The Respiratory Care Technology program prepares graduates as practitioners in therapeutic procedures which include the use and administration of oxygen and other medical gases, aerosolization of drugs for inhalation, set up and maintenance of mechanical ventilators performance of chest physical therapy maneuvers and certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
How to apply to the Respiratory Care Technology A.A.S. Program
Respiratory Care Technology is one of four select degree programs in the College’s Allied Health department. The programs in this department can accept only a limited number of students each year. Students can apply for admission into the Respiratory Care Technology program upon completion of prerequisites for program.
As part of the application, students must (1) meet a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0, (2) take a pre-admission test, and (3) successfully complete prerequisite courses.
Students are allowed to submit one application to only ONE program in the Allied Health department per year. Applications for Respiratory Care Technology open in October, and the application priority deadline is June 1. The Respiratory Care program begins once a year in September at the start of the fall term.
Minimum GPA Requirement
Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher to be considered for the Respiratory Care Technology program. Admission is highly competitive and applicants accepted into the program often have a GPA higher than 2.8.
Transcripts
If you plan to use your previous College experience toward your application, you must submit an official transcript to the Transcript Evaluation Office. A transcript for previous Community College of Philadelphia experience is not required. Transcripts are only official if they are unopened.
Prospective Students: You must request official transcripts from all previously attended colleges/universities for evaluation for transfer credit, and have them emailed DIRECTLY from your college(s) to traneval@ccp.edu. Placement testing, a requirement to enroll at the College, will be waived if you have successfully completed college English and/or college math. For more information about the admission process, follow the steps to enrollment for “Transfer Students.”
Current Students: Login to MyCCP and under “Electric Forms,” click on the “Transcript Evaluation Request” link to submit your transcripts. Please be sure to request ALL OFFICIAL transcripts from previous institution(s) requiring evaluation.
This procedure may take several weeks. If you are attempting to transfer a course that is a pre- or co-requisite course to a required element of the program, you may be required to register for that course until the transcript evaluation and transfer process is complete.
Prerequisite Courses
Students must submit an official transcript with their application. Before applying to the Respiratory Care Technology program, students must:
- Successfully complete a college level Anatomy and Physiology course, such as BIOL 109*
- Be placed in English 101 and FNMT 118 (intermediate algebra) or higher
*BIOL 109 or an equivalent course must have been completed in the past 10 years with a grade of "C" or better. BIOL 110, BIOL 241, CHEM 101 CHEM 110 or an equivalent course must have been completed within the past 10 years with a grade of "C" or better. These courses need to be recorded on your Community College of Philadelphia transcript by January 2023.
Kaplan Pre-Admission Test
The Kaplan Pre-Admission exam is a timed exam which takes 1.5-3 hours to complete. The Respiratory Care Technology program requires a composite score of 60. Reading, Writing and Math sections make up the composite score, however, science can be a deciding factor when applications go to the program directors. You must complete all portions of the Kaplan exam, including the tutorial questions. All sections should be taken seriously.
You must check your MyCCP email for testing dates. You can also download the MyCCP app to get push notifications.
Please note that the Kaplan Test MUST be completed by March 14 in order to begin program in the Fall.
The results you receive at the end of the test is Overall Correct, not your Kaplan Composite Score. To obtain your Kaplan Composite score, you can divide the Math, Reading and Writing score at the end of the test by the number 3. This should give you your Composite score.
Students who do not meet the minimum score needed for a specific program or want to discuss options for raising their score in a future application cycle should visit the Counseling department at any campus. No appointment is needed.
Preparing for Kaplan: Buy a Kaplan study book called, “Kaplan Nursing School Entrance Exams” 7th edition. ISBN-13: 978-1506207445 This is sold in the College’s bookstore for about $25 or you can buy it used online for $5-10. There are FREE online study options you can find by typing in “Kaplan preadmission Nursing exam” into any search engine. YouTube also has videos about preparing for the Kaplan exam.
Application Submission
Current Community College of Philadelphia students who plan on applying to the Respiratory Care Technology program and meet the eligibility requirements should complete the program application by following these steps:
- Step one: Login to MyCCP
- Step two: Click on the "Student" tab
- Step three: Click on the "Allied Health/Nursing Application Forms" under "Electronic Forms" on the top, right-hand side of the page
- Step four: Select your program of interest
- Step five: Complete and submit the form
Not a Community College of Philadelphia student? You must apply to Community College of Philadelphia before you can apply to the Nursing program. Please follow our Steps to Enrollment to get started.
Post Acceptance-Screenings
Students accepted into the Respiratory Care Technology program may be required to complete and provide verification of:
- Criminal background check – PA State Police and FBI
- Child abuse clearance
- Drug screening test
- Physical exams and or dental exam
- CPR training – must be health care providers
- Health insurance
- Social Security Number verification
- Being age 18 or older before clinical start
ACCEPTANCE INTO THE PROGRAM WILL BE CONSIDERED CONDITIONAL UNTIL THESE ITEMS ARE COMPLETED. Students should not complete any of the above until requested by the program director.
Questions?
You can reach Allied Health admissions at selectprogram@ccp.edu.