Mission, Goals and Objectives

Mission and goals

The mission of the Medical Education Campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and the Virginia Community College System is to provide comprehensive higher education, workforce-training programs and services of superior quality that are financially and geographically accessible and that meet individual, business and community needs of the commonwealth. The philosophy and goals of the program interface with those of NOVA. They are demonstrated by the college in its support of professionalism and academic excellence.

The goal of the Respiratory Therapy program is to prepare graduates to demonstrate competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs). The practice of respiratory therapy involves considerable independent judgement using a problem-solving approach to the treatment, management, diagnostic evaluation and care of patients across the healthcare continuum.

Respiratory therapy is a health sciences specialty instrumental in the diagnosis, treatment, management and preventive care of patients with cardiopulmonary problems throughout their lifespan. The respiratory care practitioner (RCP) is a health sciences worker who at all times must display high levels of professional care, understanding, honesty, loyalty and respect for the rights and dignity of others.

Program objectives

A Respiratory therapist is a skilled person qualified by technological education to provide quality patient care services. At the completion of this program, the graduate will be able to:

  1. Communicate effectively with patients, respiratory care and other healthcare professionals.
  2. Understand the role of the respiratory care practitioner in the context of the healthcare team.
  3. Perform the psychomotor and demonstrate the cognitive skills in all areas of adult non-critical care.
  4. Perform the psychomotor and demonstrate the cognitive skills in the areas of respiratory therapy home care, patient education/disease management, pulmonary rehabilitation and cardiac diagnostics.
  5. Perform the psychomotor and demonstrate the cognitive skills in all areas of adult critical care.
  6. Perform the psychomotor and demonstrate the cognitive skills in all areas of neonatal/pediatric critical care.
  7. Apply knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of the cardiopulmonary system to the therapy and procedures necessary to perform as a respiratory therapist.
  8. Demonstrate ethical and professional conduct in the classroom, laboratory and clinical settings.
  9. Pass the CRT and RRT examinations from the NBRC. (TMC-Therapist Multiple Choice and the Clinical Simulation Exam).