Tri-C Respiratory Care Program Receives National Award
Program wins CoARC award for fourth time in five years
CLEVELAND — For the fourth time in the last five years, the Respiratory Care program at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) has won the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) Credentialing Success Award.
This national award — the highest offered by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) — is considered one of the primary indicators of a successful respiratory therapy program. It is given annually to respiratory therapy programs where more than 90% of graduates pass their board exams.
To be eligible for the award, programs must:
- Have three or more years of outcomes data
- Hold accreditation without a progress report at the end of the year
- Document Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credentialing success of 90% or above
- Meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for the Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) high cut score and retention
"Receiving the Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award is a testament to our program's effectiveness in supporting student achievement and professional readiness," said John Gallagher, the Respiratory Care program director. "It's a mark of distinction that prospective students, employers and accrediting bodies recognize as a standard of excellence. We're very proud of this achievement."
The CoARC Awards Ceremony will take place July 11 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The College's Respiratory Care program, part of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, has a long history and professional affiliation with health care stakeholders in the community. Tri-C admitted its first respiratory care class in 1971. To date, 950 students have graduated from the program, and Tri-C maintains an employment rate of over 90% of those graduates in the Cleveland area.
Learn more on the Respiratory Care program website.
June 27, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Anthony Moujaes, 216-987-3068 or anthony.moujaes@tri-c.edu