Should Respiratory Care get its own mid-level provider credential?

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I know this is primarily a nursing forum, but Respiratory and RRT/RN dual title holders are also very prominent in this forum, but me being an RRT/and current PA student, I have an interest in this particular question:

Every profession in allied health has been trying to do everything humanly possible to try and advanced their professions (Except Radiology it seems), PT now requires a doctorate to practice, PA's will soon follow the NP's whom are also going to require the doctorate to practice at an advance level and for RN's, the entry level degree will now be the BSN. For respiratory the profession will also eventually go BSRT just like Nursing is, and by 2015 the CRT exam will be retired. There also has been talk about the possibility of giving RT its own mid level provider possibly called a CPP or Cardiopulmonary Practicioner or ACPS- Advanced Cardiopulmonary specialist, and also trying to expand the reach of the current and much lesser known cousin to the CRNA in the anesthesiologist assistant, which only has 37 states that use A.A's and only a handful of programs in the country.

What do you think of the prospect of giving RRT's its own mid level provider similar to the NP or PA?

I'd love to hear from anyone but particularly RRT-RN's on here

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Specializes in NICU.

I'm an RN working in Neonatal ICU. Several RTs that I work with are brilliant, and I would love to see educational and occupational advancements open to them. I think it's slow-going though. They've been talking about BSN being the entry level for RNs for 15 years now, and it still hasn't happened.

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I think nobody is immune to "education inflation"- the increasing amount of education required to do the same job that required less.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
.... the NP's whom are also going to require the doctorate to practice at an advance level and for RN's, the entry level degree will now be the BSN.
Both of those rumors have been around for years, particularly the RN BSN rumor. Don't see either of those taking place anytime soon.
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PA's will soon follow the NP's whom are also going to require the doctorate to practice at an advance level and for RN's, the entry level degree will now be the BSN.

Says who???? While DNP programs are certainly springing up these days like mushrooms after a spring rain, no one is requiring anyone to get a doctorate to be an NP, and where on earth did you get the idea that nursing is going to a BSN-entry standard? That has been discussed in nursing for around 40 years now, and it's no closer to happening now than it was 40 years ago. Do you have some documentation of where you're getting this info from?

What would these proposed new titles for RTs mean? What would RTs be able to do that would be different from what they do now?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

As far as RTs are concerned, in my state, perfusionist programs have a curriculum where it builds on the RT as well as radiology programs, and you can receive a masters. My state is also ahead of requiring new NPs to be doctorates when they enter a program in 2015. I think as we care for more and more complex pts, roles are going to expand. If it requires classroom time, so be it, along with a financial bonus in our pockets ;)

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Specializes in ICU/CCU/CVICU.

The anesthesiology assistant is not the cousin to the CRNA. They are trained and most hold masters degrees, however, they must practice under medical direction. A CRNA is an independent practitioner who is not required to practice under the direction of a doctor and makes independent judgments about anesthesia.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
As far as RTs are concerned, in my state, perfusionist programs have a curriculum where it builds on the RT as well as radiology programs, and you can receive a masters. My state is also ahead of requiring new NPs to be doctorates when they enter a program in 2015. I think as we care for more and more complex pts, roles are going to expand. If it requires classroom time, so be it, along with a financial bonus in our pockets ;)

Perfusionists are different from respiratory therapists - different curriculum.

Could you share which state has legislated that only doctorally-prepared NPs will be licensed after a certain date?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
As far as RTs are concerned, in my state, perfusionist programs have a curriculum where it builds on the RT as well as radiology programs, and you can receive a masters. My state is also ahead of requiring new NPs to be doctorates when they enter a program in 2015. I think as we care for more and more complex pts, roles are going to expand. If it requires classroom time, so be it, along with a financial bonus in our pockets ;)
Yes, which state, please? I was not aware of any thus far.
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I was more the less speculating for discussion purposes. I know I made it sound like an absolute fact!, I

am sorry for the misunderstanding.!

I do think a time will come when my field of PA's and my mid level counterparts in NP's will have a doctorate level entry degree.

As for right this moment, the DNP is a "reccomendation"

Not only are these programs popping up all over the place at you suggest, but in my area of Upstate NY, some universities have been replacing the masters level certificated with DNP programs and thus retiring them.

If Physical Therapy can do it, I have no reason to believe that it will happen to PA's and NP's as well.

As far as the BSN thing, i'd have to disagree on that. In fact, I think now more than ever that movement is gaining more momentum as well as the BSRT movement but nowhere near on the same level. Maybe it depends on where you are? But in NY, its coming.

NY and NJ are considering the "BSN in 10" which would require newly licenced RNs to complete the BSN within ten years. There are COUNTRIES which require a baccalaureate degree in order to practice nursing they are: Canada, Sweden, Portugal, Brazil, Iceland, Korea, Greece, and Philippines. Research indicates that levels of nursing education are associated with patient outcomes.

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There is no requirement that I know of yet, but there is definetly a strong movement for that. By 2015 it's reccomended that NP programs make the transition to the DNP, but we'll see. I think it's too much too soon?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Perfusionists are different from respiratory therapists - different curriculum.

Could you share which state has legislated that only doctorally-prepared NPs will be licensed after a certain date?

Where I work, respiratory therapists are a part of the ECMO team, which requires the perfusionist program...saw them on my PICU during my orientation yesterday. The nurses and RTs run the machine, titrate, etc, etc..

A lot of my area local hospitals require perfusionists to have a background in RRT, as well as the formal study.

I also was looking into a perfusion program, and I cannot find the link I saw that required master's level completion, so I will stand corrected on the master's level information. I did looking into perfusionist programs in my area, and the requirement is a Bachelors.

Drexel university provides two distinct perfusion/CV programs, in their health professions, and one is included in the Radiology program-this is in response to the comment on the Radiology comment from the OP...tried to find more info, but difficult on my phone:http://www.drexel.edu/catalog/archive/pdf/2009/2009-2010_CNHP_UG.pdf see pg 29. There are Rad Techs that can obtain BA degrees, nothing of Masters in my neck of the woods...not sure if that particular "go between" you were discussing...

Hope that provides clarity to my original response.

As for the DNP, There is no legislation on the table. My response was targeted in how programs in my area-I live in PA-have been gearing up programs where they are tailoring NPs to get a doctorate. One of the local colleges in Philly has already discontinued several NP programs and plan to restructure to a doctorate program; a colleague is in a program they discontinued admissions; she is in her last year. Here is a link to one that started tailoring DNP primary care practice:

http://chpsw.temple.edu/nursing/academic-programs/graduate-programs

They provide Geriatric and Family Practice.

Another Program at Drexel University:

http://www.drexel.edu/gradnursing/drnp/doctorNursingPractice/

Penn State University

http://www.nursing.psu.edu/graduate/bs-phd

Tailors the program to MSN first (has the NP curriculum in place) then to proceed into the PhD program.

More info: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume102005/No3Sept05/tpc28_416028.html

http://nurse-practitioners-and-physician-assistants.advanceweb.com/Doctorate-of-Nursing-Practice-Center/DNP-Articles/DNP-by-2015.aspx

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/DNPEssentials.pdf

By the time I plan to be a NP as part of my semi retirement plan, there are options in my area; however, who knows if it will be a requirement then.

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