CONTENTS Bolstered in 2018
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CREDENTIALING FOR THE RESPIRATORY CARE PROFESSION • V49/N4 • FOURTH QUARTER 2018 Respiratory Care Profession CONTENTS Bolstered in 2018 Lori Tinkler, who took the reins as NBRC Chief Executive Officer in January, 1 Respiratory Care Profession reinvigorated our focus on building and nurturing physician and respiratory care Bolstered in 2018 relationships in order to strengthen and elevate the respiratory care profession. Lori, together with the Board of Trustees and the NBRC team, furthered our mission 3 Annual Renewal - Top Five of promoting excellence in respiratory care by awarding credentials based on Reasons to Renew high competency standards by introducing new examination content, revealing a new Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) and creating new channels of 4 A Fond Farewell to NBRC communication via social media with credentialed practitioners. Board Members On the Road 5 Meet the NBRC Staff To continuously build awareness for the value of respiratory care credentials, we 6 Worthy Recipients Receive 2018 ensure credentialed practitioners are well represented at industry meetings and sponsor conferences. In March, we convened with key leaders at the National NBRC Awards at AARC Congress Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care (NAMDRC) Conference to further expand relationships with respiratory care, pulmonologists and sleep 7 New Policy Safeguards Integrity medicine practitioners. At the annual American Thoracic Society (ATS) Conference of Your Credentials in May, we met with our sponsoring organization leaders and many cardiothoracic members to emphasize the value of NBRC specialty credentials. A Message from the CEO In July, Dr. Rob Shaw, NBRC’s Vice President of Examinations, gave the yearly memorial lecture to honor Jimmy Young at the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Summer Forum in Texas. He unveiled changes in score reporting, a new waiting period policy, and examination design adjustments – all of which are viewed as positive changes for the respiratory care profession. nbrc.org We had a lot of fun launching an on-site quiz, ‘The PEEP is Right!’, which tested physicians’ knowledge about mechanical ventilation for a chance to win prizes at the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) Conference. It was a very successful interactive way to engage physicians in discussion about the importance of respiratory care in their institutions. At the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) Exchange in November, Rob presented his research on determining how long an NBRC credential should be valid, underscoring the rigor of respiratory care exams and the level of knowledge respiratory care professionals have. Lori also presented at ICE, highlighting the best practices we followed in successfully rebranding the NBRC in 2016. We capped off the year in Las Vegas, attending AARC’s International Congress, where we handed out credential badge ribbons for the first time. This created opportunity to speak with and listen to the wishes and needs of respiratory care practitioners as they came by our booth. We also proudly presented the NBRC awards at our annual reception, our personal highlight of Congress. Other 2018 professional initiatives we engaged in include representation on Respiratory Care Profession Bolstered, continued the AARC Ad Hoc Committee on Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapist Credentialing and Education, the AARC Entry-Level Baccalaureate Collaborative, the Clinical Advisory Committee of the Respiratory Compromise Institute (RCI) and participating as an Industry Advisor to the NAMDRC. Closer to home, we were thrilled to host one of two yearly meetings of the NBRC Board of Trustees and the State Licensure Liaison Group. We believe it is important to work closely with our state licensure colleagues to ensure practitioners have a single point of entry into respiratory care with a combined credential and licensure examination. The second Board meeting took us to Nashville in Dr. Rob Shaw, NBRC Vice President of Examinations, presents at ICE 2018 November where several proposed future changes were finalized and approved. New and Improved Our presence on social media is one of the more publicly noticeable changes that occurred in 2018. The NBRC now has official Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts which allow us to instantly share information with credentialed practitioners, interact with students, and engage with our sponsors and industry colleagues. We continue to engage and grow our audiences every day to promote excellence in respiratory care. We seamlessly introduced new content for two specialty Respiratory therapy students from the University of Missouri visit the NBRC executive office in