AARC member since 1992
Clinical Manager
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Cincinnati, OH
AARC Activities:
Member of the Education Committee from 2002 - 2005 Member of the Neo-Peds Section, 2004-2006
Affiliate Activities:
President Ohio Society for Respiratory Care 2007 - 2008; President Elect 2006; Sectretary 2004; Senior Representative 2003; Junior Representative 2002 Board of Directors, Ohio Society for Respiratory Care 2004-2008
Education:
RRT Cincinnati Technical Community College, 1992
What steps will you take to strengthen international exposure of respiratory care?
The Vision/Mission Statement for the AARC states that the AARC will be the leading national and international professional association for respiratory care. The International Council mirrors this with their mission statement by stating that they want to ensure the advancement if save, effective, and ethical practice for respiratory care worldwide. I feel that we can accomplish these statements by ensuring each affiliate participates in the Fellow Program. I would encourage all of the state affiliates to host a fellow in their state to promote respiratory practice from a national level to an international level. I would give the International Council support to aid them in their effort to build the relationships between the national and international levels.
How would you suggest we recruit and educate the leaders of the future for the AARC?
Working with the generation X personnel it is difficult to establish any form of commitment unless they can see it directly benefiting them. To make this happen I feel the AARC needs to become more transparent. The AARC needs to reach out to non-members with many of the items that our members see. I feel that the work force sees the AARC as the money collecting organization for RTs. The AARC needs to show the RT community what we are working on and what we have accomplished for them. I have been setting up an OSRC booth at every meeting held in Ohio. In this booth I share with the RT practitioner what the OSRC and the AARC are involved in. I spark a lot of interest, which in return will allow for interest in leadership within the AARC.
With the introduction of the Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative Bill in Congress, how are you going to work to get that bill successfully passed?
I have been actively working with our legislator for the State of Ohio, to aid in the passage of this bill. I have encouraged all members within in the state to go the Capitol Hill section of the AARC and have had them write a letter to our congressman. During meetings throughout the State of Ohio, I have set up a display with the bill as the center of attention. I was surprised to learn that many RTs were unaware of this bill; once they heard about the bill they all sent letters to our Congress. I believe that campaigning for legislation is the key way to help drive these bills through Congress.
