Editor's Notes      Claire Aloan

Special Notice

From the Dais      Jonathan Lee

Partnering With Our Patients      Ruth Krueger

Secretary's Report      LaDawn Neary

Treasurer's Report      Barbara Fedak

Past Speaker's Update      Ken Thigpen

Recruitment -- Making It Personal      Michelle Porter

Okay, You're a Professional -- Who Said So?      John Rutkowski

The Respiratory Care Association of the Republic of China      Lucy Kester

Publication Schedule

Membership Figures

As I try to compose some words appropriate to this newsletter, I am continually bothered by two nagging thoughts: membership continues to decline and, perhaps a related development, involvement at all levels in many society activities continues to decline as well. Membership continues to be addressed at the national level, hopefully "trickling down" to the state and local level as well. The second problem, however, is something that could use more discussion, in my humble opinion. State officer elections are rapidly approaching in New York and the slate is still quite slim. I know we are not the only state with this problem. The days of multiple qualified candidates for each office are long gone. Recruiting candidates for offices that involve lots of work (like President-elect, secretary, treasurer) is ever more difficult. This is mirrored at the local (chapter) level and certainly on the national (AARC) level as well. It's good to see some faces "recycling", because we enjoy seeing our old friends again. But where are the new faces? What do we need to do differently? Many of our best volunteers are rapidly approaching the "burn out" stage. Some of our colleagues who have been beside us for years have just said "enough". There are few new faces willing to replace them. Educators and managers alike are using their time to recruit potential students and employees. Managers are managing more and more departments, and are asked to add new tasks and services to those departments. How much time is left for professional activities? Staff are stretched thinner and thinner. How do you get stressed employees to volunteer for professional activities? How can managers free up staff time for such activities and still accomplish our primary patient care responsibilities? How do we accommodate the many other activities that take up volunteer time for respiratory care professionals: the ALA, the AHA, the AACVPR, and many others.

I certainly don't know the answers to these questions, but I do think that we need to discuss them and share creative ways that we have used to solve the volunteer problem. Do we try to find tasks that will interest therapists who have not previously been involved? Do we partner with other organizations to implement educational activities? As an example, New York began to work the our local ALA chapter last year to jointly sponsor an annual Pulmonary Teaching Conference. Our first conference, held last October, was very successful, and was also a great learning experience for both organizations. We are well on our way to the second conference. The number of volunteers involved has increased almost exponentially, including physicians, nurses, ALA staff, and pharmaceutical reps. Aside from being able to spread the work over many more people and thus decrease the workload for each volunteer and for each organization, the opportunities to network with other health care team members has been wonderful. What other ideas are out there? What tasks are the most time-consuming and the most difficult to get done? How can we help each other make them easier? How can we share this information with one another? Please let your editors know. The Record could be a wonderful forum for sharing these ideas, and we'd be VERY happy to hear from you! [Top]

This notice is a "heads up" to let you know that the HOD resolutions to be considered during the meeting in Naples, Florida in July will soon be on line.

A note will be posted on the HOD list serve when they are available and where to find them. At that time, be sure to run off a copy to place in your Agenda Book when you receive it, as the resolutions will not be mailed, unless, of course, you can't access it for some reason. If this happens, please let Pat Lee know and she'll mail you a copy. [Top]

It was a very successful Spring BOD/HOD Officer meeting in Dallas recently. We hope to bring all up to speed through the articles in this issue of the record as communicated by my fellow HOD officers and others.

First of all, I cannot overstate the strong and palpable kinship between the Board and the House, and concerns for the general membership. Much discussion occurred as to how to best approach the financial issue of dues that we face: minimizing the expected member loss and the realization that we must take prompt action for our future, balanced with knowing many members will continue to support the work and mission of our AARC and the profession even if dues were much higher. This was not a decision that anyone took lightly. Ideas in this direction continue to come forward and I thank you for your conscientious efforts to help control our costs.

Members are ultimately the measure of our success. We have been undervaluing membership for a long time. Indeed we have come along way, and it has brought us to this point now. We can do it no longer for this price. It's just the cost of things. Perhaps something as good as what we have to offer must indeed cost more for others to perceive it's true value. We will continue to be a tremendous value for the money. Recruit a new member today. Tell your friends!

As you know, we are also looking at exciting new member sources to share our knowledge and expertise with. These could hold great potential for our association and those we serve.

