Respiratory Therapist Education

To adequately prepare graduate respiratory therapists to practice across a broad spectrum of sites, it is the position of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) that:

• The minimum education leading to entry into practice of respiratory care should be successful completion of an associate degree respiratory care education program
• Programs should prepare graduates as respiratory therapists
• Programs that educate respiratory therapists should be accredited through a body, and a process, which will confirm that the programs meet minimum educational requirements
• Graduate respiratory therapists, upon completion of the above-described minimum education, should be eligible to pursue and to obtain a credential that acknowledges the didactic preparation and related skills required for practice as a respiratory therapist

This position statement is based on prior projects by the AARC, as well as current activities and data, which support the outcomes of those earlier projects. They include:

• The AARC sponsored Delphi study conducted by the AARC Education Committee in 1989. This study engaged acknowledged experts in respiratory care to reach agreement in two areas:
  1. The knowledge, skills, and professional characteristics needed for future respiratory care practitioners, and
  2. The duration of educational preparation necessary to acquire these competencies.
• The 1991 profile of the future respiratory care practitioner created by the AARC Board of Directors
• The 1992 consensus conference on respiratory care education, which brought together more than fifty participants including foundation representatives, government officials, academicians, and clinical health care professionals to determine:
  1. Curriculum content for the year 2001, and
  2. Implications of that curriculum content for credentialing and accreditation
• The 1993 consensus conference, which resulted in the creation of an action plan to assist educational programs in developing respiratory therapists prepared to practice in the year 2001
• The reports published by the Pew Health Professions Commission in 1991 and 1993

The findings of the education and practice related consensus conferences should be included in resource materials as new standards are developed for the accreditation of respiratory care educational programs. The AARC will continue to support the practice of respiratory care by providing continuing education opportunities, and collecting and sharing information on the changing healthcare environment as it impacts respiratory care education and practice.

Effective 1998
Revised 2004