Announcements

The AARC is now accepting applications for qualified individuals to receive a scholarship to complete the management track of the Leadership Institute. AARC will provide complimentary access to the Leadership Institute management track (value $225 each) for 365 days to the accepted applicant.

For more than four decades, respiratory therapists and their colleagues have been presenting original research in the AARC OPEN FORUM. The FORUM offers everyone from seasoned investigators to first-time researchers a place to showcase their work. Presenters have the options of posters-only sessions, poster discussion sessions, and an Editors’ Choice session featuring the top abstracts submitted that year. 

Please consider sharing your research during this year's OPEN FORUM. The deadline to submit abstracts for this year’s FORUM in New Orleans, LA is June 1, 2022. Begin preparing your abstract today. 

Qualified applicants are now invited to submit a scholarship application for the education or research track of the Leadership Institute. The AARC will provide complimentary access to the Leadership Institute education or research track (AARC member value $225 each) for 365 days to three selected applicants. Selected applicants will be allowed to select a #scholarship for either the #education or the #research track of the Leadership Institute! Each track is approved for 15-16 CRCEs! 

Thank you to all who attended Congress 2021 LIVE! The Congress 2021 LIVE! sessions are now available on demand. All attendees who paid for the Full Bundle or Single Day registration have On-Demand Access aligned with their purchase. If you did not attend Congress 2021 LIVE!, you can still purchase the On-Demand Access to the event. 

If your membership expires in January or February, your billing statement will arrive a little later than usual. Consistent with general mail delays across the U.S., the AARC has been notified to expect delayed delivery of our outgoing mail. If you would like to renew in advance of receiving your renewal notice, contact customer service at 972-243-2272. Thank you for your membership. For questions, contact info@aarc.org.

The deadline for proposals is almost here! Send in yours by January 6, 2022, 11:59 PM CST.

Is there a topic you feel is vital for the profession? Let us know! Send your proposal for 2022 Summer Forum and Congress.

These educational events are multi-disciplinary and cover educational content important to all specialties within the profession. In addition to Adult-Acute Care, Neo/Peds, Management, and Education, the Program Committees is seeking content specific to the following categories:

• Home Care
• Pulmonary Rehab
• Nicotine Dependence
• Sleep Disorders
• Ethics
• Transport
• Diagnostics
  
• Patient Safety
• COVID-19

Join us for 2022 Summer Forum and Congress on these dates:

• Summer Forum: July 26-28, 2022 (Tues – Thur) in Palm Springs, CA*
• Congress: Nov. 6-9, 2022 (Tues – Fri) in New Orleans, LA*

Dear Members,

We have received several comments describing concerns related to the implementation of The American Heart Association's (AHA) Interim Guideline related to the initiation of CPR for patients with COVID-19.

We share your concerns, and met with representatives of AHA yesterday to discuss them. Please be advised that AHA is undertaking an expedited process to revise the Guideline. We hope to review the revisions early next week. Once finalized, we will advise you of the revised Interim Guideline, which we hope will address your concerns.

The welfare of your patients; but also your safety, is important to us. I know you are going above and beyond to help our patients. Thank you for your sacrifice and for putting patients first.

Sincerely,

Sheri Tooley, BSRT, RRT-NPS, CPFT, AE-C, FAARC

AARC President & CEO

The educational 8-video annual Current Topics in Respiratory Care series, has taken on a new life. In March of 2022 say hello to AARC Explores, a 10-video annual series that offers an in-depth exploration of recent scientific advancements in respiratory care.  

Are you looking for educational resources for the new year? Take advantage of our collection of #educational eBooks! These eBooks provide the best collection of papers from the respiratory care journal, bonus content from symposium, and what's new in HFNC!

As we end this year, we would like to thank all of our 2021 AARC members! The AARC appreciates all of our members dedication and contributions to the respiratory therapy profession. 

Now that 2022 is almost here, it is time to think about your annual membership renewal. This year AARC has made it easier than ever to renew your membership with the Autopay feature. Don't loose access to your AARC benefits - sign up for Autopay, today!

Do you want to present at the 2022 AARC Congress or Summer Forum? Now is the time to send in your proposal for individual lectures or symposia for next year's meetings! Proposals should focus on the practice of cardiorespiratory care. 

Please submit proposals on topics you feel are most vital to the profession. The deadline to submit has been extended to January 6, 2022, 11:59 PM CST.
Event dates are listed below for reference.

• AARC Summer Forum: July 26-28, 2022 (Tues. – Thur.) in Palm Springs, CA
• AARC Congress: Nov. 6-9, 2022 (Tues. – Fri.) in New Orleans, LA

These educational events are multi-disciplinary and cover educational content important to all specialties within the profession. In addition to Adult-Acute Care, Neo/Peds, Management, and Education, the Program Committees is seeking content specific to the following categories:

• Home Care
• Transport
• Pulmonary Rehab
• Diagnostics
• Nicotine Dependence
• COVID-19
• Sleep Disorders
• Patient Safety
• Ethics

We welcome and encourage new and experienced presenters alike to submit proposals.

Are you still in need of CRCE? If so, explore AARC University’s Respiratory Care Course Packages and Re-Credentialing Course Packages! These packages are designed to help you earn CRCEs easily and efficiently. We have courses for those that hold specialty credentials or provide care for mechanically ventilated patients or patients with asthma or COPD. For your additional benefit, we also offer re-credentialing courses in Neo-Peds, Adult Acute, and Pulmonary Function Technology!

The newest edition of the Nutritional Guide is now available! The AARC has published the updated second edition of the nutritional guide for the assessment and treatment of the critically ill patient. ✅ 

Do you want to present at the 2022 AARC Congress or Summer Forum? Now is the time to send in your proposal for individual lectures or symposia for next year's meetings! Proposals should focus on the practice of cardiorespiratory care. 

Please submit proposals on topics you feel are most vital to the profession. As a reminder, the deadline to submit your proposal is Dec. 17, 2021.
Event dates are listed below for reference.

• AARC Summer Forum: July 26-28, 2022 (Tues. – Thur.) in Palm Springs, CA
• AARC Congress: Nov. 6-9, 2022 (Tues. – Fri.) in New Orleans, LA

These educational events are multi-disciplinary and cover educational content important to all specialties within the profession. In addition to Adult-Acute Care, Neo/Peds, Management, and Education, the Program Committees is seeking content specific to the following categories:

• Home Care
• Transport
• Pulmonary Rehab
• Diagnostics
• Nicotine Dependence
• COVID-19
• Sleep Disorders
• Patient Safety
• Ethics

We welcome new and experienced presenters alike to submit proposals.

Register today in order to attend the annual AARC Business Meeting. The meeting is virtual and it is free to attend. The meeting will be taking place Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 6PM CST.

Do you want to present at the 2022 AARC Congress or Summer Forum? Now is the time to send in your proposal for individual lectures or symposia for next year's meetings! Proposals should focus on the practice of cardiorespiratory care. 

Please submit proposals on topics you feel are most vital to the profession. The deadline to submit your proposal is Dec. 17, 2021.
Event dates are listed below for reference.

• AARC Summer Forum: July 26-28, 2022 (Tues. – Thur.) in Palm Springs, CA
• AARC Congress: Nov. 6-9, 2022 (Tues. – Fri.) in New Orleans, LA

These educational events are multi-disciplinary and cover educational content important to all specialties within the profession. In addition to Adult-Acute Care, Neo/Peds, Management, and Education, the Program Committees is seeking content specific to the following categories:

• Home Care
• Transport
• Pulmonary Rehab
• Diagnostics
• Nicotine Dependence
• COVID-19
• Sleep Disorders
• Patient Safety
• Ethics

We welcome new and experienced presenters alike to submit proposals.

Our vendor will be performing scheduled maintenance on August 20 from 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM ET / 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM PT.  AARConnect may experience sporadic connectivity during this maintenance window.

Thank you for your patience during this time!

After careful consideration of the persistence of the pandemic, and out of the abundance of caution for our attendees, the American Association for Respiratory Care must cancel face-to-face participation in AARC Congress 2021. Attendee health and safety remain a top concern.

We will continue to rely on our robust virtual meeting platform for this years event, in order that all attendees have access to our top-notch program planned for this year.

As much as we want to meet again in-person, now is still not the time. With many of our members working on the front lines, we want to help ensure their safety and provide flexibility during this challenging time.

We are working to bring you a great virtual learning and networking opportunity this December. Ensuring a Congress 2021 educational and interactive event is vital to the growth of our profession.

Congress LIVE! Learning in a Virtual Environment will take place across four days: December 1, 3, 7, and 9. Congress LIVE! will include learning sessions across all subject areas, our annual plenaries, virtual exhibit hall, networking opportunities, and games. Stay tuned for registration details coming in the next month.

We appreciate your understanding and flexibility during the pandemic. Thank you for all you are doing for our patients.

For questions, please contact lanny.inabnit@aarc.org.

Sincerely,

Lanny Inabnit

AARC Vice President of Education and Meetings

Frequently Asked Questions

Will there still be a 2021 Congress?

Yes, we will have a virtual meeting. We will share more details about registration, speakers, and topics as they become available. Meanwhile, we encourage all members to monitor the AARC website and AARC News for more information.

Will the cost of registration be the same?

Registration fees have not yet been identified. Were quickly working on the details of the event and will open registration as soon as possible. We encourage all members to monitor the AARC website and AARC News for more information.

Will there be a virtual exhibit hall?

Yes. A virtual exhibit hall will be available in conjunction with the virtual event.

How many continuing respiratory care education credits will be offered with the virtual event?

The agenda for the virtual meeting has not yet been finalized, thus we do not know the number of hours of continuing education that will be offered in conjunction with the virtual event. We will release this information on the AARC website as soon as it becomes available.

Will there be a Sputum Bowl event?

No. The 2021 Sputum Bowl competition is cancelled and will resume in 2022.

Will I be able to ask questions during live presentations?

Yes. The virtual event will offer traditional, live, continuing education. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with faculty and ask questions.

Every year, select members of the respiratory care profession are honored with the Fellow of the American Respiratory Care Profession, or FAARC. Bestowed at the AARC Congress in the fall, this designation recognizes outstanding contributions to the profession in areas ranging from education to research to clinical practice and more.

The AARC Fellowship Program was established to recognize active or associate members in good standing who have made profound and sustained contributions to the art and science of respiratory care and to the AARC.

Nominations for this year's Fellowship Program will end on August 13, 2021. 

Celebrate Respiratory Care Week 2021 (Oct. 24–30) and let your community, patients, and colleagues know how vital you are to patient care. Visit the RC Week store to get started and plan your celebration. 

The AARC, in partnership with Medtronic, developed two special videos to highlight the profession and the work respiratory therapists do each day. It also serves as a call to our communities to take time to thank a respiratory therapist.

The AARC asks that you share these videos on your social channels. It is our hope that the videos will help increase community awareness of the profession and highlight the essential role the respiratory therapist has played in patient care, during COVID-19 and beyond.

For over 30 years, the AARC has published the Uniform Reporting Manual (URM), with the 5th edition published in 2012. This tool has served RT leaders for decades in utilizing time standards for the most common clinical activities as the hallmark to measuring productivity.

However, measuring productivity alone is no longer relevant if the procedures they deliver are not clinically indicated or driven by evidence-based practice.

As a result, the AARC has expanded and re-branded the URM to the “Safe & Effective Staffing Guide: Achieving Your Mission to Deliver Value-Based Respiratory Care Services.” Known as “The Guide” (or the SESG), this rebranded tool offers many of the same benefits of the URM; however, The Guide expands upon those to meet the 21st century needs of today’s RT leaders.

Every year for the Zenith Award program, AARC members vote for the companies they believe stand out from the crowd. Considerations for the award include the quality of their equipment, supplies, or services; accessibility and helpfulness of their sales personnel; responsiveness; service record; truth in advertising; and support of the respiratory care profession.

Known throughout the profession as the “people’s choice award,” the AARC Zenith Award is the highest honor we have to bestow on the manufacturers who provide us with the tools we need to care for our patients. Voting runs June 15 through Aug. 16, 2021.

Are you focused on caring for patients with asthma? This bundle of AARC original content focuses exclusively on aspects of caring for patients with asthma. This package contains 8 AARC online courses that collectively provide you with 8 CRCE and a 10% discount over the individual courses!

Designed to address unprecedented threats to your revenues, these how-to resources are essential tools for the respiratory therapy, pulmonary function testing, sleep studies/polysomnography and cardiopulmonary departments. BONUS! Get a free copy of the 2021 Respiratory Therapy Update Webcast when you order either one of the books by July 31, 2021. This webcast covers all the changes that went into effect on January 1, 2021.

The earlier you book, the more you save! Our Early Bird rate runs through May 3, so don’t delay! 

Join us June 29, July 1, 7, & 9, as respiratory therapists come together to experience learning in a virtual environment. 

Spread across four days, Summer Forum LIVE! includes 22 sessions that include lectures, symposiums for Leadership and Educators. Summer Forum LIVE! also offers added networking through session conversation, Feel Good Activity Breaks, a Virtual Expo Hall, and Zoom Wrap-Up Chats with Colleagues.

The ARCF has plenty of opportunities for you to add awards to your trophy case – and resume – this year. The ARCF also offers grants to help you make the most of the research you’re passionate about. Unless otherwise noted, the deadline to apply for these awards and grants is June 1, 2021.  

The FORUM offers posters-only sessions, poster discussion sessions and an Editors’ Choice session featuring the top abstracts submitted that year. Everyone from seasoned investigators to first-time researchers can find a place to showcase their work. 

Abstracts for this year’s FORUM in Phoenix, AZ. are due June 1, 2021. Begin preparing your abstract now.