As for student recruitment, we explored a very interesting topic, "geo-demographics" and other partnerships as a tool for educators and career counselors to use to strategically target potential candidates and maximize efforts in recruiting new students with health science career interests to our programs. There is a lot of effort being put into student recruitment across this land.

We have received a warm response letter from Steven Bryant, Executive Director of the NBRC, regarding our concerns with the Continuing Competency Program. He assures us that it is the NBRC's intent to make this program "as simple as possible as well as economical for all individuals". For those individuals choosing to retest, fees will be substantially discounted. For those choosing to submit CEUs, fees for reviewing these will be whatever administrative costs are and will include sending out reminder mailings as noted in the policy proposal. Additionally, Steven states that "the NBRC has no plans to formally communicate an individual's failure to renew credentials with State licensure agencies unless the State agency requests to verify the person's credential. There will not likely be any official communication about a failure to renew a credential except between the NBRC and the individual who fails to renew." Clearly, the NBRC welcomes our input, has taken our concerns to heart and like us, endeavors to work for respiratory care so that we keep pace with other health care professions where continuing competency programs have been in place for some time.

We also acknowledged Sam Giordano and Sherry Milligan, for they both have contributed 20 years of great service and leadership to our professional association at the executive office. Everyone took a moment to share their memories of past experiences with each. Truly these souls are a few of the pebbles that we have been blessed to have landed in our professional pond and the ripples have come to touch many, many lives; indeed, that we can only imagine. The AARC is what it is today because of people like Sam and Sherry. Please take a moment to thank them for their commitment and devotion when you see them in Naples.

As usual, it seems we have a lot of work ahead of us, and a lot to look forward to as well. It will be more important than ever, now, to pull together, undivided as an association that works for our profession and to move us as a united body to achieve our goals: goals of recognition and advancement of our profession nationally with the policy makers in our capital, to benefit our customers, our patients and their families. If there were no AARC, would the decision makers in Washington know our goals? Would they read our minds? Our goals being your goals, members have a voice in you, their delegates and our direction for the future. There will be no one else to blame if we do not achieve our goals. I am sure we can do whatever it takes to get the word out, and accomplish our goals. I believe in the tremendous talent and commitment that resides in the house and the AARC. I've seen what we can do, so have you! United, we stand tall. [Top]

At the BOD meeting in Dallas, a respiratory patient, Barbara Rodgers, ask for time on the agenda to discuss an opportunity to partner the patient population as members with the AARC. She has kyphoscoliosis and is vent dependent at night. She had a rod put in her back at age 13 and hasn't grown since -- very small but mighty powerful in her presentation. She eloquently stated many reasons why patients with respiratory illnesses would benefit from joining our professional organization.

She speaks internationally about the patient's perspective and most recently spoke in Leone, France with Carl Weizalis. She has been a member of the AARC for several years. She stated to the group "Respiratory patients feel more comfortable with RTs than with any other medical people -- physicians included ". Her point is, patients and RTs would benefit from coming together in a professional organization like the AARC. Patients have a large need to know what new technology is available for their disease process -- and that is something we offer so well at our national meetings. The vending hall is a great opportunity for patients to see first hand what's out there and to talk to the experts. She also stated that the patients have a lot to offer RTs in the way of compliance issues, what works, what doesn't, educational needs etc.

Her request is that the AARC open a special membership to patients. She also suggested that state affiliates offer attendance for patients to their State meeting, perhaps provide a lower registration fee that would allow them to attend certain lectures that may pertain to their disease and give them access to the vending hall.

Barbara has also put together an educational series for patients that she will market to State Affiliates and/or anyone interested in providing this type of educational workshop at their State meeting etc. She has a strong background in marketing and this was evident in her well prepared, spoken from the heart presentation. The EO is looking at her proposal now so watch for more information about this exciting new potential group of partners for our Association. [Top]

Well, I survived my first BOD meeting and I have to admit I was very impressed! Having been in the HOD for 8 years I thought I knew how the governance of the AARC/BOD worked. I realize now that I never knew the extent of all of the activities and groups in which we are involved. There are 9 Specialty Sections, 8 Standing Committees, 22 Special Committees and 26 Organizational Representatives. We had reports from almost everyone as well as a few guest presentations. Going from 0800 to 1800 for two days still didn't allow all of the reports to be reviewed. I can't imagine how much more time we would have needed if the BOD hadn't accomplished so much business over the internet. I admit I have a greater appreciation for each of the members of the AARC BOD as well as the Executive Office for all of the work they do.

Now -- to HOD matters, specifically resolutions. As of noon on April 30, there were 7 resolutions submitted for the House to consider in July. The committee is still reviewing and gathering information and we will have them to you to bring to your Boards as soon as we can. I'm gearing up for some interesting dialogue in Naples.

Just an FYI -- two of the seven resolutions were submitted through the electronic method which allows direct delivery to the Resolutions Committee members. I'm assuming this address or process is still not readily understood and thus the low number of submissions in this format. So for future reference I'll walk you through the steps:

1. Access resolutions info/template through Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. Now you can
   1. review the resolutions guidelines
   2. go to the template/form and print it out
   3. submit a form electronically
3. If you choose "b", once form is complete you can mail or fax to Pat Lee or the HOD secretary. You can also use this form to draft your language prior to actually submitting the form electronically
4. If you choose "c", a fill in version of the form will come up for you to complete. All of the information needs to be included prior to submission
5. When the electronic form is complete, "submit" form at bottom of screen

Now the form has been forwarded to the Resolutions Committee and you will be contacted if there are any questions. Should you have any problems, please contact your HOD Secretary or the AARC offices. However you choose to submit your resolution, by mail, fax or electronically, you can be sure that its processing will be complete.

Finally, a big congratulations to New York and their success with membership recruitment this past year. They had a 34% increase, that was 696 new members! I'm sure they could teach us all some tricks, but a big plus was using the membership drive campaign and its waiver of the $12.50 processing fee at all of their meetings.

Whenever your affiliate holds a membership recruitment drive (state, district, regional, etc.), you are free to waive the $12.50 processing fee. There is no need to call ahead for special applications or to request this waiver. You may do it at any time. Please note that the form needed to request this waiver is posted online. All you need to do is to submit this form with all of the applications and checks you have collected. These drives and processing fee waivers can be done at all of your meetings -- you are not limited to a certain number per year. So let's all take advantage of this great tool and get out there and start increasing those membership numbers. [Top]

The AARC Board of Directors met March 22-25 with the House of Delegate Officers in attendance. Additionally Ruth Krueger and I attended a meeting with Grant Thornton Accountants and Management Consultants as members of the Audit Committee on March 22.

The audit reviewed the consolidated statements of the financial position of the AARC as of Dec. 31, 2000 and 1999, and the related activities and changes in net assets and cash flow. Grant Thornton reported that during 2000 the AARC implemented a new information system which tracks membership information, accounts receivable and membership and subscription unearned revenue. Implementation was somewhat difficult and some information output not accurate. Management has spent significant time correcting the system errors and most errors have been corrected at this time. They are confident that the remaining issues will be resolved shortly. The independent audit concluded that the AARC is operating in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.

Ruth and I also attended the Finance Committee Meeting held the same day. Controller Bob McCarthy reviewed the year-end financial statements with the committee. He also introduced Bob Lyons, who was recently hired as Accounting Manager of the Executive Office.

Non-budgeted expanses approved by the Finance Committee included: $375 registration fee for David Shelledy to attend the Carnegie Conference, $4,976 to send Helen Sorenson and Bill Dubbs as co-liaisons to the American Institute for Life Threatening Illness and Loss, and $25,000 to convert current continuing education products to Internet format.

Unfinished business included the expenditures of up to $1585 to fund Robert Fluck's attendance at the National Disaster Medical Systems Conference and up to $1584 to fund attendance at the APTA Clinical Education Consensus Conference. These to expenditures had been previously passed by the Board via the Listserv.

AARC 2000 Financials

At the July meeting of the House of Delegates the AARC treasurer will present a full report of the 2000 financial statement. In the meantime I would like to point out that the AARC is relying heavily on non-dues revenue for operations. Currently 76% of income is derived from this revenue. A report obtained from the "American Society of Executives" indicates that associations similar to the AARC average 46% from non-dues revenue. Another benchmark obtained from this report is that the average that similar associations remit to state organizations is 12% whereas we remit 16%.

