YUCAIPA, CA— Crafton Hills College Respiratory Care Program has once again received the Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), representing several consecutive years of national recognition for student outcomes.
Crafton Hills is one of only about 16 percent of accredited programs nationwide to receive this award for 2025. To receive the award, programs needed to have achieved a three-year average RRT credentialing success rate of 90 percent or above. Crafton Hills scored a 93 percent.
“This award means a lot because it reflects the dedication our students and faculty bring every single day,” said Crafton Respiratory Care Program Director and Faculty Co-Chair Michael Sheahan. “I’m proud of the way our team supports students through one of the most challenging and rewarding programs in allied health.”
The RRT credential is a fundamental requirement for advanced practice in the field and this award recognizes programs that prepare and also help students go above and beyond what is required for the profession.
Crafton Hills College graduates around 20-30 respiratory care students each year. Many students accept job offers with local hospitals and healthcare centers across the region.
“What makes our program unique is the commitment to the program by the faculty, the level support from the college and district, and the relationship with the clinical community partners in the local area,” Sheahan explained. “The work we do is student success-focused, even when we demand a lot from students when they are learning.”
The faculty at Crafton are actively engaged in professional development and regularly improve and revise the curriculum as an ongoing process as standards change to reflect progress in the field. “I think we’re used to changing and evolving,” Sheahan said. “It’s what moves the program forward.”
In January of 2024, the college launched a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care, and the first cohort graduated from the program in May 2025.
Learn more about the Respiratory Care Program at Crafton Hills College at www.craftonhills.edu.
