The National Board for Respiratory Care, Inc. (NBRC) is a voluntary health certifying board which was created in 1960 to evaluate the professional competence of respiratory therapists. A group of Chicago physicians and therapists recognized the need to formalize the training and registration of practitioners involved in the care and support of patients with respiratory disorders.

Through the guidance of these individuals, the American Registry of Inhalation Therapists (ARIT) was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in the state of Illinois. This organization has responded to the growth of the profession through the years and has evolved as the current NBRC.

The NBRC Executive Office has been located in the metropolitan Kansas City area since 1974 when the American Registry of Inhalation Therapists (ARIT) and Technician Certification Board of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) merged to form a single, independent credentialing organization.

The NBRC strives for excellence in providing credentialing examinations and associated services to the respiratory community, and intends to remain at the forefront of the testing field by offering valid, reliable credentialing examinations, consistent with leading measurement standards and techniques. The NBRC remains vibrant by taking a creative, open-minded attitude toward change and new opportunities for growth.

Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NBRC, is engaged in test development, test administration, and educational and occupational measurement. Under an agreement with its parent corporation, AMP assists in the development of examinations and provides test administration services. For more information about AMP, please visit the AMP website.

The primary purposes of the NBRC and its 31-member Board of Trustees are to provide high quality voluntary credentialing examinations for practitioners of respiratory therapy and pulmonary function technology; establish standards to credential practitioners to work under medical direction; issue certificates to and prepare a directory of credentialed individuals; advance medicine by promoting use of respiratory care in treating human ailments; support ethical and educational standards of respiratory care; and, cooperate with accrediting agencies to support respiratory care education. Since its inception, the NBRC has issued over 318,000 professional credentials to more than 193,000 individuals, and currently tests nearly 18,000 candidates annually. One of the respiratory therapy examinations is the standard for licensure in the 48 states that regulate the profession.

The NBRC is a member of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), and its examination programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Accreditation by the NCCA signifies unconditional compliance with stringent testing and measurement standards among national health testing organizations. This recognition attests to the NBRC's past and continued efforts to maintain the quality and integrity of examination programs on behalf of the respiratory care profession. For more information, please visit the National Organization for Competency Assurance.