Respiratory Therapist IS THE SCHOOL YOU GO TO A BIG FACTOR

Hi everybody
I just wanted to ask the RTs or the Human Resource reps that "HIRE" RTs, does it really matter what program or "SCHOOL" you go to (CONCORDE or SJVC)? If it really affects you how does it affect you, smaller pay? less respect? less responsibility? I hear that CONCORDE is NOT a good choice (they are not really respected) please correct me if I'm wrong. I just want to get my facts straight. My experience with SJVC wasnt the best, the people were rude and NEVER answer their phone, and NEVER return messages.

Depends on your area. I disagree about Concorde. Read my posts. Do a search :-)

Hospital pay is determined on experience and certifications, where you go to school does not play a role in what your starting salary will be. The reputation of a program can hurt your chances of being hired if the hospital you are looking to work for "looks down on" the program you attended when you're competing with others for a job with a similar skill set.

Ted in Cape Coral, Florida said: Hospital pay is determined on experience and certifications, where you go to school does not play a role in what your starting salary will be. The reputation of a program can hurt your chances of being hired if the hospital you are looking to work for "looks down on" the program you attended when you're competing with others for a job with a similar skill set.

Unfortunately hospitals can pick and choose who they hire here in SD because there is no shortages of RTs in SD. Figure this. There are 4 Rt schools in San Diego with about 30 students per class so that means every year there will be about 100 ( some will not pass the license test or drop out) brand new Rt released into the wild. I can tell you this majority of Rt department mangers do have a preference to one college or another. For instance I know certain Scripp Hospitals will on hire moslty CCSD grads while other hospitals will hire mostly or only Grossmont Grads. Why is this? Simple some managers only want Rt that follow orders and do not question them. They basically want a robot. Other managers want RTs that have critical thinking skills and know when something is wrong or going to be wrong.

I actually agree. I think most jobs are wanting the "robot" more than someone with a name. Thus the reason some people are going to a smaller business to keep human :-)

Hi, RTPBALLER, I believe we are fortunate our hospitals can pick through and choose who they hire. Although Respiratory Therapy is an exciting and growing field, it is not for everyone. Certain hospitals are able to provide the best care our patients deserve because of the hiring choices they make. Scripps, my employer is included on the 100 best hospitals list by Solucient. In my opinion, it is unfortunate Respiratory Therapy Department Managers have preferences for graduates from specific colleges. They cannot possibly find the best RTs without giving each an opportunity to demonstrate and prove their skills. Perhaps this is why there is such high turnover in certain hospitals. I wish you well. Good journey.

RT in San Diego needs real thinkers and better clinicians in our very busy hospitals. The trend in the city is to hire only RRT's and /or give a time frame to get your RRT. If we ever hope to gain a professional staus we all need the RRT and a BS. The school you go to does matter, and be sure you look at all schools, and ask what the pass rate is of that school, you will be surprised

I think it totally does matter what school you go to. I graduated from Concorde Garden Grove, passed the CRT board exam, and after more than 6 months still have not been able to land a job. Its seems impossible to find a job with less than a year experience and being a Concorde graduate makes things even tougher. Now my student loan deferment is ending this month and I'm going to have to have to pay back the loans for the school that got me no were. I totally regret going to Concorde....im even considering doing what I should of done from the begining...going to nursing school at a proper college.

i do think the school you went to matter im struggling as much as you well i went to an advanced accredited school took my CRT and RRT and it has been over 6 months too and still havent found a job. i even wanted to do registry but they said pretty much the same thing since i have no experience, they said i can sign up but cant guarantee if hospitals want me to work for them.

oh i meant i DONT think i matters what school you go to i cant find a job either, hospitals want RCP's with experience, even though i went to an advance accredited school i still cant get a job, not even a per diem position

I do strongly believe that the more educated you are the more marketable you are. You have to see it from different angles and perspectives. As for my experience, I feel very strong as a therapist, not only wit the experience but also the school or the time invested in your studies at school. I advice to think as if you were hiring a therapist; who would you hire the one with more or less education and skills? Also, where would you like to work in a small hospital in which you wouldn't learn anything or a large teaching facility in which you can learn all areas' ER, ICU, PAR, Trauma Nicu peds, ets. The teaching facilities would most definitely hire the one with more skills and education.

