History of Respiratory Care
The profession of respiratory care was officially established over 60 years ago; and respiratory research has officially existed since the early 1900s. During the early years, respiratory therapists were referred to as "oxygen technicians", and most of their activities involved moving cylinders of compressed gas and administering oxygen via nasal catheter or oxygen tent. Most oxygen technicians were trained on the job, although brief training programs began to appear in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Today the profession hardly resembles what it was in the 1940s. Respiratory Therapists provide direct care, patient education, and care coordination. They are academically trained in respiratory nursing and respiratory medicine. They practice in acute care facilities, long-term acute care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted-living centers, subacute care units, rehabilitation centers, diagnostics units, and in the home. respiratory therapist training has also dramatically changed. Current accreditation standards require respiratory therapists to have, at minimum, an Associate of Science in Respiratory Care degree from an accredited program. Legal requirements to practice respiratory therapy have also dramatically changed. 49 states now legally recognize respiratory therapists. Limited permits or state licenses are now required in all states except Alaska, which has no statutory authority over the practice of respiratory care. Most states that have a licensure requirement also require continuing education.
In 2007 the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) began developing recommendations for the promotion of the field of respiratory care in the United States in response to increased concern regarding licensure and credentialing issues as well as international recognition of those practicing in the United States. The task force decided to recommend that by 2015 the minimum education requirement for licensure and certification as a respiratory therapist be a bachelor of science in respiratory therapy (BSRT). The AARC task force also recommended the American Respiratory Care Foundation change its scholarship policies and only award assistance and grants to those working toward a bachelors degree. The Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) was asked by the AARC task force to change its accreditation standards and no longer accredit associates level respiratory care programs. The CoARC replied by a press release rejecting the recommendation. In 2011 legislation introduced by the AARC will help improve the use of respiratory therapists in clinical applications by allowing them to manage patients suffering from asthma and COPD seeing a clinic for routine checkups. Similar bills have been introduced before and have died in committee.
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