2009 President's Letter
I am proud to be a Respiratory Therapist and a long term member of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). As a bit of history, I began my health care career in December, 1973 when I enrolled in a respiratory therapy program. I quickly became a member of the AARC in 1974 at the encouragement of my program director. I have been a member without lapse since that time. I believe that being a member of the AARC is the most important decision that a therapist can make to promote their profession and to increase public understanding of our special role.
The AARC Vision/Mission Statement says:
The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) will continue to be the leading national and international professional association for respiratory care. The AARC will encourage and promote professional excellence, advance the science and practice of respiratory care, and serve as an advocate for patients, their families, the public, the profession and the respiratory therapist.
There are a couple themes about AARC membership that I hear fairly often. One is "Why should I be a member of the AARC?" The other is "The AARC is not doing what I feel is most important." I thought I would try to respond to those two ideas with a few thoughts. I believe that different therapists might respond to these themes differently. Here are my responses.
The AARC is a Long Term Advocate for our Profession - Before I knew what a respiratory therapist did and actually before I was born there were therapists volunteering with what was then the "Inhalation Therapy Association" (or ITA) to organize and advance the art, science, and professional recognition of our profession. In the early 50s the name was changed to the "American Association of Inhalation Therapists" (AAIT) and later becoming the AARC. The AARC is the only organization specifically working to build on the vision of those early pioneers and to safeguard our bright future.
The AARC is A Good Value - Using a conservative $41,600 per year annual salary and the current active membership renewal rate for AARC of $90 / year, our membership is only 0.22% of our salary. This is far lower than most other professional medical associations. By comparison, membership in the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is $295 / year; and American Nurses Association is $240 / year.
The AARC is "Us" - The AARC is an organization made up of paid and volunteer therapists who are working together to act on behalf of the profession and the members. If we believe that the AARC is not representing us, then the logical conclusion is to become a member and to get involved so that our views can be more clearly articulated.
The AARC Helps us Speak With One Common Voice - As an individual my ability to help shape public perceptions of my work as a respiratory therapist is limited. I value the AARC organization as the face of my profession. I have learned that while my voice is one, the AARC can coordinate and bring together many talented therapists and present us as a united group working toward common goals. The AARC is able to lobby and coordinate our efforts to pass legislation that best serves the public, our patients, and helps assure our unique and rightful place in the health care environment.
The AARC Led in the Development of Best Practices - The AARC was one of the earliest proponents of best practice models and evidence based medicine. They helped to bring together experts in specific areas of medicine to prepare clinical practice guidelines. Our journals provide the latest research on topics of interest about how to best care for our patients.
I think that most therapists would agree that we are a special group. We have an amazing professional role and the privilege of providing support and care to our patients in the midst of serious and sometimes overwhelming clinical circumstances. As therapists, we are there to assist and support the cardiopulmonary system of our most fragile newborns, those with acute and chronic illness, as well as those who are facing life support and end of life decisions. We often take for granted the amazing gift of saving a life, extending a life, or bringing relief to someone who can not catch their breath. I encourage each of you to maintain an active membership with the AARC and to get involved in the Kansas Respiratory Care Society. You can be part of our bright future together.
Sincerely,
Donald Carden, RCP, RRT, CPFT
President Kansas Respiratory Care Society 2009 |
