This past week, I traveled to Orlando, FL, to attend the AARC Summer Forum. The Summer Forum is a place for managers and educators to get together and share ideas, best practices, and new techniques. The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) share updates as well, giving us insight into how the professional standards are changing. If you have not experienced this venue before, you're really missing out on a fantastic environment. During the 4 days of the forum, I interacted with a large number of managers and educators. What really impressed me was the attitude of these folks. I never heard "well, we just can't do that" or "there's nothing we can do to fix (insert problem here)." I noticed, over and over, that the participants are rising to the challenges we face in healthcare today. Instead of moaning about the problem, these folks are employing critical (and often times creative) thinking to figure out how respiratory therapists are going to educate students, manage budgets, provide excellent patient care, and show the value of respiratory therapists in our health care facilities. It's a challenging time to be a respiratory therapist but it is also an exciting time. The energy of the Summer Forum participants was infectious and I found myself in detailed conversations with people from all over the country about how to move our profession forward. My Monday morning to-do list is full of people to contact to start working on these new ideas.
After the Summer Forum wrapped up, I was able to attend the AARC Board of Directors and House of Delegates meetings. It's amazing to see the time, effort, and talent these folks volunteer for our profession. I cannot applaud these professionals enough for their commitment to our profession and our organization. I would encourage us all to talk to our state leadership to see how we can get involved (in either big ways or small) to make a difference in our profession and, most of all, in the health of our communities.