In a recent survey of respiratory care leaders by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), nearly nine in 10 (87%) agreed or strongly agreed there is a current, local shortage of RTs, and 84 percent think a shortage of RTs in the future is likely or very likely.¹ 

There are three major factors that have resulted in the current RT shortage: A high rate of RTs reaching retirement age, RTs leaving the profession because of job dissatisfaction and burnout, and far fewer students pursuing careers in the respiratory therapy field.

Consider the following: 

• More than 92,000 RTs will retire by 2030
• 93% of RTs say burnout is a major issue
• A 27% decrease in RT education program enrollment, with only 10% of programs at capacity²

While the RT profession has been facing these challenges for some time, it took the COVID-19 pandemic to bring them to the surface and underscore the serious patient care and safety ramifications of the shortage.

Here are three ways Dräger contributes to the RT field, helping to retain experienced RTs and attract a new generation of individuals to the profession.

1. Support Today’s RTs

Every state in the nation, except for Alaska, requires RTs to earn and maintain certification for state licensure. Certified RTs must earn continuing education credits (CEU) each year, with the specific number set by the state in which they are licensed.

Within the current environment, where RTs are working long hours under stressful conditions to overcome staff shortages and support an increasing patient population with respiratory complications, they need convenient and flexible access to continuing education (CE) courses.

Dräger offers free, online respiratory continuing education units (CEU) through its website, A Breath Ahead, including webinars and presentations on adult and neonatal respiratory care topics.³

2. Further Student Learning

To fill the pipeline with new RTs entering the profession, stakeholders must enhance and broaden current higher education offerings. These efforts should start at the high school level, educating students on the respiratory therapy field so they consider it as a career option.

Equipping RT schools with advanced technologies is important to preparing students for real-world application of their skills. Students should be training on the same caliber of ventilators and other respiratory care devices and supplies they will be using in healthcare facilities upon graduation.

That is why Dräger has donated its adult and neonatal ventilators to U.S. RT schools for seven years in a row, with its most recent donation made to RT schools throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2021 in memory Robert Kacmarek, a long-standing leader in the respiratory care profession who passed away in April last year.

3. Back Research

Continued respiratory care research and innovation improves outcomes and saves lives. RTs who engage in research during their careers add significant value to research projects while advancing in their professional development. There needs to be greater support for participation in research initiatives.

The American Respiratory Care Foundation (ARCF) grants research funds to qualified investigators in the field of respiratory care, and fellowships to a select number of RTs who have research abstracts accepted for presentation at the AARC Congress each year. Dräger has provided two endowments to the fellowship program to support these efforts.

The ARCF also bestows literary awards to RTs who have authored papers published in the journal Respiratory Care. For example, the Dräger Literary Award, funded by a grant from the company, encourages research by respiratory therapists by recognizing the best paper focused on mechanical ventilation published in the journal.

We are already facing significant RT labor issues during the pandemic and all evidence points to far greater challenges down the road. More than 92,000 RTs will retire by 2030, 93% of RTs say burnout is a major issue and only 10% of RT programs are at capacity today.⁴ At the same time, employment of respiratory therapists is predicted to grow 23 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.⁵ If we do the math, it is clear we are a profession in crisis. 

I call on all stakeholders to the respiratory care profession to do more in support of RTs on the front lines today, while making improvements so that the future generation sees the profession not as a burden but as an opportunity for personal and professional greatness. 

Earn complimentary online Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) credits by completing respiratory webinars offered by leading experts. Each program has been approved for a 1.0 contact hour CRCE credit by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC).

Edwin Coombs, MA, RRT-NPS, ACCS, FAARC, has over 35 years of experience as a registered respiratory therapist. He currently serves as Dräger’s Senior Director of Marketing for Portfolio Solutions Training, Clinical Affairs, and Intensive Care at Dräger in North America. He also is an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri School of Allied Health Professions as well as an advisory board member at Rutgers University for Innovation & Disruptive Business. In these roles he shares his passion and experience for bringing new technology to market and educating clinicians to improve many aspects of health care delivery. For more information, contact edwin.coombs@draeger.com.