Respiratory Care (AS Degree)
Butte College · Oroville, CA
- Cost
- $7,411
- Length
- 68 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 26%
Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 150
- Finished the program
- 78%Based on 87 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 26%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $17,767A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Where California publishes a separate figure for Chico MSA (Butte County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Respiratory Therapists
Job ads may call this: Staff Therapist · Respiratory Therapist (RT) · Staff Respiratory Therapist · Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own.
- Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
- Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
- Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
- Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
- Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
- Typical pay in California
- $107,754per year
- Projected openings
- 14,350
- Projected change
- +22.2%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
California publishes no separate figure for this job in Chico MSA. The statewide figures above are the only ones there are.
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
The Department publishes no list of daily tasks for this job. This is how it describes the work instead.
All health technologists and technicians not listed separately.
What this pays in Chico MSA (Butte County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $49,261 | $58,205 | $76,997 |
| Across California | $48,799 | $62,080 | $123,349 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Chico MSA (Butte County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $62,080per yearChico MSA: $53,619
- Projected openings
- 22,750Chico MSA: 130
- Projected change
- +14.3%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
The Respiratory Care program is designed to prepare students to become Licensed Respiratory Care Practitioners in the state of California. In addition, the program prepares the successful graduate to participate in the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) examinations administered by the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC).Respiratory care practitioners are highly skilled allied health professionals involved in the therapy, management, rehabilitation, diagnostic evaluation and care of patients with deficiencies and abnormalities that affect the cardiopulmonary system. They are employed in a variety of health care settings, including hospitals, physician's offices, home health agencies, specialized care hospitals, medical equipment supply companies, diagnostic laboratories, and patients' homes. They may further specialize in such areas as adult critical care, neonatal or pediatric intensive care, pulmonary function testing, transport medicine, hyperbaric medicine, home care, management or education.Graduates practicing in California are required to take a state licensure examination. *Note: A person convicted of any offense other than a minor traffic violation may not qualify to be licensed as a Respiratory Care Practitioner in California. Questions regarding this should be directed to the Respiratory Care Program Director.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-09-18). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
Ask before you enroll, not after
The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
Alliance for Workforce Development Inc.-OrovilleComprehensive center
Phone: 530-538-7301
78 Table Mountain BlvdButte Co. Dept. of Employment and Social ServicesOroville, CA 95965about 6.3 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
Nations Finest OfficeAffiliate site
Phone: 530-809-2831
535 Wall StreetChico, CA 95928about 18.1 miles away
Hours: Monday -Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc.Comprehensive center
Phone: 530-961-5125
500 Cohasset Road, Suite # 30Chico, CA 95926about 19.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - -Friday 8:000am - 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →