Your time constraints will likely increase when you pursue a highly demanding (yet deeply satisfying) career as a respiratory therapist (RT). Days may disappear in taking care of work and family-related responsibilities. Your respiratory CEUs may become due before you know it, and you might find yourself hard-pressed to squeeze in the education requirements. Every licensed respiratory therapist is mandated to complete CE units for renewing and maintaining their state license.
Respiratory therapy CEUs online courses provide education for RTs involved in caring for patients with respiratory diseases. The course units may include information on the management and treatment of asthma, COPD, and IPF, among others. You will learn about protocols, updates, and special considerations when treating patients with breathing disorders.
Several online respiratory therapy courses are available, which is great news for busy working professionals. That said, finding the best online course module can be challenging. This post will cover what respiratory therapists do, why you must complete mandatory continuing education units, whether you are eligible for advanced learning, and how you can access an online CEU.
What is Respiratory Therapy?
Respiratory therapy is a specialized medical field in which the practitioners are imparted specific training related to pulmonary medicine. This allows practitioners to work therapeutically with patients suffering from various forms of pulmonary diseases. In short, respiratory therapists are certified medical professionals responsible for treating breathing issues and lungs.
Respiratory therapists can handle airway and breathing problems stemming from various events and conditions. Some of the more common concerns include:
- Bronchitis
- Asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
Respiratory therapists are considered everyday heroes in several circles. They play a vital role in dealing with the symptoms associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome as a result of coronavirus. Respiratory therapists may not be full-fledged doctors, but they work in intensive care units, emergency rooms, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, and sleep centers. Several respiratory therapists specialize in working with seniors or babies, infants, and toddlers.
Why Should You Seek Further Education in Respiratory Therapy?
You are probably ready to leave the classroom behind if you recently accepted your diploma from a respiratory care school. Taking this into account, this is easier said than done in a profession like respiratory care. The majority of respiratory therapists across the United States delay completing their continuing educational units.
It’s easy to brush unsavory compliance requirements under the carpet till it’s time to face them head-on. Generally, around the time of license renewals, most respiratory therapists wonder why completing CEUS is necessary in the first place. Depending on your practice state, you may require bi-annual or annual CE credits. The hospital you work with will also ask you to be part of facility-specific continuing education.
These are a few reasons for seeking ongoing education in the field of respiratory therapy:
Stay Updated with Latest Knowledge
Continuing Education Units are educational courses offered by reliable providers covering subjects relevant to respiratory therapists where updated knowledge is essential for their daily work. The need for CE units for respiratory therapists and other health care practitioners is well established. Professionals must engage in CE because of the increasing volume and changing nature of medical information.
Continuing education will also allow you to keep up with the rapid growth of technology employed in respiratory care. Ideal educational activities are in the form of self-directed online self-paced programs.
Mandated by States
Each state has made it mandatory for respiratory therapists to complete a set number of continuing education credits within a specified period for license renewal. Each respiratory therapist course contains credits that help fulfill the state’s requirements. In certain states, CEUs may be required by the hospital or health care organization as well.
The state you practice in will have specified the number of CEUs to be completed in 1 – 2 years for maintaining and renewing the license. There are several online options that will allow you to complete our CEUs through home study courses.
State regulations have specific wording regarding the eligibility and acceptability of correspondence courses or home study. Certain states allow home study courses to be a part a large part of their CE requirements.
In California, all respiratory therapists who wish to maintain an active license must complete 30 hours of CE mandatorily. There is an exception on the first renewal that only requires the completion of 15 hours of continuing education.
The minimum continuing education required in Pennsylvania is 30 hours for renewing a respiratory therapy license. The units must be completed within a specified biennial renewal period commencing from January 1st of an odd year to December 31st of the following year.
Texas Respiratory care practitioners must complete a minimum of 24 hours/credits of continuing education every 24 months. This period doesn’t follow the calendar year. Instead, it commences from the biennial registration period. Certificate holders are required to report during registration if they have completed the necessary CE units in the previous biennial registration period.
Enhanced Patient Care
Higher level of education allows for a much better level of patient care. Therapists that complete their continuing education units are aware of industry changes and updates. They are better equipped to deal with challenges. This is especially true among the rising population of elderly with respiratory conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, and pneumonia.
Complex care protocols are involved in specific patient groups. For instance, premature babies need particular procedures for addressing complications associated with underdeveloped lungs. Another example includes coronavirus complications. Respiratory therapists had to quickly adapt to the virus’s uncertainty since ventilator use was widespread among patients.
In addition, the technological advancements in the respiratory care field require trained, skilled, and knowledgeable therapists to implement them.
Lucrative Leadership Positions
You may be in a better position to secure leadership promotions in your career by proving your skills. It can be easier to move from staff therapists to shift supervisor and department manager or into an administrative role with the right knowledge.