At this time member revenue continues to decline. Active and associate dues were $78,000 less in 2000 than in 1999 and active and associate membership declined by 1300 members. A membership contest amongst the state societies was conducted from April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001 and while there were gains in a few states, active and associate membership declined by 3.35% as a whole. Obviously recruitment of members must continue to be a focus for everyone as a strong membership drives all other financial aspects of the organization. [Top]

Well folks, 2001 has been quite the year so far! Things are shaping up on several fronts. There appears to be some much-needed relief in the reimbursement realm on the way and the NBRC recredentialling program is unfolding in as favorable fashion as we could ever hope it could. I want to salute each of you as well as the leadership exhibited by Jonathan and the Board in educating your peers, keeping your ears to the ground and bringing forth the questions that needed to be answered. You have done the yeoman's job in alleviating the misinformation and furnishing a lot of good answers over the past year and a half or so. I am as convinced right now as I've ever been that our best days are still ahead!

Your House Officers were all in attendance at the Spring Meeting of the AARC Board of Directors in Dallas a few weeks ago and although there are certainly still challenges to be dealt with, there are a lot of good things going on right now! As far as any updates on our resolutions from our last meeting in Cincinnati, there is little new to report since my update in the February issue of The Record. The Ad Hoc Committee on HOD Resolutions is still working diligently and was reported to be on track for their summer report. While in Dallas, we had the distinct pleasure of becoming better acquainted with Dr. Russell Acevedo, the BOMA Chair for 2001 -- he is the genuine article folks! He brought many new and fresh ideas and perspectives to the table, was a joy to be around and great to watch NCAA basketball with! As has been true so many times in the past, we are once again blessed to have truly capable leadership, friendship and fellowship with our representative from this group. I would encourage each of you to introduce yourself to him at our Summer Meeting -- he's a great guy to get to know! Another exciting and expanding benefit for our members will be access to our enhanced online education and training programs which should be available over the next several months. The AARC has contracted with Net Certification, the leader in this industry. Without stealing a lot of thunder from the Executive Office, I've got to tell you this looks like it's going to be a great service! The capability, the flexibility, and the sheer ability this relationship will bring will be a boon for our membership. Another great experience of the meeting for me was the Sunday morning session with Barbara Rogers, a patient advocate who brings a lot of interesting ideas to the table. Your Speaker-Elect, Ruth Krueger will be expounding on Barbara's presentation in her report. In a nutshell, though -- this lady was dynamite!

As you have probably detected by now, the AARC is experiencing some of its more challenging fiscal times. Do not read more into this than it says. We are certainly still on a solid financial footing but if we are going to continue to meet the increasing demands of our members and maintain the level of benefits we currently enjoy, we've got to bring more to the coffers! After hearing the report from our auditor at this meeting, it became clearly visible that some financial adjustments were in order, hence the upcoming dues increase. You may rest assured that your House Officers have been and will continue to be intimately involved in any processes which might affect our affiliates. Like you, we have all worked too hard at the state level over the years to watch their existence be threatened by a knee jerk reaction. It is not "us" and "them" but rather "WE" -- don't forget that! . . . We all just need to take a deep breath in, avoid jumping to any rash conclusions and, as I've said so many times before, "trust the process." Our Board has never been more tuned in to listening to the messages which are being sent throughout our organization than they are at this point. All of us singing in unison from the same page has never been more critical than right now. There's no need for anyone to throw up any red flags!

The AARC continues to seek ways to be better stewards of our resources. The conversion of this newsletter to an electronic format, downsizing our HOD meeting to two days, the Elections Committee decision to trial an electronic process versus the traditional two days of conference calls in Dallas are examples of the various ways the AARC is trying to optimize the use of our available dollars. There has been a sense of trying to move us "out of the box" to identify strategies to better insure our financial future. It would be my sense that such opportunities will continue to be both sought and implemented in order that we might accomplish the mission and vision that lie before the AARC. I would encourage us all to keep the leaders and members of the Association in our thoughts and prayers so that the changes we implement and the decisions we make would be the right ones.

From the leadership perspective, the Special Committee on Leadership Development, co-chaired by Garry Kauffman and me, is moving right along. We are working to establish a research clearinghouse of articles on the subject. We are looking forward to a working lunch during our meeting in Naples, are working to establish practical algorthms for developing new leaders and trying to identify and share reproducible models which have already proven effective in meeting these challenges. Finally, one of our other primary objectives comes with putting the finishing touches on a leadership workshop to be conducted during the International Congress. Please mark your calendars to try and attend now!

