A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare practitioner trained in critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people who have acute critical conditions, cardiac and pulmonary disease. Respiratory therapists sometimes graduate from a college or university with a degree in respiratory therapy and have passed a national board certifying examination. The NBRC is responsible for credentialing as a CRT, or RRT,
Pulmonology, pneumology or pneumonology is a medical specialty that deals with diseases involving the respiratory tract. It is also known as respirology, respiratory medicine, or chest medicine in some countries and areas.
A medical assistant, also known as a "clinical assistant" or healthcare assistant in the US is an allied health professional who supports the work of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other health professionals, usually in a clinic setting. Medical assistants can become certified through an accredited program. Medical assistants perform routine tasks and procedures in a medical clinic.
Nursing credentials and certifications are the various credentials and certifications that a person must have to practice nursing legally. Nurses' postnominal letters reflect their credentials—that is, their achievements in nursing education, licensure, certification, and fellowship. The letters usually appear in the following order:
The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS), incorporated in June 1975, is an independent nonprofit organization that administers examinations and awards credentials in the areas of diagnostic medical sonography, diagnostic cardiac sonography, vascular technology, physicians’ vascular interpretation, musculoskeletal sonography and midwifery ultrasound. ARDMS has over 90,000 certified individuals in the U.S., Canada and throughout the world. ARDMS provides certifications, resources, and career information to healthcare practitioners and students practicing medical sonography.
A Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT), formerly Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician (CRTT), is a therapist who has graduated from a respiratory therapy program at a university or college and has passed a national certification exam. A CRT or RRT is typically expected to adjust, modify or recommend therapeutic techniques within well-defined procedures based on a limited range of patient responses. In the healthcare setting, usually required supervision by a physician experienced in respiratory care.
In the United States, Certified Pulmonary Function Technician (CPFT) is a medical technician who is at least a Certified Respiratory Therapist and at most a Registered Respiratory Therapist that has successfully passed the national certification exam. A pulmonary function technician assists a Registered Pulmonary Function Technician with performing function tests on patients. Tests are done both inpatient and outpatient and in specialty clinics such as asthma clinics and sleep centers.
The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) is a non profit organization and is the only professional organization supporting Respiratory Care in the United States. In addition to attempting to help lobby for beneficial legislation nationally and locally, the AARC is trying to promote the profession as a whole to increase interest and membership. The AARC began in 1943, as the Inhalation Technician Association and has evolved rapidly and repeatedly since.
A polysomnographic technologist performs overnight, daytime, or home sleep studies, polysomnograms, on people with suspected sleep disorders. In the United States and worldwide, the process for becoming a polysomnography technician or technologist is primarily either on-the-job or certificate based. There are associate level programs offered by for-profit schools that award a degree in polysomnography technology in the United States, though not necessary to attain employment with the same title. After an education program or adequate on-the-job training is complete, the student is eligible for credentialing by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT), a non-profit credentialing agency based in the United States but serving polysomnographers worldwide. The BRPT maintains credentialing for over 35 countries including Canada and the United States as well as over 17,000 individuals working in the industry.
The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) maintains credentialing for polysomnographic technologists. It offers two credentials, the registered and certified polysomnographic technologist credentials. The BRPT is located at: 8400 Westport Drive, 2nd Floor, McLean, Virginia 22102. The BRPT was established in 1978 and offered the first RPSGT exam in 1979.
A pulmonary scientist is a health care occupation in the field of diagnostic studies related specifically to pulmonary function, the term respiratory scientist may also refer to a pulmonologist who holds a medical degree and a doctoral degree (MD-PhD). Internationally pulmonary scientists have many different titles, such as: pulmonary function technologist, respiratory scientist, pulmonary scientist, cardiopulmonary specialist and in some places registered respiratory therapists are also used in the role of pulmonary scientists. A physician in respiratory science is generally referred to as a physician in their title.
The American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM) is a nonprofit organization that certifies physicians, PhDs, specialists, and technologists in the specialty of sleep medicine. ABSM shares office space and at least some staff with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) in Darien, Illinois, USA; the two organizations are closely related and serve basically the same constituency.
A Sleep disorder specialist (SDS) is a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT-SDS) that has successfully passed the certification examination NBRC-SDS. The respiratory therapist may also be a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT-SDS) under certain conditions. The sleep disorder specialist scores and performs polysomnography and also assists in diagnosing and preparing a treatment plan for the condition. Some of the conditions the sleep disorder specialist helps evaluate and treat are; insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy.
Healthcare professional credentials are credentials awarded to many healthcare practitioners as a way to standardize the level of education and ability to provide care.
The Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care is a four-year academic degree in the science and principles of respiratory care, granted by a tertiary education university or similarly accredited school.
An Associate of Science in Respiratory Care (ASRC) is an entry-level tertiary education respiratory therapy degree. In the United States, this type of degree is usually awarded by community colleges or similar respiratory schools. Some four year colleges also offer this degree. Students in the United States awarded an Associate of Science in Respiratory Care are qualified to sit for the NBRC-ELE and then the NBRC-WRE and NBRC-CSE then apply for state licensure as a Registered Respiratory Therapist.
The Clinical Sleep Educator (CSE) certificate was established by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) in 2012. The role of the CSE, is to communicate "with patients, families, and the community to educate individuals on sleep disorders, good sleep hygiene, ways to optimize treatment, methods to improve and monitor compliance with prescribed treatment, and in general assists patients in eliminating barriers to care in order to maximize their quality of life." This program is not to be confused with another program to be launched by the BRPT in 2014, the Clinical Sleep Health Examination.