you know im not sure.. i awas/ am having the same dilema... my freind graduated from concorde in north hollywood... he happened to have made connection from the clincial hours he spent there.. and is working ata hospital making 29 an hr.. graduated about a year ago... price back then was 25-30k.. now its a whopping 40k... but like some have said.. i think hospitals would radther it go from a regular community college.. than those the private schools you cant really have full transfer to a college if you should ever try to get a Bachelors.. or at least mot of them... i think the only reason you may want t a private schol is because you may think theres a long waiting list.. or you may think it will take longer.. but regardless the program is a year and a half no matter where you go.. just find a school that has the least waiting list.. and save yourself a LOT of money.. =0 ... i guess i may be lucky because i happen to be a a cc that doesnt have a waiting list.. =0 so i start in april.. GL

Hi, I am debating between RN school and RRT school. My ultimate goal it to work on transport teams, and in the ER. I am an EMT, and have worked in a ER for 7 years. what path will i have a better chance to achieve my goal. any and all info would be extremely helpful.

ConcordeSucks in Los Angeles, California said: I think it totally does matter what school you go to. I graduated from Concorde Garden Grove, passed the CRT board exam, and after more than 6 months still have not been able to land a job. Its seems impossible to find a job with less than a year experience and being a Concorde graduate makes things even tougher. Now my student loan deferment is ending this month and I'm going to have to have to pay back the loans for the school that got me no were. I totally regret going to Concorde....im even considering doing what I should of done from the begining...going to nursing school at a proper college.

The reason you dont have a job is probably because you dont interview well. There are jobs out there you just have to know where to look, it has nothing to do with the school you went too, stop making excuses.

stopcomplaining in Pomona, California said: The reason you dont have a job is probably because you dont interview well. There are jobs out there you just have to know where to look, it has nothing to do with the school you went too, stop making excuses.

I agree with the interview, alot of managers do have their ways to weed out weak Rts. However, I disagree about the schools. Depending on the school it does make a difference . The reason why I say this each school prepares their students differently. Not all schools can say that they have an open lab with multi vents, sim family, and good clinical site with competent instructors. Other schools just don't care. They just make sure that the students get their hours at clinicals (does not matter if it is floors or ICU) or some school hope that the students get the hands on with vents at the clicincal site. Then some poeple say it is what the student puts into is what they get out of it. Some truth in that, but the student is only good if the student has access to it. I can go on, but in short what school you got to does make a differnce.

I have a problem. Money. I have done all the necessary preps to enroll myself in Concorde in Garden Grove. The only thing left to do is calculate all my fafsa,parent plus loans, stafford loans and etc. And see if its possible to pay the whopping 37,000 tuition. My very first option was Mount San Antonio College to go into RT there. The only problem is, i needed one more class of prereq which was physiology, and then i'd start the program this coming august 09, a 2 year program. But, i couldnt get in the physiology class because of how packed it was, which in turn is going to cause me to be delayed until the ausgust of 2010 program starts. I do not want to be put back a whole year because of one class. So that is why I looked around and went to get the info for concorde. If all goes right, and I get approved somehow, then I start concorde July 20th. What are your takes on that? Community college that is cheaper, much cheaper, in 24 months, and you graduate as an Rt. Or, Concorde, much more expensive (which money is hard to come by these days), takes 20 months, and you obtain your CRT while in the program and can sit for the RRT once you graduate. I need some insight please. Cause this has been killing me. im 21 and have been out of high school since 17 and I feel like i havent accomplished anything.

