Illness, injury, premature birth, and chronic respiratory conditions can impact individuals' ability to breathe, making respiratory therapists an invaluable part of the healthcare team. In this critical role, you'll be evaluating, diagnosing, and treating various breathing disorders.

Collaborating closely with physicians, you'll contribute to the development of treatment plans aimed at improving respiratory function, and your responsibilities will extend to monitoring the effectiveness of these treatments. Your treatment strategies may involve administering inhaled medications, utilizing therapeutic or life support equipment, or implementing a combination of therapies to address respiratory issues. Additionally, you'll play a vital role in patient and family education, providing crucial information on managing respiratory conditions.

Western's program offers a variety of instructional formats, including traditional, online, and blended courses, ensuring flexibility in your education. Graduates are required to pass an examination administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care, leading to the designation of Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT). With the CRT credential, you become eligible to apply for a license to practice respiratory care throughout the United States. You can also pursue the Clinical Simulation Examination to achieve the designation of Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), further enhancing your qualifications and career prospects in the field of respiratory therapy.

This program is designed to provide you with the skills needed to enter the growing field of mechatronic and robotic systems. Highly paid technicians in this field are responsible for setup, troubleshooting, repairs, and modifications of programs in a wide array of computer-controlled industrial and manufacturing operation.

Competent mechatronic and robotic system technicians possess the skills to tackle the complexity of equipment used in a variety of advanced manufacturing applications. These skills include experience with sensors, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC-Industrial Computers), Human Machine Interfaces (HMI-Touch Screens), motors, motor drives, and robotics.

Additional coverage of Industry 4.0 topics such as Smart Sensors, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), and machine vision systems will prepare you for both an intellectually and financially rewarding career in this field.

You may also choose to continue your education with engineering bachelor degree transfer options. See the program transfer agreements information for more details.

A promising and challenging career awaits you in a career field that continues to expand. Becoming a paralegal will immerse you in all facets of the law while working under the direction of a licensed attorney. To excel in this role, a paralegal must possess strong communication skills, enjoy collaborating with diverse individuals, demonstrate attention to detail, excel in problem-solving, and uphold ethical standards. Western's program is proudly approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). According to the ABA, a Legal Assistant/Paralegal is defined as "a person, qualified by education, training, or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible." Our program covers all aspects of legal domains, including criminal, family, real estate, civil, business, and estate/probate law. Graduates find careers in various sectors, including private practice, corporate legal departments, and government entities. This program offers articulation agreements that facilitate transfer toward a bachelor's degree and, for some students, serve as a route to law school. This program is offered in a blended format that combines face-to-face and online instruction.

As a child care provider working in the field, this certificate will expand your skills, provide new insights, and meet state licensing and quality criteria through credit-based courses for professional development. It's not necessary to be enrolled in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program to participate, but credits will transfer to the ECE associate's degree program if you choose to continue your education.