The Associate of Applied Science Degree in the Respiratory Therapy program is a sequence of courses designed to prepare graduates to assist physicians in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with cardiopulmonary dysfunction. Conditions requiring respiratory care include asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive lung disease, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, infant respiratory distress syndrome, and conditions brought on by trauma and postoperative surgical complications. Respiratory Therapists treat a diverse group of patients ranging from newborns and children to adults and the elderly.