Continuing Education

It is critical for all health care practitioners to participate in continuing education in order to enhance their knowledge, improve their clinical practice and meet state licensure and national credentialing requirements. Participation in continuing education, whether mandatory or voluntary, offers the potential to be one of the most powerful tools to ensure safe, efficient, and quality patient care. The American Association for Respiratory Care recognizes the value of, and need for, participation in continuing education and recommends that practitioners participate in educational activities each year. AARC members may utilize the Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) system as the mechanism for recognition and documentation of such activities. The AARC encourages Respiratory Therapists who have completed the required entry level education to pursue baccalaureate and graduate degrees relevant to their professional pursuits.

The AARC encourages Respiratory Therapists to select continuing education activities relevant to their personal and professional needs. Providers of continuing education activities (which can include clinical institutions, educational institutions, public and private associations or organizations, and proprietary corporations) are encouraged to conduct needs assessments in order to design and develop valuable educational activities that will enable practitioners to meet their professional goals. The use of multimedia, multiple instructional techniques, and multiple exposure strategies are also encouraged to improve retention.

Effective: 1990
Revised: 2000
Revised: 2005
Revised: 2009