Respiratory Therapy Paper

Words: 1563
Pages: 7

This paper will discuss how the Respiratory Therapy (RT) profession will look in the future. The RT profession is going to change in many ways. The healthcare system in the United States is on the edge of dramatic change, determined by the need to reduce costs and improve quality. As a result, the role and responsibilities of the RT workforce will change significantly in the near future, in response to main changes in the United States healthcare system. Future RTs need exceed the knowledge, skills, and attributes of today’s respiratory therapy program graduate. The education requirements of the graduate RT have not changed in many years, but the role of the RT has really expanded. Also, different blends of knowledge, decision making, …show more content…
As the expectation of the respiratory care entry level workforce change, increasing pressure will develop to assist existing practitioners to meet these new standards by documenting their success at acquiring the new competencies. Additional pressure will come from state licensing boards, and the public will demand that all healthcare professionals maintain evidence of continued basic competence throughout their professional careers. Time-limited medical specialty certification with required periodic recertification is now the standard for physicians and other professionals. While individuals already in the workforce are likely to be grandfathered, employers and the public will probably demand evidence of continued competence of all healthcare …show more content…
Common changes such as decrease the cost of healthcare, improve the quality of care delivered, evaluate effectiveness using outcome measures, and improve access and resource allocation to the healthcare system that are expected to influence both delivery and financial care. Some of the many proposed changes would get rid of denials of coverage to those with preexisting conditions, and mandate healthcare insurance for the U.S. citizens and pay for performance system. The restriction on preexisting conditions is significant to the profession of respiratory care because of two top conditions as asthma and COPD, which create up account for large national expenditures because of their prolonged disease path. Also, chronic diseases not only result in a denial of insurance coverage, but also account for an increasing number of unscheduled physician and emergency department visits, and frequent