September 2018 examinations in 2018: The Adult Critical Care Specialty Examination implemented in June, while the Neonatal/Pediatric Specialty Examination initiated new content in October. Finally, we revealed the Credential Maintenance Program (CMP). A new assessment option was added ensuring all credentialed practitioners taking the assessments stay current on rapidly changing respiratory care topics that may put patients at risk. The assessments are designed to encourage on-going learning and potentially have the added benefit of lowering the amount of CE’s a practitioner is required to submit. Board of Trustees It has been an exciting year for our board! Katherine L. Fedor, MBA, RRT, RRT-NPS, CPFT, started her term as our new president and Visitors to the NBRC booth at CHEST chatted with NBRC CEO, quickly acclimated, joining Lori at several speaking engagements Lori Tinkler, while having fun playing The PEEP is Right! to test their around the country talking with students, educators, and colleagues mechanical ventilation knowledge for prizes The PEEP is Right! Winners Congratulations to Dr. Robert Aranson, MD, Mohammad Battah, RRT, RRT-NPS, and Kevin Collins, RRT, RPFT, for winning a pair of wireless earbuds by achieving the highest scores on our quiz, ‘The PEEP is Right!’ at the annual American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) meeting in October. 2 Fourth Quarter 2018 Respiratory Care Profession Bolstered, continued about NBRC’s mission and the new CMP. As with many years, we welcomed new Trustees and said a grateful goodbye to others. In 2018, Trustees made several notable decisions: • Approved a viability study to consider a new credentialing program for Pulmonary Disease Educator, at the request of AARC. • Approved the use of one unit of measure (mmHg) to describe partial pressures in examination questions, effective 2020. • Approved final content for CMP assessments. • Approved a new waiting period for repeat exam attempts, effective 2020. • Eliminated physics as a required science course for the CRT-to-Registry Admission provision. Shawna Strickland, AARC’s Associate Executive Director stopped by to pick up her credential ribbons from Lori Tinkler at the AARC Congress The New Year With so much accomplished in 2018, the new year promises to be just as full and productive. After a successful call for practitioner stories, we are very excited to implement our specialty credential ad campaign this year, showcasing motivated respiratory therapists in hopes to inspire others to earn specialty credentials. Encouraging constant and continued learning of the latest developments in respiratory therapy, the pilot for the new CMP with quarterly assessments will be rolled out, ultimately adding to patient safety. Lastly, we look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationships with students, practitioners, and respiratory care professionals at industry and state society meetings. 2019 Annual Renewal Top Five Reasons to Renew In October you received communication from the NBRC President, Katherine Fedor, MBA, RRT, RRT-NPS, CPFT, asking you to renew your active or supporter status. If you have already renewed, thank you! If you have not, please consider renewing. By maintaining yearly active status, you will: 1. Receive reduced fees for credential verification letters, wallet cards, and lapel pins 2. Be represented with organizations and state licensure agencies impacting the respiratory care profession 3. Help fund activities to positively promote your profession 4. Have access to the online NBRC Directory of active credentialed practitioners 5. Avoid paying a lump sum when it’s time to recertify your credential The renewal cycle is based on the calendar year from January through December 31. The Board provides an annual gift appreciation to those who support the NBRC through the annual renewal process. The 2019 gift will be mailed approximately four weeks after your renewal is processed. Take advantage of online renewal at nbrc.org to receive a $5.00 discount. The NBRC knows how dedicated and hard-working credentialed respiratory care practitioners are and provides this discount as a way of giving back to the respiratory care profession. If you have not maintained active status in the past, please reconsider activating your status to demonstrate your support for the credentialing organization and to ensure that your NBRC credentials continue to have high value and national meaning. Your support is greatly appreciated and will be used to accomplish our mission for years to come. nbrc.org 3 Thank You for Your Dedication A Fond Farewell to NBRC to our Board! Board Members We fondly recognize five NBRC Board of Trustees members whose terms ended December 31, 2018. By serving on the NBRC Board and examination committees, they have shared their extensive knowledge and served as