Respiratory care is an important specialty in the medical field Even though respiratory care is a new discipline compared to medicine and nursing it is very well established .

The development of this specialty evolved from the ancient times when resuscitation was performed by using a bellows and mouth to mouth breathing to the development of positive pressure ventilation with microprocessors and complex ventilation modes.1 It is important to realize that a lot of scientists have greatly impacted the development of the respiratory care profession. For example, the work of Boyle , Gay -Lussac , Daltons , and Laplace have significantly enhanced understanding of lung mechanics by explaining the relationship between time , pressure , volume and surface tension .

The respiratory care profession began with technicians who were responsible for the oxygen cylinders and the delivery of oxygen by different modalities. However, the respiratory therapist of today is markedly different in that they provide multiple diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to patients, including oxygen , aerosol and positive pressure ventilation. Mechanical ventilation is considered to be one of the revolutions in the history of respiratory care, and has developed from the use of noninvasive negative pressure ventilators such as the iron lung to the use of ventilators capable of delivering different modes of ventilation . 1

The role of the respiratory therapist (RT) is expanding and now includes providing services in different areas such as education, hospital critical care, rehabilitation programs , home care, protocol development, and research ..Respiratory therapists must be willing to participate in team work, commit to continuous learning, and provide quality care. Good leadership skills are also required to be an effective respiratory therapist. Additionally, it is crucial to demonstrate professionalism at work, which involves technical and behavioral competence to assure the provision of high quality care to patients .

The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) is the professional organization that promotes the respiratory care profession and advocates for respiratory therapists in the United States. The AARC has a leading role in disseminating knowledge about respiratory care all over the world . The organization assists respiratory therapists with multiple activities to develop their knowledge and skills . Furthermore, it provides continuing education opportunities that help them to maintain their licenses in different states after successful completion of the registered respiratory therapist (RRT) exam administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) . As matter of fact, the NBRC offers t exams that allows RTs to be credentialed as a specialist in different aspects of respiratory care. In addition, the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care ( CoARC) accredits respiratory care programs to enhance the quality of respiratory therapy education . Qualified physicians who are either pulmonologists or anesthesiologists provide medical direction for respiratory therapists working in any healthcare setting, and a select group of physicians known asthe board of medical advisors ( BOMA )2 provide advice related to medical issues to the AARC.

Respiratory care is a profession I would recommend to anyone considering a career in the healthcare field. The profession is expected to grow in the United States because of a projected increase in individuals with respiratory impairment caused by smoking, pollution, and an aging population with chronic conditions3.

Reference :

1- Egan’s Fundamentals of Respiratory Care book

2-WWW.AARC.org

3-http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm