Independence University.

Is it hard to find a job with an online college degree from Independence University? I was wondering because I'm debating on if I should attend that school or not.

I don't think it will be hard. I haven't started the program yet,I plan to start the middle of next month. I would think as long as you get certified and registered it shouldn't be difficult, but that's what I am hoping for.

Just make sure you have your clinical sites nailed down..before you pay any money...so far..I have one that will give me 100 hours..we need around 700 clinical hours alltogether...Once you have a clinincal site..I think this would be a good gig...i LIKE THE FLEXIBILITY..BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET ONE MORE SITE...when I find one..I will do the on line program at Indepence university.

Is it hard to find sponsored hospital through Independence University in los angeles, ca?

I was also considering Independence University. Here's another suggestion. You also need to make sure that the state boards will accept a distance learning school. Some states are kind of funny with that. I know for a fact that California doesnt' accept Excelsior College for their nursing program because the clinicals aren't long enough. And this is just for nursing. Just check it out. Also how do you find clinical sites?

Henry in Acton, California said: Is it hard to find sponsored hospital through Independence University in los angeles, ca?

VERY difficult

Patty in Baltimore, Maryland said: I was also considering Independence University. Here's another suggestion. You also need to make sure that the state boards will accept a distance learning school. Some states are kind of funny with that. I know for a fact that California doesnt' accept Excelsior College for their nursing program because the clinicals aren't long enough. And this is just for nursing. Just check it out. Also how do you find clinical sites?

I personally called the california licensing board and they indicate that California College for Health Sciences (the respiratory part of independence university) is allowed in California, but the tricky part is finding a clinical site.

alisa in Encino, California said: I personally called the california licensing board and they indicate that California College for Health Sciences (the respiratory part of independence university) is allowed in California, but the tricky part is finding a clinical site.

Did you secure a clinical site yet?

Henry in Acton, California said: Did you secure a clinical site yet?

No, I've just started looking. Why is it so hard to find a clinical site? How many places did you try? I wish I do the program without the clinical site. If I were already a therapist then I could do Excelsior's nursing program.

I had no problem getting a clinical site. The Resp. Manager at the first hospital I solicited was very nice about it.

BRIAN in Redding, California said: I had no problem getting a clinical site. The Resp. Manager at the first hospital I solicited was very nice about it.

Do u have AIM or YM, so I can chat to you sometime about the clinical sponshorship.

I seem to be having a hard time securing a clinical site myself. I thought it would go really well since I work at a local teaching hospital. The manager mentioned they had students many years ago and he would find out how I might be able to do the program. As a backup, I sought out another local teaching hospital just last week.

I shadowed a therapist and she agreed to be my preceptor at my first choice, but now I am just waiting to hear some news. They no longer have students at the community college do their clinicals there which concerns me. I don't know what happened. I am gonna try and stay hopeful. I plan to sign up for the program this week. I would have liked to secure my clinical site before starting classes. I don't wanna wait too much longer. It has been 3 weeks since my initial contact at the first hospital.

Does anyone have any tips on securing a site?

Yes!! I got a site today at a teacing hospital in Fort Collins, Co....Just keep trying!!!

Patty in Baltimore....

Have you located a clinical site? What was your experience when looking? Any advice?

thanks

Lisa in Severn, Maryland said: Patty in Baltimore....

Have you located a clinical site? What was your experience when looking? Any advice?

thanks

Well, don't try Hopkins. I was suggested by Hopkins to try University or Mercy. Also that was Hopkins on Wolfe Street not Bayview. Good luck. I haven't called any where else. I haven't exactly made up my mind. You realize that you have to 720 clinical hours.

I just thought of something else. If anyone is still looking for a clinical site, You could shadow someone. Well, I mean call a local agency for respiratory therapists or that has respiratory therapists working for them and ask if you could shadow with one of their therapists. It's just a suggestion.
At this rate, I'm getting my bachelor's degree and I'm going to look at some second degree bachelor nursing programs and master's degree also. I've got to do something.
The only difficult thing is finding the clinicals for respiratory therapy.
If I had to find a clinical site for nursing then it'd be easier.

Hi Patty,

Thanks for your response. I will be on the phone first thing Monday morning trying to find a clinical site. I am hopeful that Mercy or another one nearby in Baltimore will be helpful.

Will you please clarify your statement regarding your bachelor's degree. Are you enrolled with Independence University currently in their RT Bachelor's program? If so, do you need a clinical site? Why do you say you have to do something? I ask, because I do too. I have to do something. I considered Excelsior's Nursing program but decided against it. I was in the military and could have enrolled but I heard that if you have been off of the floors for an extended period of time that the final test could be very difficult, besides it just didn't fit with my current objectives in life. I am keeping it in the back of my mind just in case I want to pursue it in a few years.

I have enrolled with IU and am expecting my first set of books next week. I am excited and apprehensive. I live in Hanover, just across from the Arundel Mills Mall.

how do i find out if the states board accepts an online degree? and how do i find anyone for clinical hours? i am debating if i should use ui ? the closet school for rt is far away from me? can anyone shed any light to these questions? and oh yeh is it hard for a grant or student loan through ui>?
my email is kaymar34gah@yahoo.com

Whoa there nelly. Back up a few.
Okay, first question. You need to call the state board for respiratory therapy in your state. Each one is different. You need to call around. Not just to hospitals. Try any type of agency for respiratory therapists. Also try long term care facilities that have a trachetomy floor which is where the patient has a hole in their throat with a tube coming out of it. If you didn't know that already. It's not hard to get a grant or a student loan. The school offers Eduplan and you have to pay $250 down then 200 a month. It's not a bad deal.
But before you can apply, you need to have at least sixty credits to transfer in to Independence University. The only other hard thing besides studying on your own is that you need to have a clinical site and it's quite difficult. Try the largest teaching hospital in your area and tell them your situation. You must find out who is in charge of respiratory care services, not nursing. Okay, I hope this helps. BTW my email address is bizstyle55@yahoo.com, if you have any more questions. Also get yourself a subscription to advance for respiratory therapists. It's a good investment

hey thanks..whats this subscription you are talking about?

It's called Advanced for Respiratory Care Practitioners. Check it out

Okay, I've paid my money and I'm going to start the respiratory therapy program at Independence U. The only thing that's harping me to finish are the clinical hours. 720 is a lot. I've talked to a couple of schools around where I live and I've found that it's a lot of hours. What if you can't get them all? How do they know that you've completed all of those hours? How do they keep track? What is the protocol for this? Please let me know. Thank you

Deanna75 in Los Angeles,

I just enrolled officially last week. Awaiting my books and shakin in my boots because I lost my clinical site. Have to start calling first thing Monday morning to track another one down.

I'll look for you in IU's forum. I read everything posted there. They have me scared as all get out over the Pharmacology class. Everyone agrees it is very difficult and requires at least 60 days possibly 90 days to complete. I have been out of school for a while and am hopeful my old brain can snap back and do its job.

OK THIS 60 CREDITS I NEED WHAT LIKE TRANSFER FROM ANOTHER COLLEGE? HOW CAN I GET 60 CREDITS IF I DONT HAVE ANY. MAYBE ITS BEST THAT I MOVE WHERE THERE IS a college that has RT? please help i am ready to get my degree and i need to quit waisting time. i have looked into alot of other fields and this i know i would love to do. my best friend recently passed and i took care of him. he had a trake[dont know if spelled right] and in order for him to come home i volunteered for them to train me so i had to suctioned him read all o2 stats and all. i really loved it.my dad has copd and emphysema i help my mom with him. this i know i would love better than nursing.i took very good care of him until it was beyond my hands. i just want to know all what i need to continue in this field.

Lisa in Severn, Maryland said: Deanna75 in Los Angeles,

I just enrolled officially last week. Awaiting my books and shakin in my boots because I lost my clinical site. Have to start calling first thing Monday morning to track another one down.

I'll look for you in IU's forum. I read everything posted there. They have me scared as all get out over the Pharmacology class. Everyone agrees it is very difficult and requires at least 60 days possibly 90 days to complete. I have been out of school for a while and am hopeful my old brain can snap back and do its job.

Hi Lisa,
I just paid my money yesterday to begin courses. I am searching for clinical sites. I was already turned down where I work which is a large teaching hospital. I have a few more to try. I am hoping once I begin course work there will be someone in the same city which may make it easier to find a clinical site.

people are losing their clinical sites. I mean Lisa lost one and then Brenda lost one. I mean I live in Baltimore and I'm assuming that hospitals need therapists. I guess not.
Oh, if anyone is wondering, here's another tip for finding a clinical site that I came across yesterday and here's another one.
When you're looking for a clinical site, ask for the director respiratory care services. Don't ask for nursing.
And also if there hospital has a lot positions open for respiratory therapists or respiratory care practitioners, then put that hospital on the top of your list. Also offer to work for the hospital when you get done.

Has anyone else had any luck with clinical sites?

HELLO I AM LOLIAN I AM STILL WAITING FOR SOME ANSWERS WHAT I LAST WROTE ABOUT THE 60 CREDITS??? CAN ANYONE HELP???

Lolian,

YOur question was a bit confusing to me. contact me off line at imabuyacar@yahoo.com. I'll check that email for hte next couple of days and get back to you.

Patty in Baltimore, Maryland said: Whoa there nelly. Back up a few.
Okay, first question. You need to call the state board for respiratory therapy in your state. Each one is different. You need to call around. Not just to hospitals. Try any type of agency for respiratory therapists. Also try long term care facilities that have a trachetomy floor which is where the patient has a hole in their throat with a tube coming out of it. If you didn't know that already. It's not hard to get a grant or a student loan. The school offers Eduplan and you have to pay $250 down then 200 a month. It's not a bad deal.
But before you can apply, you need to have at least sixty credits to transfer in to Independence University. The only other hard thing besides studying on your own is that you need to have a clinical site and it's quite difficult. Try the largest teaching hospital in your area and tell them your situation. You must find out who is in charge of respiratory care services, not nursing. Okay, I hope this helps. BTW my email address is bizstyle55@yahoo.com, if you have any more questions. Also get yourself a subscription to advance for respiratory therapists. It's a good investment

you don't need 60 dredits to transfer in.

lolian in Lafayette, Louisiana said: OK THIS 60 CREDITS I NEED WHAT LIKE TRANSFER FROM ANOTHER COLLEGE? HOW CAN I GET 60 CREDITS IF I DONT HAVE ANY. MAYBE ITS BEST THAT I MOVE WHERE THERE IS a college that has RT? please help i am ready to get my degree and i need to quit waisting time. i have looked into alot of other fields and this i know i would love to do. my best friend recently passed and i took care of him. he had a trake[dont know if spelled right] and in order for him to come home i volunteered for them to train me so i had to suctioned him read all o2 stats and all. i really loved it.my dad has copd and emphysema i help my mom with him. this i know i would love better than nursing.i took very good care of him until it was beyond my hands. i just want to know all what i need to continue in this field.

just call IU, you don't need 60 credits. I am a student there...all the classes you need are offered through the program. Maybe she was referring to people who are already CRTs trying to get an AA degree and their RRT? Not sure...

Just wondering if any of you that are thinking about doing these online RT programs have contacted graduates or have any clue as to whether or not this place is accredited with CoARC or if the NBRC will even let you sit for the CRT with a degree from there? If you can sit for the test(s), what is the school's 1st time pass success rate? Personally, I would never hire anyone who did ANY portion of their core RT classes online.

I strongly agree with you OMG. How can you find out what is the pass rate for different schools that has the RT programs?

Two of the RT Department Head's obtained thier degree from CCHS.

Somehow I erased a part of my message.

I was interviewed by two Department Heads who obtained thier AA and Bachelor's from CCHS.

OMG in Texas. The school is approved by Co arc NBRC and CAAHEP. You know there really isn't that much difference between taking respiratory classes online or going to class. You're going to go home and study anyway. The most important thing that matters is the clinical section. You can learn about theory of this and theory of that if you want to. But if you can't do the work then you're worthless.

alisa in Encino, California said: you don't need 60 dredits to transfer in.

I had to fax in my transcripts for the schools that I attended. I don't know but that's what I was told.

Hey, Lisa in Severn. Where did you interview at? Are they still looking for other students?

"You're going to go home and study anyway."

When I went to school, I noticed the people who did just that (on their own) eventually failed out of the program. The people who always studied with at least one other person (a group is of course better) did much better and had a much easier time completing and understanding the school portion of becoming an RT. How will this work trying to do this online? Seems like it would be benefitial to try and find someone else in your immediate area to meet up with and study the material with. But what if there is no one near? I would also be very interested in hearing how their graduates do with passing the CRT and RRT on the first try.

I unenrolled with University of Independence and I was going to do their loan I am still having problems with them and not billing me I had to talk to the creditors about them and they said there are lots of people who are in the same boat as me. Also I talked to a former student from there and they transferred to another school Clinicals where hard to get I called every hospital in michigan and they all said they had a few students from here and that they weren't ready. My big question to ask is when you go to a traditional school for nursing , respiratory like I was doing you have labs and an instructor to help you before you go to clinics . I have my MA and I wasn't prepare just to go out to do the clinics without any training at labs with an instructor that was my fear and no clinic site I had one who said how do you manage to do that in that short amount of time? the clinic hours with the course? I was confused and said why he explained that Respiratory therapist do more than just lung function which I knew so he said wasn't enough time . Good luck

I am sorry that you had to unenroll with the school. I hope that I will not have the same problem. I have an appointment next week with a hospital. I have had 2 hospitals turn me down so far.