Academic credentials and continuing education play an essential role if you want to pursue career growth in your field. There is also improved salary potential when recruiters identify you as a knowledgeable professional. The demand for respiratory technicians has never been more significant in the prevailing Covid times.
Who Can Take the Advanced Learning Classes?
Advanced learning classes can benefit every respiratory therapist. TheCEPlace offers online coursework and education to busy professionals to renew their licenses and further their careers. You can use TheCEPlace, whether you are based in the United States or Puerto Rico, to complete your required CEUs.
Respiratory therapy CEU courses range in subject matter from review material to advanced learning. Home study courses differ in length and the amount of CE credits granted. CEU credits are usually based on the length of time taken to provide the material in a lecture setting. Typical courses contain objectives, answer sheets, post-test, text, and evaluation forms.
CEUs obtained from online self-study courses usually require testing. The credits are awarded at the end of the testing and can be accessed anywhere you are. Anyone who has completed their basic diploma course and is currently working as a respiratory therapist can take these further learning courses.
Continuing respiratory care education is required by different states for active license maintenance. Respiratory professionals should not have to see their licenses lapse just because they hesitated in completing their continuing education units. You may need to meet various continuing education requirements before starting the courses. These are specific to the state you practice in and the organization you choose to get the certificate from.
CEUs are not required if your registration is inactive, and you have notified the Department about not practicing your profession. You would need to meet all previous continuing education requirements when attempting to reactive your license. It’s recommended that you keep up with your continuing education credits. This makes it easier to reactivate a license when required. It also helps you stay in touch with the happenings in the industry.
Do You Need a Basic Understanding of Respiratory Therapy First to Take Up the Learning Courses?
Continuing respiratory care education CRCE is a measure awarded to professionals for completing their CEUs and maintaining active licenses. There is always something new to learn, especially in healthcare. It’s critical that you stay updated with the different advancements made. CEUs are necessary to keep your certifications current. The best part is that you don’t need advanced learning of respiratory therapy to undertake these courses.
The knowledge you would already have after gaining your respiratory therapy diploma and practicing as a respiratory therapist is sufficient. Many people wonder whether they need any additional education or certification to obtain their mandatory continuing education credits. The short answer is that you don’t need anything extra besides what you already know.
The purpose of these mandatory credits is to ensure that you remain in touch with your theoretical knowledge. Another objective of these courses is to keep respiratory therapists up to date with any current advancements in the field. This includes technical aspects of things. It’s vital to ensure that the course you choose is approved by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) or another approved organization like the California Board of Registered Nursing.
How Do You Access the Learning?
TheCEPlace is one of the best online education centers for respiratory therapists. You get everything you need to obtain your continuing education credits from a single place. The sole focus of this online portal is to provide accessible information and coursework to all students at an affordable price. You can stay up to date with the latest methods in your field through TheCEPlace.
TheCEPlace offers an exciting and robust list of courses. All education courses are created around best-selling books from the respiratory therapy field. It’s not easy being a respiratory therapist; You are busy throughout the day with your patients and other responsibilities. TheCEPlace understands this and makes it easy to access education where it counts the most.
Maintaining an active license should not be an expensive or laborious process. You won’t need to delay your continuing education credits until the last minute when you know you can access these online self-study courses from anywhere. It can get stressful when you attempt to cram a large chunk of credits during your license renewal. TheCEPlace offers easily accessible courses while making the process entirely hassle-free.
This is how you can access learning at this portal:
- You must register with TheCEPlace and select your state of employment. The portal has ready coursework that services respiratory therapists from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
- The next step is to determine the number of self-study continuing education units (CEU) allowed by your particular state. Every state has individual eligibility requirements for license renewal.
- You can log in to your new profile and review all available course tests that are provided for the needed CEUs. TheCEPlace offers AARC RT courses. You can avail the best courses whether you are a professional in the United States or Puerto Rico.
- The next step will involve purchasing the course tests. You can purchase or borrow the related course e-book or paper book from their library.
- Things get easy from here. You will have to read the book and take the test. There is no additional charge to taking multiple tests if you did not clear it the first time.
- TheCEPlace will provide you with a certificate once you have passed the test. This will show the number of CEUs you have obtained and CRCE (AARC) accreditation. This is a downloadable certificate that can be emailed to anyone that requires a copy.
TheCEPlace is accredited as a provider for RT continuing education. TheCEPlace is licensed to provide CEUs in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Accreditations include the Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) system of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and the California Board of Registered Nursing (CBRN).
Choose a Reliable and Dedicated Provider of CEU Online Courses
You can get instant access to a number of interesting and relatable online courses with TheCEPlace. You don’t need to limit yourself or get worried about renewing your respiratory therapist license. As long as you have internet access, you can complete your courses easily. The best part is that you can take the tests on the portal itself. And there is no additional charge if you don’t pass the test the first time since you can retake as many times as you like for free.
Get in touch with TheCEPlace today for the best and most updated CEU courses. Give us a call at 833-388-2600 or use our web form to request for more information.