Respiratory Care AAS Degree

You gain the knowledge and skills to perform:

• Patient assessments
• Breathing treatments
• Lung clearance techniques
• Airway care
• Breathing tube insertion
• Blood draws
• Ventilator management
• Medical record documentation
• Sleep studies
• Electrocardiograms
• Pulmonary function tests

Explore Courses, Details, and Costs

You train in the Van Gerpen Patient Simulation Lab with lifelike manikins and simulators. This lab creates different hospital settings and patient situations for hands-on practice.

Gain 800 hours of real-world work experience through clinical placement, ensuring you have the skills you need to succeed in your future career.

When you graduate, you are eligible to take the national examination for licensure, which is required to practice in any state. You need a social security number in order to take the exam and apply for licensure.

You will also earn certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP).

See our State Licensure Guide to identify the states in which Hawkeye's Respiratory Care program requirements fulfill the state guidelines for professional licensure and certification.

See the American Association for Respiratory Care: Respiratory Therapist State Licensure Contacts for a list of state agencies and contact information.

Licensure and Certification Disclosure

Classes meet 1–2 days a week on campus for hands-on labs. The remaining coursework is completed online.

Clinical experience is done off campus at approved clinical sites.

Start the Respiratory Care program at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) in Mason City, then transfer to Hawkeye for the remaining courses. You’ll complete most clinical work in Mason City and drive to Waterloo for classes one to two days a week.

This program qualifies for the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship and will pay up to 100% of your tuition.

You must apply for, be awarded, and meet the ongoing eligibility requirements for the Last-Dollar Scholarship.

You can take your prerequisite courses either at Hawkeye Community College or at any other accredited transfer institution. See the suggested sequence of study for a list of prerequisite courses.

The Respiratory Care program accepts 20 students each spring.

Once you meet all the admission requirements and finish the prerequisite courses, you’ll get what’s called an "Eligible-Start Date to be Determined" (ETBD) status. This status is based on when you complete your prerequisites. If more than one student finishes on the same day, the registration date for the final prerequisite course is used to figure out who’s ahead in line.

Getting ETBD status doesn’t guarantee program admittance—it depends on how many seats are available.

The Admissions Office admits students with ETBD status until all seats are filled. Any remaining ETBD students will stay on the list and be contacted if a spot becomes available.

Make sure to keep your contact info updated and check your Hawkeye email regularly to stay on top of everything!

As a Health student at Hawkeye, you’ll need to complete the same background checks as hospital employees. This check will include fingerprinting and look into databases like the sex offender registry, child abuse and dependent adult registries, and Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Depending on the results, it could affect your ability to take part in clinical experiences.