AARC Membership

The most visible and highly rated benefits of membership in the AARC are the publications Respiratory Care and AARC Times. Respiratory Care is the science journal. It provides clinical information and the most reliable scientific information in the profession. AARC Times is a news magazine. News about Washington, trends in the profession, important projects and activities of interest to respiratory therapists are featured here.

Members of the AARC have access to the Members Only area of the internet web site at www.aarc.org, which provides an invaluable networking resource.  And do not forget, AARC Connect, the social network area.

Any member can post to an electronic bulletin board question on any topic o interest to the respiratory care profession. This is a great way to get varying perspectives on issues ranging from organizational restructuring to clinical concerns.

Members of any of the AARC's nine specialty sections can subscribe to and use electronic mailing lists for gathering information from other members of their section.

A wide variety of resources is found on our Internet site from Clinical Practice Guidelines to special reports to information about all of the programs administered by the AARC.

A Washington DC offices work on behalf of the profession on any federal or state political issues that affect the provision of quality respiratory care.

The AARC represent you to the media, other organization, the general public, and the health care industry.

Our CPGs provide a scientific basis for respiratory care and promote consistent care practices in the profession.

Look to the AARC's publications and website to find out about some of the exciting job opportunities around the country.

Promotional items for distribution at health fairs are available at discounted prices to members. These items help raise the visibility of the profession and the AARC. We also have health tips resources and brochures.

Specialty Sections offer members an opportunity to network with their peers who specialize in diagnostics, continuing care/rehabilitation, management, education, adult acute care, perinatal/pediatric care, subacute care, transport, or home respiratory care.

Each year, the Association sponsors a national recognition week for its practitioners.

Members receive a $10,000 accidental death and dismemberment policy through the AARC.

As an AARC member, you earn receive group discounts on professional liability insurance, as well as on life, disability, and health insurance.

The Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) system approves and accredits educational programs.

The CRCE system provides you with a transcript of all you continuing education activities to use as proof of attendance at educational meetings.

Earn Continuing Respiratory Care Education credits by successfully completing these online, self-study AARC courses approved for CRCE.

The Exam Prep Educator Package supplements your classroom instruction with videos created specifically to address itemized content in the NBRC matrix. A student version of Exam Prep is also available.

Use these PowerPoint presentations in your classroom. Explain the importance of the AARC, help students use their AARC memberships, teach the professional groups relevant to respiratory care.

AARC Professor's Rounds delivers a new series of lectures each year on current trends and practices presented by recognized leaders and specialists in respiratory care. Topics on DVD allow your staff to earn CRCE without leaving work.

The AARC is now offering live webcasts on current topics. Archived versions and CRCE credit are available.

AARC International Respiratory Congress

The largest cardiopulmonary show in the word attracts thousands of healthcare professionals each year.

Summer Forum

Each summer, management and education topics are featured in a three-day forum.

The AARC’s continuing education portal for most online courses. AARC U has dozens of offerings and we suggest you browse there first. In addition, listed here, are other courses housed on AARC.org that are available to you for CRCE credit.

Without the AARC, there would be no respiratory care departments; no respiratory care educational programs; no nationally recognized NBRC credentials: the Federal Government would not have drafted the new Conditions of Participation allowing respiratory care practitioners to take verbal orders and administer medication such as oxygen and aerosols; there would not be the recognition and respect given us by our medical sponsors; and there would be no legal recognition nor efforts towards increased legal recognition nor efforts towards increased legal recognition.

I have a good job now. Respiratory care was once a revenue generator for hospitals, now it is a cost center. And your job security is now in the past with that revenue generation. Now, some hospitals have reduced or eliminated respiratory care departments to meet that change. By joining the AARC you make us a stronger organization that is better able to represent you and protect our profession. Only a united voice of respiratory therapists can guarantee a good job for all of us.

To protect our profession run your respiratory care departments as efficiently as possible and document that efficiency. Acquire additional clinical responsibilities for your staff and advise your organization of your activities. This helps build a case for the continued presence of respiratory care in health care. Meet with your staff frequently and explain to them the challenges facing our profession, what role they can play by supporting their professional organization and most importantly by rendering quality respiratory care. Encourage your medical director to support the National Association of Medical Directors of Respiratory Care, which shares our destiny and works with us as partners to overcome the challenges facing us. We need allies. They are one of the best.

In reality, less than 10% of your dues pay for the administrative costs of running the Association. Actually, your dues cover only 31% of the cost of your benefits: the Association covers the additional expenses through other revenue sources. To keep you apprised of expenditures, a financial statement is published annually in AARC Times.

Even if all you want are AARC Times and Respiratory Care, it still makes sense to join the AARC because subscriptions cost $75 per publication. By joining the Association you receive subscriptions to both publications and a host of other benefits for almost the cost of one subscription.

I'm contacting you because you do have a voice and the AARC wants to hear it. Each member of the AARC is represented in the House of Delegates and has the opportunity to run for office as well. In addition your affiliate President and affiliate Board of Directors provide mechanisms for our input and involvement at the state level and give you access to the national level. The Association and its leadership are totally accessible to you.

The AARC offers Specialty Sections that are designed so that respiratory therapists practicing the same specialty can exchange ideas and develop networks. Many Section members have made new friends and valuable professional relationships throughout the country by becoming active in their Sections. The Sections are: Adult Acute Respiratory Care, Education, Perinatal Pediatrics, Cardiopulmonary, Rehabilitation and Continuing Care, Home Care, Subacute Care, Transport, and Management.

If you had a problem, let's resolve it. Call the Executive Office (972) 243-2272. Tell her I told you to call and I assure you that your problem will receive prompt attention.

Yes. The AARC is recognized and respected by these sponsors: the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Thoracic Society, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Allergists, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

The AARC constantly monitors costs to ensure that your money is spent wisely. A toll-free number is very costly, and the Board of Directors believes it is wise to allocate the funds to other programs and benefits.

The AARC does survey its membership, but only a few times a year on a random basis. Surveys are important because we need information to plead your case in Washington and in various state capitals. If you do receive a survey, complete it as accurately as possible and return it by the deadline on order to give our studies the high confidence levels needed for greater impact.

Be active, attend your local and state meeting and volunteer for committees. Your input is needed and your opinions should be heard. An even greater contribution is to encourage other to join the Association.