There are a lot of good things going on, people. I am confident that things are going to shake out just fine. We have the leadership in place that we need from the House perspective with Jonathan at the helm, Ruth in the wings, a Board who is tuned in to our needs, plus we're surrounded by all you guys! I'll tell you this, if we keep our nose to the grindstone, seek the right guidance and keep a cool head about us, we cannot help but succeed!

Looking forward to seeing you soon in the sun!

Peace. [Top]

Recruitment is the first step in increasing our membership numbers in the AARC. Recently the hospital I work for sponsored a Career Day for students at local high schools. More than one hundred students visited the hospital that day, listening to 15 minute mini-lectures on various Allied Health Professions. Our booth was impressive with pictures of RTs providing different services. It surprised me and saddened me to learn how many students had never heard of respiratory therapy.

We decided to take a hands-on approach with respiratory care. One therapist told the students how respiratory therapy had evolved over the last 60 years, from oxygen tank technicians into a licensed, degreed profession. Then we had them 'play' with a selection of respiratory equipment including stethoscopes, pulse oximeters, and peak flow meters. Our response was good and there were several students who took the informative packets we had from the university for the respiratory therapy program.

After this informative and eye-opening day, I have decided to start my own type of recruitment. The hospital will be offering the career days three or four times per year and I will be on the planning committee. I will also participate and be one of the representatives from Respiratory at each Career Day. I remember when I was a high school student and knew I wanted to be involved in health care, but was not sure which avenue to take. It was in a Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) class that I first heard of and became interested in respiratory therapy. As I look back, I know it was the dynamic therapist I spent time with in a clinical setting that helped me choose this field. If I could influence one student at career day and get them as excited about this profession as I am, then my efforts will not be wasted.

As leaders of this profession, we need to create ways to recruit, mentor and promote our profession. Find a way that you can be involved in local recruitment and retention of quality people into respiratory therapy and into the AARC. We are the leaders now, but the students we have today are the future leaders and representatives of respiratory therapy. [Top]

Over the years the AARC has embarked on a number of initiatives to have the field of respiratory therapy recognized as a profession and respiratory care practitioners recognized as professionals. There is certainty to the claim that respiratory therapy satisfies the criteria defining a profession. There is also little doubt that respiratory care practitioners can be professionals. Then why does the AARC, as a professional association, find it necessary to keep searching for models and methods of defining, setting criteria and implementing programs to teach practitioners what it takes to be a professional.

There has been a significant contribution to the professional literature regarding every conceivable competency, characteristic, and behavior consistent with professionalism. However, we periodically find it necessary to remind practitioners that they should be professional. Are we doing something wrong? I don't think so. Are we doing the right thing(s)? Maybe not.

Judging from some recent publications, respiratory therapy is not the only profession struggling with the concept of professionalism. David Maister in his book "True Professionalism: The Courage to Care About Your People, Your Clients and Your Career" believes that part of the problem lies in what people believe professionalism to be. Traditional definitions of professionalism are filled with references to status, educational attainments, "noble" callings. All of these definitions are self-interested. (Maister, 1997)

In February 2000 an article in AARC Times, which contained a great deal of valuable information, fell a little short when it summed up with the following statement: "Whether certified or registered, an RT, is by definition, a professional-someone engaged in respiratory care for a living...."(Williams 2000) Competency and paychecks are not the defining parameters of professionalism.

In another article the authors describe a program designed to create a learner-centered environment that supports the acquisition of professional values. While traditional approaches to training do not preclude the development of professional values, the lack of explicit attention to this aspect of training often results these values being neglected or subtly devalued. (Markakis, 2000) The authors describe their experience with a successful ten year program enabling trainees to not only develop competency in diagnostic and technical skills, but also humane and professional attributes.

Both Maister and Markakis infer that the socialization process in training is reflected in subsequent practice behaviors. They also infer, in different ways, that to get people to be professional you must treat them as professionals and accept nothing less in return. Developing professional behavior must begin in the training programs.

If professional behaviors were infused into training programs would we be able to sustain these behaviors in the practice setting? That would depend on the work environment. Starting with recruitment of new employees. Maister tells us that real professionalism is about attitudes and character. Yet most hiring is based on education and technical skills. Once hired, aspiring professionals must have a long-range focus. Eventually professionalism will be rewarded. If employees wait to be compensated before they do it, they may wait forever.

Managers must also share responsibility for developing professional staff. If professional behavior is an expectation of everyone, it is easier for everyone to participate. If the management does not exemplify professionalism, subordinates may conclude that it is not a requirement.

