respiratory care
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AARCIII.pptxTransitioning the respiratory therapy workforce for 2015 and beyond
AARC Initiative 2015
What changes will be necessary to fulfill identified roles and responsibilities
In order to equip the RT of the future, we’ll need to make changes in:
Education
Accreditation
Credentialing process
To determine how to best make those changes and what they might entail, surveys were sent to RT program directors, RT department directors, deans, and RT educators
These questions included:
Competencies
Education level
Credentials needed
What changes will be necessary to fulfill identified roles and responsibilities
Options and opinions were evaluated by a panel of 35 stakeholders during the 3rd and final conference
After thorough discussion the following recommendations were approved by majority vote
(remember, these are recommendations, not regulations)
What changes will be necessary to fulfill identified roles and responsibilities
Education
By 2020, ALL RT programs should be authorized to grant baccalaureate or graduate degrees
Programs currently residing in institutions that are not able to grant higher than associates either should be phased out or build a partnership with a university to award bachelor or higher
Most states have laws allowing community colleges to grant higher degrees, however, there is a great deal of red tape to get through to achieve this
Education Recommendation Rationale
Education requirements of the RT graduate have not changed in 40 years, but the role of the RT has greatly expanded
Techniques, medications, and devices have become increasingly complex
The RT of today is expected to:
Assess and quantify the patient’s cardiopulmonary status
Provide appropriate respiratory care by applying protocols
Evaluate the medical and cost effectiveness of the care delivered
Contribute to the discussion of goals and discussion of therapy on rounds
Provide evidence supporting various approaches to respiratory care used in the ICU
Discuss and recommend care for patients presenting with diseases that affect the respiratory system
The RT must achieve higher levels of education and training to respond to these increasing future demands
The profession’s current failure to demand an adequate entry-level education negatively affects the perception of our profession– namely suggesting associate level education means a more technical and less professional career
Education Recommendation obstacles
As of 2011 there were:
356 (87%) community college RT programs awarding associate degrees
55 (13%) programs awarding baccalaureate degrees (most at 4 year universities)
Transitioning these associate programs is a very large obstacle– AARC has some recommendations and resources in place to assist these programs, but the reality is many of these programs are going to face the following:
Inability to cooperate with a nearby university to establish a degree completion program
Inability to award bachelor degree from current institution based on state and college regulations
Military programs are unlikely to be able to make the transition based on military structure and degree requirements for it’s officers vs. enlisted corps
Costs may be incredibly high, and process may take several years or longer
In addition to these issues, the necessity of transition to bachelor’s degree is widely disputed
There is a clear difference between ‘recommendation’ and ‘requirement’– while the pro-bachelors group is pushing for this to become a requirement, it is still simply a recommendation (meaning there is no established punishment for ignoring the recommendation)
The pro-associate group is arguing there has been no proof that increased education leads to increased competency (exam pass rates are very similar)
Credentials
2 recommendations:
NBRC should retire the CRT exam after 2014 (accomplished)
Separate CRT and RRT exams should be combined after 2014 (accomplished)
Credential recommendation rationale
It is widely acknowledged that there is no difference in job duties between those holding a CRT vs RRT credential
With this current practice model there is little incentive to achieve RRT level
According to surveys, it is widely agreed among education program directors and department directors that RRT is the preferred credential for new hires
Having 2 credentials without a major differentiation in duty confuses the public, patients, and even other healthcare colleagues who are not aware of the difference
The CRT credential was actually developed for 12 month training programs that no longer exist
The majority of conference participants believe that the respiratory therapy profession needs 1 level of credential (RRT), one education goal, and one expectation for competency of graduates entering the workforce
Licensure
Establish a commission to assist state regulatory boards in requiring RRT designation in order to achieve licensure
All states should begin to require RRT in order to be granted licensure
Ohio has already established this requirement
Transition of the RT Workforce
3 recommendations outlined
The AARC sections should develop standards to assess competency of RTs in the workforce relative to their assignments
Sections include critical care, neonatal and pediatric care, education, etc
These standards should address the variety of work sites that employ Rts
Standards should address RT knowledge, skills, and attributes relative to the tasks being evaluated
Continuing Education
The AARC encourages clinical department educators and state affliates’ continuing-education venues to use CLINICAL SIMULATION as a major tactic for increasing competency
Consortia and Cooperative Models
AARC and CoARC are encouraging associate degree programs to align themselves with baccalaureate degree granting institutions for the award of baccalaureate degree
i.e. Community College provides respiratory program, but students also complete additional courses through local University to ultimately achieve bachelor’s degree
Some community colleges have the ability to grant baccalaureate degrees, however, there is a great deal of work involved for the program to be allowed to change their status from associate to bachelor program
The AARC has budgetary resources available to help associate programs in their transition
Promotion of a Career Ladder
AARC Board of Directors encourages members of the existing workforce to obtain advanced competencies and education
