From oxygen to aerosols, people to products, discoveries to diagnoses – respiratory care is about a heritage of people learning, innovating, inventing, and excelling at delivering care for one simple goal: to help others breathe.
It started with awareness –
of air,
of a breath,
of an element
The earliest days were of Lavoisier – days of awareness, discovery, and invention. Today respiratory care has evolved into a recognized profession with a body of knowledge, standards, unbelievable innovation, and a sophisticated structure.
We invite you to see the history of a science and profession that helps millions breathe. Step into a gallery and see how today’s complex mechanical ventilators started as a coffee can; how physics, anatomy, and chemistry have come together to deliver life-saving aerosolized medications; how people produced progress. The heritage of respiratory care is filled with heroes and grand ideas. Enjoy this walk through our history.
And so it began!
Edwin R. Levine, MD, establishes a primitive inhalation therapy program using on-the-job trained technicians to manage post-surgical patients at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago.
Inhalation Therapy Association (ITA)
Dr. Levine’s students and other interested doctors, nurses, and oxygen orderlies meet at the University of Chicago Hospital to form the Inhalation Therapy Association (ITA).
The ITA is formally chartered as a not-for-profit entity in the state of Illinois. The new Association boasts 59 members, 17 of whom are from various religious orders.
Manual of Oxygen Therapy Techniques
Albert Andrews, MD, outlines the structure and purpose of a hospital-based inhalation therapy department in his book, Manual of Oxygen Therapy Techniques.
The New York Academy of Medicine publishes a report, “Standard of Effective Administration of Inhalation Therapy,” setting the stage for formal education for people in the field.
American Association of Inhalation Therapists (AAIT)
The ITA is renamed the American Association of Inhalation Therapists (AAIT). In February 1966, it was again renamed the American Association for Inhalation Therapy (still, AAIT).
The New York State Society of Anesthesiologists and the Medical Society of the State of New York form a Special Joint Committee in Inhalation Therapy to establish “the essentials of acceptable schools of inhalation therapy.”
The AAIT holds its first annual meeting (now the AARC International Respiratory Congress) at the Hotel St. Clair in Chicago.
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates adopts a resolution calling for the use of the New York Essentials in the creation of schools of inhalation therapy.
The AAIT begins publishing a science journal, Inhalation Therapy (now RESPIRATORY CARE).
The AAIT, AMA, American College of Chest Physicians, and American Society of Anesthesiologists jointly adopt the Essentials for an Approved School of Inhalation Therapy Technicians; the Essentials begin a three year trial period.
The American Registry of Inhalation Therapists (ARIT) is formed to oversee a new examination leading to a formal credential for people in the field.
The ARIT administers the first Registry exams in Minneapolis.
The AMA House of Delegates grants formal approval for the “Essentials for an Approved School of Inhalation Therapy Technicians.”
The Board of Schools of Inhalation Therapy Technicians is formed in Chicago.
The Association hosts an Education Forum, the precursor to the Summer Forum, the AARC’s premiere mid-year meeting for managers and educators in the profession; the Association undergoes a third name change, from the American Association of Inhalation Therapists to the American Association for Inhalation Therapy.
The AAIT launches the Technician Certification Program to offer a credential to people working in the field who do not qualify to take the Registry exams.
The Board of Schools of Inhalation Therapy Technicians becomes the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Therapy Education (JRCRTE).
The Board of Schools of Inhalation Therapy Technicians becomes the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Therapy Education (JRCRTE).
The AAIT becomes the American Association for Respiratory Therapy (AART).
The profession’s two credentialing programs merge into the National Board for Respiratory Therapy (NBRT); the AAIT forms the American Respiratory Therapy Foundation (ARTF) to support research, education, and charitable activities in the profession.
The AARC publishes the first issue of AARC Times
magazine, the “People Magazine” for the respiratory
therapist.
California passes the first modern licensure law governing the profession of respiratory care; President Ronald Reagan proclaims the first National Respiratory Care Week.
The AART becomes the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC); the ARTF becomes the American Respiratory Care Foundation (ARCF); the NBRT becomes the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).
The AARC begins developing Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for treatments and modalities common in the field; the ARCF launches an International Fellowship Program to bring health care professionals from around the world to the U.S. every year to tour health care facilities in two cites and then attend the AARC International Respiratory Congress.
The JRCRTE evolves into the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
RESPIRATORY CARE journal is accepted into Index Medicus, the principal bibliographic database of the National Library of Medicine and its online counterpart, the MEDLINE service.
Lung Health Day
The AARC launches Lung Health Day to promote better lung health to consumers. The Day takes place every year on the Wednesday during National Respiratory Care Week.
Quality Respiratory Care Recognition program
The AARC launches a Quality Respiratory Care
Recognition program to identify hospitals that follow
strict guidelines governing the quality of the respiratory
care they provide to patients.
The 435 Plan
The Association develops the 435 Plan to ensure a rapid
response to fast-moving legislative issues to advocate for
patients and respiratory therapists.
International Educational Recognition System
AARC launches a Benchmarking Program to assist respiratory care managers in providing accurate data
to support administrative decisions and identify and promote best practices in the profession. The AARC forms the International Educational Recognition System to promote high-quality respiratory care education around the globe.
Toni Rodriguez, EdD, RRT
Toni Rodriguez, EdD, RRT, becomes the first AARC president to serve a two-year term. After years of work on the part of the AARC, RRTs with bachelor’s or master’s degrees become eligible to be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Public Health Service. AARC launches the 2015 and Beyond project to define the knowledge, skills, and attributes that will be needed by RTs in the 21st century.
National Ventilator Survey
The AARC conducts the National Ventilator Survey
on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. The AARC launches the Asthma Self-
Management Education (ASME) certifi cation program.
The Association creates a presence on social media with
the addition of both Facebook and Twitter pages.
Hawaii becomes the 49th state to achieve state licensure
Hawaii becomes the 49th state to achieve state
licensure. The Association furthers its entry into social
media with the debut of AARConnect. AARC Times goes
digital with the launch of a flipbook-style publication on
www.AARC.org. AARC launches the Leadership Institute
to provide members with the skills they need to succeed
in management, education, and research.
RESPIRATORY CARE enters the digital age with a flipbook-style
publication, epub ahead of print feature, and HTML format
for articles.
Adult Critical Care Course
The AARC launches an Adult Critical Care Course to help
therapists prepare to sit for the NBRC’s new Adult Critical
Care Specialist credential. The AARC offers Exam Prep
for the fi rst time to help RTs prepare for the CRT and RRT
credentialing exams.
AARC University
AARC University debuts and serves as a portal to all of the
Association’s online educational offerings.
Patient Advocacy Summit
The AARC hosts its first-ever Patient Advocacy Summit
prior to AARC Congress 2015 in Tampa, FL, drawing
participation from a range of patient advocacy groups
as well as industry representatives. The Virtual Museum
becomes a reality, showcasing the history of the
respiratory care profession and the AARC.
The AARC calls for 80% of RTs to have earned, or be
working toward, a bachelor’s degree by the year 2020,
issues a new RT Education Position Statement calling for
all newly created respiratory care educational programs
to award (at a minimum) a bachelor’s degree, and takes
steps to investigate the feasibility of an Advanced Practice
Respiratory Therapist.
The AARC marks 70 years
The AARC marks 70 years as the premiere respiratory care
organization in the country and around the world.
AARC Times Final Print Issue
The final print issue of AARC Times was mailed. Effective January 2020, the publication became an all-digital magazine.