Over the last two months, I've had the privilege of moderating four webcasts. The speakers have been phenomenal and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming webcasts. I have to admit, though, that the quality of the webcasts have not surprised me. I'm accustomed to quality speakers from the AARC. What surprised me was the level of engagement of the participants in the webcasts. Our last webcast had over 600 participant names and over 900 people earned CRCE. The chat room was on FIRE! Respiratory therapists from around the world (yes, we had international folks participating!) learned and shared during that 60 minute webcast.
One of the themes that I note during the webcast was safe and effective patient care. Respiratory therapist really care about how diagnostic tests are performed and how to best provide our patients with the information they need to manage their health in an effective manner. Many persons participating in the webcast wanted more information about licensure acts, advocacy, and rules/regulations. That got me thinking about PACT.
If you haven't heard about the dedicated respiratory therapists fighting for our patients in DC, check out the
AARC Government Affairs webpage. Over 150 respiratory therapists and patients are making the trip to DC on March 11 to advocate for OUR patients. I am awed at the dedication these professionals and patients demonstrate to make sure that our voices are heard.
At this time of year, I typically ask "What can I do?" Well,
Virtual Lobby Week starts today. Write to your representatives through the Capitol Connection. Call your representatives to educate them on the role of the respiratory therapist in the well-being of our patients and our contribution to healthcare overall. Take a stand for our patients and our profession.