BHS, Respiratory Therapy

Hands-On Training. Life-Saving Impact.

Program Overview

Bellarmine University’s Bachelor of Health Sciences in Respiratory Therapy prepares students to become highly skilled respiratory therapists through rigorous academics, extensive clinical training, and strong healthcare partnerships. Students gain the knowledge and clinical judgment needed to diagnose, treat, and manage cardiopulmonary diseases in emergency, critical-care, and long-term care settings.

Why study Respiratory Therapy at Bellarmine?

Bellarmine’s program is nationally recognized for its credentialing success and graduate outcomes, preparing students to confidently enter the workforce and pursue advanced practice opportunities in respiratory care. Students also benefit from extensive clinical training and strong healthcare partnerships. These collaborations help create pathways to employment and may provide scholarship opportunities through select healthcare partners, helping students transition from the classroom into meaningful healthcare careers.

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At a Glance

Degree

Bachelor of Health Sciences

School

Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences

Modality

On Campus

Hours

120

Prepare to Practice with Confidence

Bellarmine students complete more than 800 hours of hands-on clinical training across diverse healthcare environments and patient populations. These immersive rotations allow students to apply classroom knowledge while working alongside respiratory therapists, physicians, and critical-care teams.

Funding through Healthcare Partners

Bellarmine’s Respiratory Therapy program works closely with healthcare partners who recognize the demand for highly trained respiratory therapists. Through select partnerships and scholarship opportunities, some students may receive tuition support or funding assistance while completing their degree.

“Respiratory therapy is a great career for someone who wants to help others and save lives. Our jobs are fast-paced and team-oriented. We can work with a wide range of patient populations on a day-to-day basis, including newborns, kids, and adults with acute and chronic illness. The rapid growth of the respiratory therapy profession brings incredible opportunity for growth and development.”

Sarah Pehlke, Bellarmine Alumna

800+

Clinical Hours

13%

Projected Job Growth through 2033

$80,450

Median Pay (BLS, 2024)

What do Respiratory Therapists do?

Respiratory therapists are specialized healthcare professionals who work alongside physicians and nurses to develop and deliver life-saving treatment strategies for patients with breathing and lung disorders. At Bellarmine, students complete more than 800 hours of clinical experience across diverse patient populations, applying classroom learning in real-world healthcare environments while developing the hands-on skills needed for professional practice.

Program Highlights

#1 Respiratory Therapy Program in the Nation (College Choice, 2021)
Top Respiratory Therapy Program in the Nation (Intelligent.com, 2021)
Awarded Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care’s (COARC) Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success (2020)
Graduates demonstrate extremely high employment rates upon degree conferral and credentialing success
Respiratory therapy students complete more than 800 hours of clinical experience across varying patient populations

Faculty
Name	Title	Email
Shannon Terry, MSM, RRT-NPS	Director of Clinical Education	sterry2@bellarmine.edu
Dino Varajic, MD	Medical Director
Jeff Clark, MSM, RRT		jclark9@bellarmine.edu

Contact

Shannon Terry, MSM, RRT-NPS
Director of Clinical Education
sterry2@bellarmine.edu
(502) 272-7468

The Respiratory Therapy Program (CoARC program number #200281, offering the Bachelor of Health Science degree in Louisville, KY) holds Continuing Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an ‘outcomes based’ process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented. CoARC Programmatic Outcomes Data can be found here.

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Bellarmine University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.

Respiratory Therapy