Program Director: Kathryn Kinderman, MS, RRT, CPFT
Accreditation: CoARC
Program Length: 4 years (2 years at IUP, 2 years at WPH)
Respiratory therapists aid physicians in the evaluation and treatment of heart and lung ailments. They work in a variety of areas such as emergency departments, intensive care units and pulmonary rehabilitation units, home care and a host of other treatment sites.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and West Penn Hospital (WPH) combined resources in 1972 to provide a cooperative bachelor of science degree program in respiratory care.
The IUP/WPH program was the first such program in the state and the fifth in the country, and it is widely recognized as one of the nation's finest respiratory care programs.
Our school's clinical program couples the rich academic atmosphere of the university with the unique, comprehensive classroom and clinical opportunities available within Allegheny Health Network and at the school's affiliated clinical sites in the Pittsburgh region.
The School of Respiratory Care is committed to graduating men and women who are dedicated to their patients and the profession and who are technically competent leaders in their field.
The IUP/West Penn Hospital School of Respiratory Care offers more than 40 years of experience in providing high-quality education and more than 700 alumni. It was the first fully accredited baccalaureate degree Respiratory Care Program in Pennsylvania and the fifth in the country. It is a leadership program in the discipline of respiratory care with a solid national reputation
The IUP/West Penn Hospital School of Respiratory Care enjoys a reputation of excellence and quality, and its graduates have an impressive track record of securing a 99% pass rate for the national credentialing exams (average national pass rates for all schools is approximately 70%), as well as 100% employment. Recruiters from well-known employers throughout the East Coast (e.g., Johns Hopkins Hospital) routinely look to IUP/West Penn Hospital graduates to fill top-notch positions.
The IUP/West Penn Hospital School of Respiratory Care offers the following to students:
The IUP/West Penn Hospital School of Respiratory Care is accredited by
The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
1248 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX 76021-4244
IUP Logo With its original 1875 building still standing at the heart of its campus, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) has a long tradition of academic excellence. IUP provides an intellectually challenging experience to more than 13,000 students at the university's three campuses, all easily accessible from Pittsburgh and the Middle Atlantic region.
Academic offerings include more than 100 undergraduate majors with a variety of internship and study-abroad programs, more than 40 masters' degree programs, and 8 doctoral degree programs.
The variety and quality of instruction at IUP are characteristic of a big university but close, one-to-one relationships develop within the teaching framework and a strong sense of community prevails.
Students interested in the IUP/WPH School of Respiratory Care need to apply through IUP. The WPH (clinical) portion of the program only accepts IUP students.
Students in the IUP/WPH School of Respiratory Care complete their pre-clinical coursework on IUP's Indiana, Pa., campus and then proceed to the WPH campus in Pittsburgh to complete their junior and senior clinical years.
A limited number of students are accepted into the IUP/WPH School of Respiratory Care. To enter the clinical phase at WPH, students must earn a cumulative grade point average at IUP of 2.25 or higher in math and science. An overall grade point average of 2.0 is also required.
IUP/West Penn Hospital School of Respiratory Care
Mailing address:
School of Respiratory Care, West Penn Hospital
4800 Friendship Avenue, SON 2nd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Students receive individualized academic counseling by the coordinator of Allied Health Professions at IUP.
Respiratory Therapy faculty members at West Penn Hospital all have graduate degrees, multiple credentials and have a combined teaching experience of more than 100 years.
All advisors and faculty are permanent, full-time employees of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and West Penn Hospital.
Full-time faculty and staff at the West Penn Hospital campus are as follows:
