At its most recent meeting, the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) voted to confer provisional accreditation to the Bachelor’s Degree in Respiratory Care (BSRC) at at Ashtabula.
This status signifies that a program with an approval of intent has demonstrated sufficient compliance with the standards (through submission of an acceptable Provisional Accreditation Self Study Report (PSSR) and any documentation required by the CoARC, as well as satisfactory completion of an initial on-site visit.
“This was our first time seeking initial accreditation for the program and I am very pleased with the results,” said program director Yvonne George, D. Min., M.Ed., RRT. “Megan Alicea, Amy Rodenhausen and I, along with our adjunct faculty, worked hard to develop curriculum based on the American Association for Respiratory Care’s competency guidelines for Respiratory Therapists, and Quality Matters. Earning this accreditation from CoARC is our way of letting everyone know we are committed to providing quality education to our students.”
Ashtabula’s on-site visit was in November, during which the program earned strong reviews. The accreditors noted no citations and identified several areas of strength:
1. The Program Director is dedicated and committed to delivering a high-quality degree advancement program.
2. The program is fortunate to have a supporting team of full-time faculty and adjuncts that bring a unique mix of talents to the online classroom.
3. The Administration of Ashtabula fully embraces the importance of online education and the success of the respiratory programs.
4. The program’s learning outcomes are very relevant to needs of current working respiratory care professionals, and reflect the core elements of the curriculum and are integrated well into the curriculum.
5. The program has a strong Advisory Committee with a vested interest in the program’s success. They have a lot of great ideas that help to keep the program in line with the community needs.
The 100% online BSRC program, now in its fifth year, is just the third program in the state of Ohio to earn accreditation.
The degree is designed to prepare licensed respiratory therapists for career advancement into management or administration, which can often include a significant salary increase.
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