2024 AARC Annual Report

AARC members were actively involved in collaborating with other colleagues through AARConnect, our social media channels, Respiratory Care Week, and other initiatives. Last year, we enhanced engagement by adding seven new communities to AARConnect and issuing an online open call for committees which increased volunteer participation nationwide.

We were also proud to announce the inaugural class of our Emerging Leaders Program. Twenty young clinicians from across the country learned more about what it means to lead, and they were joined by another 13 individuals in 2025.

The AARC brand update that began in 2023 continued last year, as well, with more of our entities receiving a modern makeover, including the American Respiratory Care Foundation. We also made membership renewal easier by upgrading our dues process with a new autopay function and began offering text reminders for upcoming renewals in early 2025.

Additional 2024 Engagement activities included:

• AARC Partnership with HOSA
• State Affiliate Meetings
• Career Center
• AARC Aerogen Sputum Bowl
• AARC Disaster Relief Fund

The AARC collaborates closely with other groups and organizations, underscoring the pivotal role that RTs play not only in patient care but also in enhancing workforce efficiency, driving innovation with new technology, and fostering leadership. This collaborative spirit is what makes our community strong and inclusive.

In 2024, we expanded our marketing program to include hospital executives and the C-suite, through a Respiratory Impact webcast series and continued to strengthen our relationships with healthcare organizations around the globe, along with introducing two new categories to our Apex Recognition Program.

We also established an Advanced RT Fund to support colleges and universities in developing Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapist (APRT) programs and encouraged states to pursue APRT licensure. As of the summer of 2025, three organizations have submitted grant applications, and two additional letters of intent have been received.

In June of last year, we hosted the Education Summit to further advance the state of RT education. Following this productive meeting, the Board of Directors established four new education committees to work on future goals.

Additional 2024 Elevate initiatives:

• AARC Fellows (FAARC)
• Zenith Award
• MoreRTs
• Safe and Effective Staffing Guide

Ensuring that RTs have the tools they need to deliver quality care to their patients has always been a top priority for the AARC. In 2024, this commitment continued with the development of additional Clinical Practice Guidelines and a new open-access journal, Respiratory Care Reports, which began requesting manuscript submissions in July 2025. The long-standing AARC Educational Annual will now be included in the latest publication, keeping our members informed and knowledgeable.

We continued to produce state-of-the-art content for our monthly webcast program, and maintained a robust selection of continuing education options in the AARC University as well. Our science journal, Respiratory Care, continued to publish hundreds of papers from leading RT researchers from across the country and around the world.

Additional Educate initiatives:

• AARC Congress
• AARC Summer Forum
• AARC Explores

Giving a voice to RT concerns is paramount to our members and patients, and in 2024, we addressed several key issues.

In conjunction with the Council of State Governments, and with a grant from the Department of Defense our task force developed model legislation to create a Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, which will facilitate the licensure of therapists in one state to work in another. We are pleased to report that Washington State became the first state to sign this legislation into law in April of 2025 with Iowa, Alabama, and Montana following suit to sign onto legislation in May/June of 2025.

We also went to bat for the SOAR Act, which was reintroduced into Congress in 2024 and not only establishes a new payment method for liquid oxygen but also paves the way for supplemental oxygen patients to have better access to respiratory therapists.

In addition, telehealth, and the SOAR Act were the focus of AARC’s 2024 Annual Respiratory Care Fly-In, with more than 100 volunteers taking 270 meetings with members of Congress.

More Advocacy initiatives:

• Federal Government Affairs and Advocacy
• State Advocacy