I think it is all up to the individual as far as performing the clinicals. I was in a LPN program and had to repeat the last class. I had difficulty with the course. I did fine with the clinicals. My problem was taking the tests. I am working full time now, so I am unable to go back and finish the class. I completed my graduate work completely online, but struggled with an LPN class. I didn't understand it. I don't think the lab work had a significant factor in learning the material. I didn't learn a whole lot in clinicals, being a STNA I learned majority of what I knew from that class, but I know what you mean it is good to practice on the models before going out to the site.

I have an interview next week at a local hospital and he was familiar with the school. I hope they would have models to work on either from CPR classes or somewhere else.

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone could shed some light. I was reading the forum and I am brand new to this. I spoke to a rep from Independence Univ for their AS Respiratory Therapy program. I know that the school is accredited which is all that matters to me and a clinical site won't be hard for me to find. Is anyone currently enrolled in the program who could kind of explain the tuition process to me? I appreciate any information!

I attend IU and they have a tuition rate of $8000.00 right now. You can take as many classes as you can in a one year period for that amount.

Sounds good. It's better for me since I work full-time and travel most of the time. I will look more into it and start soon. Good luck to all with your clinical site searches!

I am in the process of trying to choose between several schools to complete my RT training. One of these choices is IU/California College for Health Sciences. While it seems like this would be a perfect fit for me, I am feeling very doubtful about securing a clinical site.

Also, it would help out a lot if students who are currently attending CCHS were able to form study groups in different states, and especially those who were able to obtain clinical sites.

There needs to be better organization with the clinical part of the program. Plus, the school should start collecting data if they already aren't on which schools seem to be the most receptive to allowing students to complete clinicals.

Is there currently anyone in the WA state area who has or is currently attending IU/CCHS, and if so please give your experience?

RRT in Dearborn, Michigan said: "You're going to go home and study anyway."

When I went to school, I noticed the people who did just that (on their own) eventually failed out of the program. The people who always studied with at least one other person (a group is of course better) did much better and had a much easier time completing and understanding the school portion of becoming an RT. How will this work trying to do this online? Seems like it would be benefitial to try and find someone else in your immediate area to meet up with and study the material with. But what if there is no one near? I would also be very interested in hearing how their graduates do with passing the CRT and RRT on the first try.

I graduated from CCHS 9 years ago. I passed my NBRC exam on the first try with a high score to be proud of. I will admit, it was very challenging and I had to discipline myself and make my own "school schedule" I made sure I set the same time of day aside everyday to do my studies. I'm very proud of my accomplishments and I have NEVER had an interviewer question my education. I feel very knowledgeable in my job and have no regrets. It may not be for everyone but it worked for me. I did consult with my adjunct faculty member from my clinical site and BTW...when I went through CCHS we had to have 1000 clinical hours...not 750! LOL

Hi there, getting ready to start IU. Please tell me, are teachers easy to get ahold of if you need help? Did you start your clicical hours right away or wait till after the pre reqs? DId anyone use a sallie mae loan? Please let me know all feedback! I want to make a really informed descision! DId anyone have a really BAD experience yet? THis program has ALL the accredadations that my state looks for to get your license, so I see no reason to do it! But I need to hear from some of you too!!!! THanks!!!

Just my two cents, but I'd check to see if there are any community college programs for RT in the area. Much less expensive than IU; I'm enrolled at Edison College down here and I pay 75 a credit hour. If you decide to still go the IU route, also consider that if your area does have a community college program, you will have to compete with this program for clinical space in the area hospitals. I know that in Fort Myers, my program rotates through all of the hospitals from Punta Gorda to Naples and has a strict limit of 30 clinical spots for our individual program. Either way good luck and welcome to the field.

Patty in Baltimore, Maryland said: I was also considering Independence University. Here's another suggestion. You also need to make sure that the state boards will accept a distance learning school. Some states are kind of funny with that. I know for a fact that California doesnt' accept Excelsior College for their nursing program because the clinicals aren't long enough. And this is just for nursing. Just check it out. Also how do you find clinical sites?

Look up the word "accredited"...Their program is "accredited"...

I know that. I checked the program's accreditation out myself and I called the state board for respiratory therapists in my state just to make sure. I was just stating for certain programs different states make not accept that program for whatever reason. Where another program may accept that program. It just depends on what state you are living in. Check your facts before you make a comment like that.