WORCESTER, MA— June 27, 2022— Quinsigamond Community College’s Respiratory Care Program has received the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) Credentialing Success Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) for the second consecutive year. The College has once again joined a select group of programs that received this national recognition based on a high-level performance of key accreditation metrics.
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. The award is considered a standard of professional achievement.
“This award is a testament to the hard-working faculty who have put together a high-quality program that is revered in the healthcare community. Their caring and dedication have fostered a successful learning environment for our students,” said QCC President Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D.
To earn this significant award, programs were required to have three or more years of outcome data, hold accreditation without a progress report, document RRT credentialing success of 90% or above, and meet or exceed core thresholds for the Therapist Multiple Choice (TMC) examination high cut score and retention. QCC had a 3-year (2018 – 2020) average of 100% of students who achieved the high cut score and 96% achieve the RRT credential. The CoARC threshold for retention is 70% and QCC had a 95% retention rate for the same 3-year average (2018-2020).
QCC’s Respiratory Care is an 18-month program that prepares graduates for employment as allied health practitioners in the specialty area of pulmonary medicine. The program began in 1967 and has graduated approximately 126 students since 2005.
“It is an honor for our program to be recognized over the past several years. It is a tribute to all the current and former faculty, QCC administration, and our advisory board who helped make this achievement possible, as well as our graduates who took the exams and earned the RRT credential,” said Assistant Professor of Respiratory Care, Keith Hirst. “I am proud to be part of such a great team who strive to provide an exceptional respiratory care education.”
To learn more visit QCC’s Respiratory Care Program.