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Ten things to know about TCC’s Respiratory Therapy program

Respiratory Therapy students secure an artificial airway.

Tidewater Community College is on the front lines of training today’s respiratory therapists. TCC students learn in a state-of-the-art high-fidelity simulation laboratory enabling them to develop problem-solving skills with immediate feedback from faculty. Here are ten reasons why this may be the career for you.

  • Jennifer Briggs, Director of Clinical Education, with students Kia Stankowski and Krystal Hartman.
  • Kimberly Spear and Corey Minnick manually breathe for a “patient.”
  • Students Randy Kelton, Kia Stankowski and Justine Moutchou intubate a “patient” during a lab.
  1. Tidewater Community College’s Respiratory Therapy program is a recipient of the 2021 Registered Respiratory Therapy Distinguished Credentialing Success Award. TCC’s program is one of eight in the nation to receive this distinction from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) for eight consecutive years.
  2. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of TCC’s graduates in Respiratory Therapy and other health care fields. The college continues to provide critical training for front line health care workers. 
  3. The pass rate for students taking the Respiratory Therapy credentialing exam to become a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) is 100%.
  4. Most TCC graduates have jobs before graduating with some even receiving lucrative sign-on bonuses.
  5. The Respiratory Therapy program is offered at TCC’s Regional Health Professions building on the Virginia Beach Campus. The state-of-the-art facility offers a high-fidelity simulation laboratory that allows faculty to provide students with the most authentic educational experience. 
  6. The college even has its own ventilators to train students on how to provide lifesaving support when needed.
  7. TCC offers the only Respiratory Therapy associate degree program in Hampton Roads.
  8. The college also partners with all major area health care providers to offer clinical rotations for students. Because of this exposure, students work alongside respiratory care practitioners developing health care plans and evaluating therapies using critical thinking. They see firsthand the real-world benefits of working as a team to solve life-threatening clinical problems daily.
  9. The main skills students learn are therapies to enhance ventilation and oxygenation of the body. Therapists can work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and diagnostic laboratories.
  10. Prospective students can learn more about the program at https://www.tcc.edu/programs/respiratory-therapy/ or by attending an open house, which is held on the third Thursday of each month (except December) at 3 p.m. in the Regional Health Professions building on the Virginia Beach Campus. Email Program Director Denise Bieszczad at dbieszczad@email.vccs.edu for more information.

Join TCC in honoring our front-line health care workers during Respiratory Care Week, Oct. 24-30. For more than 18 months, respiratory therapists have been on the front lines more than usual. COVID-19 has forced respiratory therapists into new territory like never before. So many have worked countless hours away from their loved ones, risked their personal health and the health of their families, traveled across the United States to assist in COVID-19 surge cities, and so much more.