Message from the President

Happy New Year! I am honored to serve as the 2023 NBRC President. For background, I am currently the Program Director of Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa, which offers an AAS in Respiratory Therapy. I have served with the NBRC since 2011, first as a consultant to the Therapist Multiple Choice Examination Committee and then joining the Board in 2018. This past year was an incredible year of learning the NBRC volunteer leadership role from Dr. David Vines (Past President) and Lori Tinkler (CEO). This year we will continue the important work that has already begun.

While the mission, vision and values of the NBRC remain steadfast, we will focus on several initiatives that are underway to continue to elevate and showcase the respiratory care profession. The NBRC will continue to promote and grow the MoreRTs public awareness campaign with passion. There is close collaboration with the AARC and CoARC to create resources targeting recruitment, retention, value and leadership. The three organizations, referred to now as the Respiratory Care Collaborative, meet regularly and communicate frequently to support the hard work you do to educate, lead and provide direct patient care.

By the end of 2023, the NBRC Board of Trustees will complete the transition from a 31-member Board to a 19-member Board. We are grateful for the many dedicated Board members who have served over the years and look forward to the contributions of time and talent of those who remain on the Board and those who will join us in the future.

We will continue to engage with our physician colleagues through the organizations who nominate them to serve on our Board – CHEST, the American Society of Anesthesiology and the American Thoracic Society. These physician organizations are important to the NBRC mission, as well as an avenue to gain support for the respiratory care profession. Lori Tinkler, CEO, and I will travel and participate in the national meetings of these three organizations to increase awareness and promote the value of the respiratory care profession to this audience. The profession needs the support of our physician colleagues and we continue to invest in building these relationships.

Last, but certainly not least, we will continue our efforts to transition to a single multiple-choice examination in 2027. The current Therapist Multiple Choice (TMC) and Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE) will be replaced with one exam called the Respiratory Therapist Examination. As we move through this process, we will provide updates to ensure all of our constituencies are aware of the details associated with the new exam as they become available. I am confident this change will minimize barriers to obtaining the RRT credential and provide a more seamless transition from graduation into the workforce. I am very proud of this vision and the ability of the NBRC to embrace the change with quality and precision.

I look forward to supporting and promoting the valuable profession of respiratory care in my role as President of the NBRC.

Sincerely,

Amy Boeckmann, MPA, RRT
NBRC President