Health ProfessionsTest + Skills

Respiratory Therapy

A 50-question test built from Egan's Fundamentals of Respiratory Care, then skills such as bag-valve-mask ventilation, oxygen by cannula, pulse oximetry, newborn assessment and nebulizer treatments for the top scorers.

The AI judge does not score skill stations. Use the practice test for Round One.

About this event

Respiratory Therapy is a solo two-round event for the Secondary and Postsecondary/Collegiate divisions, sponsored by the American Association for Respiratory Care. Round One is a 50-question multiple-choice test in 60 minutes written mainly from Egan's Fundamentals of Respiratory Care, with DHO: Health Science, the AARC site and a new Early Connection pathways webinar as supporting references. Foundations of respiratory care, assessment of respiratory disorders, cardiopulmonary diseases and basic therapeutics each carry 20 percent; applied anatomy and physiology and patient education and long-term care carry 10 percent each. Top scorers advance to Round Two, a secret scenario drawn from seven skills: basic airway management with a bag-valve mask (4 minutes), donning and removing isolation garments (4), administering oxygen by nasal cannula without humidification (6), pulse oximetry (4), assessment of a newborn including bulb suction and APGAR timing (5), measuring and recording vital signs with a palpatory blood pressure (8), and a hand-held nebulizer treatment with pre- and post-assessment (8). Bring a manual watch with a second hand, two pairs of non-latex gloves, gown, eye protection, mask and face shield. A 70 percent skill score is required to place; test and skill scores are added and ties go to the higher test score.

Test day

What to expect

Round One test, then skill stations

Round One is a 50-question test in 60 minutes; the top scorers advance to Round Two, the skill stations. Official format: 50-question test, 60 minutes, then Round Two skill scenarios of 4 to 8 minutes each for top scorers.

Written from the test plan

Questions follow the event's published test plan, section by section, and are written from the listed reference texts. Practice questions here are drawn in the same proportions.

How you advance

How many advance from regionals to states and on to the International Leadership Conference (ILC) depends on your association's rules. Study the official test plan: it lists each section and its share of the test.

What judges score

Skill I: Basic Airway Management (4 minutes)Skill II: Donning and Removing Transmission-Based Isolation Garments (4 minutes)Skill III: Administering Oxygen via Nasal Cannula Without Humidification (6 minutes)Skill IV: Pulse Oximetry (4 minutes)Skill V: Assessment of Newborn (5 minutes)Skill VI: Measure and Record Vital Signs (8 minutes)Skill VII: Hand-held Nebulizer (8 minutes)

What's on the test

Foundations of Respiratory Care · 20%Applied Anatomy and Physiology · 10%Assessment of Respiratory Disorder · 20%Cardiopulmonary Diseases · 20%Basic Therapeutics · 20%Patient Education and Long-Term Care · 10%

Study resources

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