MJC 4-year respiratory degree picking first cohort

State Attorney General Kamala Harris came to Modesto Junior College to tour the west campus respiratory care program and tout her proposal of tuition-free public college for middle-class families.

Harris, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat of Barbara Boxer, stopped in Modesto on Wednesday as part of her Freedom to Learn tour, choosing MJC because of its pilot four-year degree course that will start taking applications Saturday.

The bachelor of science in respiratory care, Modesto Junior College’s first four-year degree and one of only two such programs in the state, will begin with a cohort of 40 students to be notified in the spring. Classes will begin in fall 2017.

MJC’s baccalaureate degree is one of 15 four-year community college degree programs selected statewide as a pilot project for fulfilling industry needs. All were chosen for strong job prospects and the lack of a corresponding degree at state universities. Modesto applied for a respiratory degree because of its strong two-year program and the high rate of respiratory problems in the Central Valley.

MJC first-year respiratory therapy student Dianna Bernaldes knows about those firsthand. “I’m asthmatic. My kids have asthma,” she said during a lab class Tuesday. It was what drew her to the field, she said. “It’s personal to me. I have a personal connection with patients who are having difficulty breathing – I know what that’s like,” she said.

When she finishes her associate’s degree in respiratory care, Bernaldes plans to apply to the new bachelor’s degree program. From there, she hopes to become a physician’s assistant specializing in respiratory care.

Classmate Prathik Kumar also has his eye on the four-year degree. “I’ve always been interested in health fields. It’s a good opportunity for me to do what I do best, which is to connect with people and help people,” he said between turns on a breathing machine set at different air pressure levels during Tuesday’s class.

Kumar and Bernaldes still have a list of prerequisites to fulfill before joining the program, which was designed for working professionals who have already completed an associate’s degree, hold a California state license in respiratory care, and have a Registered Respiratory Therapist credential.

The upper division curriculum will teach health care operations management; critical review of research; disease management and wellness promotion; advanced pharmacology; pulmonary diagnostics, rehabilitation and sleep; teaching strategies; advanced neonatal and pediatric critical care; psychological stress, illness and death; and capstone research.

The MJC respiratory care baccalaureate degree program will follow an accelerated format, completing 40 units of required courses in eight weeks of online and in-person training. Program participants must also complete 39 California State University general education units.

The four-year degree’s cost is also a step up from the community college usual. MJC estimates the bachelor of science program costs about $5,200 in course fees, plus $1,350 for textbooks and materials fees. Harris’ program could help with that.

The degree will qualify respiratory therapy students for teaching and leadership posts but is also where the profession is heading, said teacher Janet Fantazia.

“The associate program is the entry-level program,” Fantazia said. “Our field of respiratory is leaning toward the entry level becoming a baccalaureate program anyway, so we’re getting a head start.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 7:40 PM with the headline "MJC 4-year respiratory degree picking first cohort."