Associate in Science Degree

The Respiratory Care Program started out as a hospital based program at Orange Memorial Hospital in Orlando back in 1968.  All students took their academic course work at Valencia Junior College on Oak Ridge Road.  All clinical practicum was implemented and carried out at Orange Memorial Hospital (now a division of the Orlando Regional Healthcare System).

The Respiratory Care Program at Valencia Community College has been fully accredited since 1972.  In 1977, a Self-Study process for reaccreditation was initiated and, after the on-site visit, corrections were made and the program received full accreditation status.  This process was repeated every five years until 2003 whereupon with repeated successful annual reports the program was transitioned to a ten-year cycle.

Today the Respiratory Care Program is considered one of the longest running programs in the country with some of the most excellent facilities available to it for clinical practice.  One such affiliate is the Orlando Regional Healthcare System consisting of Orlando Regional Medical Center, Arnold Palmer, Winnie Palmer, Dr. P. Phillips, South Lake, South Seminole and St. Cloud divisions staffed with very dedicated and competent therapists.  The other affiliate is the Florida Hospital System.

The success of the program has been proven by the job placement rate which has been 100% for every graduating class so far with many of the graduates holding at least supervisor status.

In addition, at least one fourth of each class over the past number of years have gone on to the University of Central Florida’s Cardiopulmonary Sciences Program to complete their Bachelor of Science degree.  This has been one of the attractive features of the Valencia Community College Respiratory Care Program.

 Our communities of interest include the local health care facilities, the University of Central Florida, Seminole Community College, and our students.  The local Health Care facilities offer a wide range of services.  The University of Central Florida and Seminole Community College have respiratory programs that articulate with our AS program.  This encourages internal recruitment and maximizes teaching expertise within all three programs.  Florida is a dynamic state for respiratory care and can be viewed as a broad community of interest.  Our citizens’ health care is a primary concern given the number of older people residing here.  Respiratory care delivery by professionals is regulated by the Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance, Board of Respiratory Care.