Founded in 1969, the Department of Respiratory Therapy at Georgia State developed over the years into a nationally acclaimed graduate and undergraduate program. A nationwide survey of respiratory therapy educators conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio ranked our program first among all respiratory therapy programs in the country.

Faculty in our program integrates critical thinking and simulation into teaching and research to provide students to opportunity to excel in the profession. Our location in downtown Atlanta provides students with the opportunity to perform their clinical practice at some of the leading healthcare institutions in the southeast including Grady Memorial Hospital, Emory Healthcare, Northside Hospital, Piedmont Hospital and Wellstar Health Systems.

Our faculty are state and national leaders in the respiratory therapy profession. The level of scholarship and research is second to none. Students have the opportunity to assist in and publish research as well as to participate in professional lectures and presentations around the country.

Since 2009 our students have a 100% RRT pass-rate before graduation. Our graduates are in high demand, finding employment immediately after graduation at a rate consistently over 95% and many go on to supervisory and academic careers in the field.

Respiratory therapists work in cooperation with physicians to care for patients with a wide range of breathing disorders including asthma, emphysema, pneumonia and lung infections, cystic fibrosis and breathing difficulties due to premature birth. Respiratory therapists may work in a variety of settings from hospitals to home health care agencies and from outpatient centers and physicians offices to sleep disorder clinics.

The Department of Respiratory Therapy at Georgia State University offers several programs of study. The department provides a quality education that is relevant and professionally sound to meet the respiratory therapy needs of the health care community. It is our goal to prepare practitioners who can demonstrate the attitudes, skills, and knowledge required to meet the changing needs of the community. The respiratory therapist works with all members of the health care team in identifying and solving problems of respiratory disease and disorders of the cardiopulmonary system.

More information about the profession is available from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), the national organization of the profession, at www.aarc.org/careers.