OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of a national effort to raise awareness of the need for respiratory therapists, Brianna Collichio’s inspiring rise to the American Idol stage is the first featured patient story to be released as part of the MoreRTs campaign.
“Brianna’s now epic story - a cystic fibrosis patient who required respiratory therapists from age 2 simply to breathe becoming a celebrated singer on the national stage - was a powerful illustration of the impact respiratory therapists can have on patients’ lives,” said Lori Tinkler, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).
The NBRC, which serves as the national certifying board for respiratory therapists, teamed up with the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) to promote Brianna’s story and drive traffic to the MoreRTs.com website, which is the home of a national effort highlighting the urgent shortage of respiratory therapists and educators in the field of respiratory care.
“As we celebrate Brianna, we celebrate each and every triumph in the respiratory care field – where every breath is a victory,” said Lori Tinkler, CEO of The NBRC. “We are so grateful to Brianna for sharing her story, and there are countless stories out there where people – and their dreams – have been given new life. We believe telling these stories can help people to understand how real the need is.”
Research shows more than 100 million Americans are affected by respiratory disorders. Respiratory therapists specialize in critical care, working in intensive care units and emergency departments, managing life support or ventilation systems. RTs administer aerosol-based medication, manage artificial airways, assess lung capacity, and provide many other highly specialized skills that help keep patients breathing.
The pandemic exacerbated an already urgent need for all healthcare professions, especially in respiratory therapy. Jobs for respiratory therapists are projected to grow 19 percent by 2029, higher than healthcare jobs in general and all occupations combined. But the number of respiratory therapists for those jobs has been steadily declining.
“With the aging population in the U.S. and other looming health challenges, the need for respiratory therapists will continue to grow long after we overcome COVID-19,” said Tinkler. “We all must come together to address this issue.”
To learn more about how you or your organization can help – or to find out how you can become an RT or educator in respiratory care, visit the Collaborative’s website at MoreRTs.com.
About the Collaborative
The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) teamed up with the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) to develop MoreRTs.com, highlighting the urgent shortage of respiratory therapists and educators in field of respiratory care. New partners are joining the effort daily – like the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American Thoracic Society. The MoreRTs.com website provides resources and inspires others to enter the field as respiratory care practitioners and educators.
About the NBRC
Established in 1960 and headquartered in the Kansas City area since 1974, the NBRC is the credentialing board for U.S. respiratory care practitioners. The NBRC’s mission is to promote excellence in respiratory care by awarding credentials based on high-competency standards.
The 49 states regulating the respiratory care profession recognize the NBRC examinations as the minimum standard for state licensure. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accredits all of the NBRC’s examinations.
