New accreditation for Respiratory Care Program at Jackson College will allow for more virtual learning, require less classroom time

Jackson College announced recently that it has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Respiratory Care (CoARC) for the hybrid model of the college's Respiratory Care Program. The hybrid model is meant to make the program more accessible to students who work full time by reducing the amount of time spent inside a physical classroom. Courses will be taught virtually, with lectures being presented in a synchronous virtual format, meaning the lectures still occur at scheduled times, but can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Students will have to attend one or two days of classes and labs, and clinical training will still be done in person.

A news release from Jackson College announcing the accreditation explains that the program teaches students to operate various equipment designed to ease the breathing of critically ill patients and cites the COVID-19 pandemic as a cause for an increased spotlight on trained respiratory therapists. Program Director Sarah Parker spoke about the importance of the hybrid model for training new respiratory care professionals. "We are very excited to offer this format to our students. This new platform will allow for a broader student population as the students will only need to be on campus one day per week. We believe this will help with family/school/work balance," Parker explained.

According to Jackson College, respiratory care graduates who pass board exams have experienced a 100 percent employment rate for the last couple of years.