Polk State College Respiratory Care Program Receives Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award

Posted on by Polk Newsroom

Congratulations to the Polk State College Respiratory Care Program, who recently received the Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award. This is the third consecutive year that the program has been awarded this distinction.

“It is an honor to receive this award for the third consecutive year,” said program director Kathee Ford. “It is an award which places the program in an elite group nationally for the credentialing success of its graduates.  This award looks at three years of graduates and therefore, with the three years,  it represents nine graduating classes.  The Respiratory Care class of 2017 is the tenth graduating class since the program began.”

The award is presented as part of the Commission on Accreditation For Respiratory Care (“CoARC”) continued efforts to value the RRT credential as a standard of professional achievement. With a focus on program effectiveness, the CoARC views the RRT credential as a measure of a program’s success in inspiring its graduates to achieve their highest educational and professional aspirations.

When selecting programs for the recognition, the CoARC Board used objective criteria based on key accreditation metrics documented in the 2016 Annual Report of Current Status (RCS). These programs are required to: (1) have three or more years of outcome data; (2) hold accreditation without a progress report; (3) document RRT credentialing success of 90% or above, and (4) meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for CRT credentialing success, attrition, and positive job placement.

The Respiratory Care program will be recognized at a ceremony during the CoARC reception on Sunday, June 25 in Tucson, Arizona.

For more information about the Polk State College Respiratory Care Program, please visit polk.edu/respiratory-care.