Wilkes Community College’s Respiratory Care program recently received the Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). This award is presented as part of the CoARC’s continued efforts to value the RRT credential as a standard of professional achievement. From a program effectiveness perspective, the CoARC views the RRT credential as a measure of a program’s success in inspiring its graduates to achieve their highest educational and professional aspirations.
“The Respiratory Therapy profession has long-awaited recognition in the field of health sciences. Each Respiratory Therapist works for two long and arduous years to be successful. At the same time, this award shows that the graduates are capable of becoming successful RRTs, and this also demonstrates the student’s hard work paying off and allows them the chance to provide the best patient care possible. We could not be prouder of each student who has allowed our program to earn this award,” stated WCC Respiratory Therapy Director, Tori Johnson stated.
To receive this coveted award, programs are required to have three or more years of outcomes data; hold accreditation without a progress report; document RRT credentialing success of 90% or above; and meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for TMC high cut score and retention. The WCC Respiratory Therapy program is one of a select group of programs that will be recognized with this award.
WCC Dean of Health Sciences, Tammy Beck stated, “This award is testimony to our program’s commitment to excellence and our students’ success! Wilkes Community College is appreciative of our clinical partner relationships and everyone who had a role in shaping the RT program as a nationally distinguished program.”