Hey Paul, I was in your situation. I was tired of being on a waiting list and decided to enroll in a vocational school instead. I went to Concorde in Garden Grove last year in August 2008 and decided to enroll in thier RT program. I met with the admissions rep, did all my tests and eveything and passed, was given the campus tour, but 37k is a lot of money, and coming up with that kind of money was going to be an issue. I went home and gave it thought and realized i wasnt going to be able to do it. That same day, my friend told me about American Career College offering the RT Program in Anaheim for 28k, thats 9k less, worked for me. The next day, i went to ACC and enrolled, passed my tests, was given the campus tour that same day, did all my financial aid, and was done. I start in May, in a couple months. ACC really works with you financially as well as opposed to Concorde, where they want a portion of your tuition up front before you even start school. Concorde was also on the pushy side, they want you to spend that extra 10k for the Advanced RT courses, i was like "whoa, kick back, chill". ACC gives you many lending options as well as far as loans, and thier usually about 50 bucks a month for each loan, i have a total of 3 loans. i will pay one loan while in school, as it will accrue interest if not paid, and the other 2 will not, and i dont have to start paying them till 6 months after graduation. Another good thing about ACC are the course hours. If i recall correctly, my class hours for Concorde were going to be Mon-Fri 1pm-6pm,what kind of BS is that. Nowhere in that class schedule is there even a decent time to hold a part time job, i was like, what the hell. Was i supposed to work 9am-12noon, or 7pm-10pm, i thought it was ridiculous, where as ACC, the program course is only Mon-Thurs from 8am-12noon! Much better, its a day less and an hour less than Concorde, thus, giving me the opportunity to at least,keep my regular job,so i was pretty happy about that too

Con't...Acc is also an 18 month program, not 20. All in all, i know you were just concerned with the whole money issue, sorry to have to vent to you at 11 o'oclock at night, i guess im just in a typing mood, but i think ACC is a decent school that i know of thus far, you should check it out. Although not accredited yet by CAAHEP, we are still eligible to sit for our CRT and RRT exams, as long as the school holds a "Letter in Review", you are eligible to sit, i called CAAHEP directly!! Alright, thats about it for now, if you have any more questions, hit me up later.

Paul in West Covina, California said: I have a problem. Money. I have done all the necessary preps to enroll myself in Concorde in Garden Grove. The only thing left to do is calculate all my fafsa,parent plus loans, stafford loans and etc. And see if its possible to pay the whopping 37,000 tuition. My very first option was Mount San Antonio College to go into RT there. The only problem is, i needed one more class of prereq which was physiology, and then i'd start the program this coming august 09, a 2 year program. But, i couldnt get in the physiology class because of how packed it was, which in turn is going to cause me to be delayed until the ausgust of 2010 program starts. I do not want to be put back a whole year because of one class. So that is why I looked around and went to get the info for concorde. If all goes right, and I get approved somehow, then I start concorde July 20th. What are your takes on that? Community college that is cheaper, much cheaper, in 24 months, and you graduate as an Rt. Or, Concorde, much more expensive (which money is hard to come by these days), takes 20 months, and you obtain your CRT while in the program and can sit for the RRT once you graduate. I need some insight please. Cause this has been killing me. im 21 and have been out of high school since 17 and I feel like i havent accomplished anything.

Just a correction; you dont earn your CRT while you are in the program. You must pass the NBRC board exam once you graduate, once you pass the CRT you are then eligible to take the RRT. Community college is cheaper, the classes are transferable and they generally have better equipped labs. The draw back of course is you have to finish your pre-reqs in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, math and all the others. It takes a lot longer but is cheaper.

Hi! I'm a CRT looking for a job in Temecula, If anyone know of any job opening there that would accept new grad CRT, i would really appreciate the help.

mikebogis in Yucaipa, California said: Hi, I am debating between RN school and RRT school. My ultimate goal it to work on transport teams, and in the ER. I am an EMT, and have worked in a ER for 7 years. what path will i have a better chance to achieve my goal. any and all info would be extremely helpful.

BE A NURSE!! I used to teach at 3 different RT schools in san diego, and have 13 years exp. working in hospitals and was the RT manager of a big hospital as well. DO NURSING!! NOT RT! good luck!

yes please do nursing... then we will have more job openings. GREAT idea!!!

OK... really though, the school you choose does NOT matter it's the effort you put in! As far as ACC goes... ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... 50 students per class does NOT seem conducive to receive adequate instruction! AAAAAAAANNNNNNNDDDDD with all of the new grads already coming out why would anyone want to support a program that pumps out more students than the job market can handle! ACC has been around a while but has definitely got into the RT thing way too late. It is obvious that this program is not about producing quality with the sardine packed classes they are willing to conduct. It is strictly about undercutting their competitions tuition(SJVC & CONCORDE) to attract more potential sardines... I mean students! Their instructor qualifications are far less than their competitions too. Keep in mind if their probationary status gets pulled while you're in school you just wasted your time!

should i apply to more than one school for RT program ?