Respiratory Care | Hawkeye Community College

Skills & Competencies

Skills developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET via SOC 29-1141.03

Skills

MonitoringService OrientationSocial PerceptivenessReading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingComplex Problem Solving

Knowledge

Medicine and DentistryCustomer and Personal ServicePsychologyEnglish LanguageBiology

Abilities

Oral ComprehensionProblem SensitivityOral ExpressionDeductive ReasoningInductive ReasoningSpeech RecognitionSpeech ClarityWritten ComprehensionWritten ExpressionInformation Ordering

Tasks

Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and ins
Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other metho

Technology

Medical softwareInformation retrieval or search softwareCloud-based data access and sharing softwareOffice suite softwareDocument management software

Tools

AngiocathsApnea monitorsArterial blood gas testing equipmentArterial line cathetersAutomated external defibrillators AEDAutomated medicine dispensing equipmentAutotransfusion systemsBed scalesBedpansBilevel positive airway pressure BiPAP ventilatorsBlood drawing syringesBlood glucometersBlood pressure monitorsBlood warming equipmentBulb syringes

Work Values

RelationshipsSupportAchievementIndependenceRecognitionWorking Conditions

Career Pathways

Occupations this program prepares you for

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET + BLS

Occupations matched to this program, with median wage, top wage, growth, and openings
SOC	Occupation	Method	Wage	Growth	Openings
Match confidence: medium29-1141.03	Critical Care Nurses	title_inference	—	—	—

Program Pathways

Credentials this program stacks toward

No program pathways.

What You'll Learn

Key competencies developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom NSX Competency Framework

Mastery: developing (Level 2)(based on Associate's Degree)

Vital signs and critical laboratory data — evaluate trends across a shift and initiate defined emergency interventions within nurse-driven protocols in a level-one ICU.
Sepsis and shock indicators — monitor assigned patients for evolving systemic signs and institute early-response interventions per unit sepsis bundles with limited oversight.
Multi-route medication administration — independently administer IV, enteral, and subcutaneous medications, verifying compatibility and timing in a complex critical care environment.
Fluid and electrolyte balance — analyze intake and output patterns over 24-hour periods and flag emerging imbalances for physician review in a medical-surgical ICU.
Patient care prioritization — independently triage competing nursing demands for a two- to three-patient critical care assignment based on acuity and real-time assessment data.
Diagnostic data analysis — compile and interpret hemodynamic monitoring outputs, arterial blood gas results, and ventilator parameters to inform routine clinical decisions.
Respiratory assessment — conduct systematic pulmonary evaluations, identify abnormal patterns such as paradoxical breathing or crackles, and implement standing respiratory orders.
Pain and sedation management — adjust analgesic and sedative infusions within protocol-defined ranges based on serial RASS and pain scores in a ventilated patient population.
Clinical information systems — use medical software and cloud-based data platforms to retrieve lab trends, imaging reports, and order sets efficiently during high-acuity shifts.
Interdisciplinary coordination — collaborate with physicians, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists to adapt care plans in familiar clinical scenarios with routine complexity.

Program Details

Detailed information about this program

No detailed information available.

Requirements

What you need to earn this credential

No requirements listed.

Financial Aid

Eligible funding programs

No funding information available.

Scholarships

No scholarships listed.