Professionalism is a state of being that we must strive to achieve with persistence and in so doing, constantly raise the bar. It is not something that is bestowed on us at graduation, or when we are successful in attaining credentials, or advanced degrees. Professionalism is more like a lifestyle. It is, and must be, a 24/7 pursuit. Professionalism is about the little things you do day in and day out.

Three points raised by Maister, which I believe, are fundamental in any discussions about professionalism are:

• Professionalism is predominantly an attitude, not a set of competencies.
• To get people to be professionals, you must treat them as professionals -- and be tolerant of nothing else.
• Professional is not a label you give yourself -- it's a description you hope others apply to you.

Someone, you may never know who, you may never know it happened, may observe your performance, and your actions may cause the word professional to be added to their perception of you.

So, are you a professional? Who said so?

References:
Maister DH. True professionalism: the courage to care about your people, your clients, and your career. New York: The Free Press, 1997
Markakis K. Beckman H, Suchman A, Frankel R. The path to professionalism: cultivating humanistic values and attitudes in residency training. Acad. Med. 2000;75:141-150
Williams, K. Brand "You" -- Brand "RT": A different tack on professionalism. AARC Times 25(3), 76-80. [Top]

In February of this year (2001), Dr. James K. Stoller and I had the great fortune to be invited by Dr. Sow-Hsong Kuo, Chief, Section of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, to speak at the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), a 1500 bed hospital, in Taipei, Taiwan. During our five-day stay in Taipei I was able to learn much about the practice of Respiratory Therapy in Taiwan and about the Taiwan Respiratory Care Association. In addition to meeting with the Pulmonary and Respiratory Therapy staff of NTUH, we met with the President of the Respiratory Care Association of the Republic of China, Mei-Lien Tu, Technical Director, Respiratory Therapy, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. I received a booklet of information about the evolution of their Respiratory Care Association that shows a number of similarities to the evolution of our own AARC.

The Inhalation Therapy Room was opened in the anesthesia clinic at NTUH in 1973 (renamed the Respiratory Therapy Room in 1975). The first Respiratory Therapy Department was opened at Adentist Hospital in 1983. As of 1998, there were 47 hospitals in Taiwan with respiratory therapy departments.

Respiratory Therapists in Taiwan work primarily in the intensive care units. In addition to the ICUs, Respiratory Therapists work in other special care areas such as: emergency room, critical patient transport, pulmonary function laboratory, pulmonary home care and rehabilitation, and hyperbaric oxygen. The scope of practice is very similar to ours, and their durable equipment is also similar. They do not, however, use a lot of disposable equipment because of ecological concerns.

The Respiratory Care Association of the Republic of China (RCAROC) was founded in April, 1990. The purposes of the association are "to unite the personnel trained or engaged in respiratory care for the furtherance of respiratory care development and research, to enhance the exchange of knowledge and techniques in the field of respiratory care between local and foreign entities, and to upgrade the respiratory care standards in this country". The Association began with a total of (active and associate) 148 members. In 1998 the total had increased to 1180.

The first respiratory therapist training program was held at the Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 1994. Thirty-one students graduated from this six-month training program. All respiratory therapy students are nursing graduates, consequently, most respiratory therapists are female. Beginning in 1999, respiratory therapy students have the option of attending either the 6 month training program or a two-year Respiratory Therapy Program, which enables them to attain a Bachelor's Degree in Respiratory Therapy. Although respiratory therapists have received training in both nursing and respiratory care, their pay scale lags behind that of nurses.

In the future, the RCAROC hopes to: 1. promote legislation regulating the practice of respiratory therapy in Taiwan, 2. help to develop standard school programs and tests for credentials, and 3. work toward upgrading the position of respiratory therapy.

The Respiratory Care Association in Taiwan looks toward the American Association for Respiratory Care as a role model. [Top]

We only have one more issue of the Record this year -- articles are due October 1, 2001.

Please be sure to e-mail your articles, IN RTF FORMAT, to:

Claire Aloan, MS, RRT, caloan@shsny.com

and

Michelle Porter, RRT, pcmporte@ihc.com
[Top]

Active -- 23,438
Foreign -- 274
Honorary -- 24
Industrial -- 2,152
Life -- 52
Physician -- 227
Student -- 4,139
Special -- 365

TOTAL -- 30,671