your GPA in the pre-requisite courses. Each pre-requisite class must be completed with a “C” or better, and your overall GPA 2.5 or above to be considered for the professional course year.
You may complete the general education pre-requisite courses at any university, but if your courses are taken at an out-of-state university, please contact me so we can make sure your classes will be transferable. You must be accepted to DSU before you can be accepted to the program. You can apply to DSU online at dsu.edu. You can contact financial aid with any questions you may have at fa@dsu.edu.
Once you begin the professional courses you will be in “class” full-time. You will attend lecture, participate in lab, and attend clinicals. Clinical is the time that you spend working with a therapist on real patients. The day shift in the department starts at 6:00 am, so you often have to be here that early. Some clinical shifts are 6 hours long, some 8 hours and some 12 hours. You will receive a schedule for the whole semester prior to starting that semester. This will help you arrange work and childcare schedules in advance. We are primarily Monday – Friday, but you will be scheduled for a few weekend shifts and a couple of night shifts during the year.
When you complete the professional course year, you will graduate with an Associates Degree. You may take the credentialing exams and receive a South Dakota license to practice at that time. RCRH employs some students during the professional course year as interns. At the present time there is a loan forgiveness program and a sign-on bonus being offered to students. Upon graduation you may begin working as a therapist. We also offer the opportunity for you to complete a BS degree at RCRH as well, which you can complete part-time and at your own pace. Please check the RCRH website for job listings at RCRH.org.
Respiratory Therapists are “heart and lung specialists” who are an important part of the healthcare team. We work with patients of all ages, from premature babies to the elderly. We work on hospital floors and ICU’s, as well as outpatient services like pulmonary function testing and pulmonary rehabilitation. We work in the home care arena, and you will have clinical time scheduled with therapists at a local home care company. You can also find us in the Emergency Department working with trauma and heart attack patients.
The program instructors are more than happy to meet with you to discuss your education plans. We have the opportunity for you to “shadow” a therapist for a few hours if you would like. Contact me at 719-6093 to arrange a time. You may also reach me at valorie.stalcup@dsu.edu. Let me know if you have any questions regarding the program.
Thank you for your interest in Respiratory Care!
