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South Dakota State University’s Bachelor of Science in respiratory care program, housed in the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, has earned provisional accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

“Achieving provisional accreditation for degree advancement of our Bachelor of Science in respiratory care program is a tremendous achievement. It was a group effort from our respiratory faculty team as well as administrative support from both the college and university,” said Marissa Trosen, director of the respiratory care program.

“Earning this provisional accreditation distinguishes our program from others and provides a strategic pathway for us to continue to grow and expand to meet the needs of the evolving respiratory care profession.”

According to the official notification, the conferring of provisional accreditation signifies that a program “has demonstrated sufficient compliance with the standards (through submission of an acceptable Provisional Accreditation Self-Study Report and any other documentation required by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, as well as satisfactory completion of an initial on-site visit.”

SDSU currently offers both associate and bachelor’s degrees in respiratory care. The associate program has been accredited by the commission for both the Brookings location and a satellite location in Rapid City. Both programs have received numerous awards from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care over the years, including the President’s Award for Excellence in Credentialing Success (for the Brookings location) and the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist Credentialing Success Award (for the Rapid City satellite).

The associate degree program can be completed in two years and prepares graduates for the entry-level examination of the National Board for Respiratory Care to become a registered respiratory therapist. The bachelor’s degree program, which is designed to meet the needs of working professionals, adds leadership, research and advanced clinical content to prepare graduates for practice as advanced respiratory therapists. The SDSU respiratory care program maintains a 100% board examination pass rate and a 100% job placement rate.

“Students who choose to earn their Bachelor of Science in respiratory care at South Dakota State University are afforded unique opportunities in areas such as research given the structure of our college and interprofessional collaboration, as well as in continued academic advancement with the master’s and doctoral level programs offered throughout the university,” Trosen said.

According to Trosen, SDSU currently offers the only bachelor’s degree in respiratory care in South Dakota.