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Respiratory Care Week

RC Week Activity Ideas

Learn more about options for Respiratory Care Week activities and celebrations. Have more ideas? Send us an email at marketing@aarc.org or visit the RC Week Connect community to share what you are doing!

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  • Contact the local high school science clubs, HOSA or health science education classes and offer to be a speaker about a career as a respiratory therapist.
  • Invite your RT graduating class to present an information session or Q&A at a local hospital or school to highlight why they are excited to be an RT.
  • Promote the RT profession in local media outlets and then host an open house for new students and guidance counselors to come to your school to learn more about being an RT.
  • Implement a mentoring program with RT students in your area to come see what respiratory therapy is about.
  • Ask local community colleges if they have career fairs and ask to participate.
  • Many high schools and colleges have their own TV or radio stations. Contact them to see if you can go to a local show to talk about the profession.
  • Provide AARC memberships to your students as part of a contest during the week. If you have questions on how to set up memberships, please email info@aarc.org
  • Add an RC Week email signature to your department or hospital emails.
  • Put an announcement on your facility’s intranet, website, or hospital e-newsletter, including all the dates of activities and contests
  • RC Week signs for why they are an RT or support RTs Then share on hospital website and on social media. Share with AARC too!
  • Share pictures of your staff celebrations on the hospital’s social media and tag them #RCWeek26.
  • Purchase official AARC gear as promotional items from the RC Week store and send them to the RT department.
  • Sponsor events that offer employees continuing education for CRCE, acknowledgment of accomplishments or team building activities, such as a boxed lunch.
  • Thank everyone on your staff with a personal note and/or send a thank you note to others who support your team with a formal letter to their managers.
  • Reward a staff member(s) with an AARC membership.
  • Hold a fundraiser for the American Respiratory Care Foundation (ARCF), which supports respiratory research and education for respiratory professionals and the patients they serve. Learn more at arcfoundation.org.
  • Invite management to an RC Week staff celebratory function and/or have them write a special letter or record a video in recognition of RTs.
  • Play a respiratory or department trivia game or have a mini-Sputum Bowl or a guess the RT with baby pictures.
  • If your hospital sponsors research in respiratory diseases, ask the researchers to update your team on what’s happening in this important arena.
  • In addition to regular awards, make a recognition event fun with comedy awards for “most creative” moments or “fastest on your feet” using the ‘Blank’ certificate.
  • Have a peak flow contest to see who has the most “hot air” to showcase what RTs measure for asthma assessment.
  • Invite your local, state, or national elected officials into your facility and explain why it’s important that respiratory therapy is covered in all care settings, including home care Make it a public screening event, and be sure the media is on hand.
  • Work with hospital marketing teams to print banners or digital displays throughout the building.
  • Create a “Steps for Lung Health” challenge and provide a RC Week prize for the individual who takes the most steps.
  • Email staff announcing the week and what they can do: Dear [Hospital Staff], We are excited to announce that Respiratory Care Week is just around the corner, and we are looking forward to celebrating this special occasion with all of you! Respiratory Care Week is a nationwide celebration that provides us with a fantastic opportunity to recognize and appreciate the vital role that our respiratory therapists play in patient care and respiratory health Mark your calendars for Oct. 25–31 and join us in honoring our respiratory therapy team! Best regards, [Your Name], Your Title/Department] [Hospital Name.
  • Ask for submissions for outstanding RTs, noting why they should be highlighted and what their impact has been.
  • Organize a health screening at your facility or an outside organization highlighting what RTs do.
  • Let your community, patients, and colleagues know how vital respiratory therapists are to patient care by including a slide on your facility’s CCTV monitors.
  • Gather a team to participate in a local 5K or other fun run event and wear your RC Week t- shirts.
  • Set up a table at a local fall health fair with information about lung health awareness, including smoking and vaping cessation tips, allergies, and asthma. Offer patient education brochures from the AARC Store as handouts.
  • Set up a fundraiser to send a pediatric patient to asthma camp or support the American Respiratory Care Foundation. Visit arcfoundation.org.
  • Conduct an “Inhaler Check-Up Clinic” to check your patients’ techniques with their aerosol delivery devices.
  • Enlist an asthma patient who participates in school sports to encourage other young patients to become more active and highlight them in local media outlets.
  • Invite local television, radio, and newspaper reporters to take a spirometry test and learn why such testing is important and why RTs are critical to lung health.
  • Offer a free session on asthma triggers at the library, YMCA, or senior center.
  • Perform spirometry screenings at a local senior center.
  • Work with your state society to volunteer at their events to promote RC Week.
  • Send a letter to each of your customers with sentiments for RC Week.
  • Arrange for a company-wide message to be sent announcing Respiratory Care Week, your role in the profession, and the importance of RTs in healthcare.
  • Post a message or banner on your company website recognizing Respiratory Care Week and respiratory therapists.
  • Sponsor an in-service educational event for your customers in honor of RC Week.
  • Place an RC Week congratulatory advertisement in professional respiratory therapy publications.
  • Make a company donation to a respiratory charity or foundation such as ARCF in the name of respiratory therapists.
  • Highlight innovations or partner case studies on social media and company newsletters.
  • Co-host educational sessions on future trends in respiratory therapy.