The SCSRC Scholarship Committee is pleased to award the 2022 Early Professional Student Scholarships to the following students:

Bristow Kinsey, Spartanburg Community College, Title of Submission: “Interstitial Lung Disease”

Victoria Murphy, Spartanburg Community College, Title of Submission: “A Closer Look at Lung Cancer”

Madison Strickland, Trident Technical College, Title of Submission: “Our Patients Deserve Better”

Amaro Sunga, Piedmont Technical College, Title of Submission: “Myasthenia Gravis”

Diana Thome, Spartanburg Community College, Title of Submission: “What is Bronchiectasis and What Changed In Its Prognosis with Covid-19”

Gabrielle Vickery, Piedmont Technical College, Title of Submission: “Rare Respiratory Diseases: Pulmonary Sarcoidosis”

Congratulations for your work on this and the best of wishes as you continue your education!

What a Great Day to be an RT!

The SCSRC hosted a Respiratory Care Summit on August 12 at Newberry College to bring together clinical and industry leaders, educators, and other stakeholders to assess the state of the Respiratory Care profession in South Carolina. While the day was filled with responses from an engaged audience, we did not have the time we needed to discuss everything that was on our original agenda. However, several critical connections and valuable suggestions were made at the summit. During this meeting we discussed:

• A large majority of the attendees shared staffing concerns within the industry and what their facilities are doing to recruit and retain Respiratory Therapists.
• A representative from MUSC shared several creative tactics they are using to retain and recruit new staff members and assist with recruiting new RC students for the Trident Technical College’s Respiratory Care Program.
• SCSRC delegates and representatives from the AARC shared that everyone needs to encourage staff to pursue higher education.
• There is a great need to recruit more students into the profession
• A group from the SCSRC is meeting with the SC Hospital Association and the SC Department of Commerce on August 23, 2022 to discuss a potential partnership to create a campaign to recruit students into the Respiratory Care programs in the state. Amanda Clark, owner of Carolina Diagnostics provided some valuable leads on potential contacts which resulted in the start of valuable conversations and this first meeting.
• Wayne Barfield, SCSRC Delegate shared some statistics from the CoARC website relating to our 7 associate degree Respiratory Care programs in this state. In total, the maximum number of students that all 7 programs are allowed to enroll are 161 students each year. Looking at 2018-2020, the 7 programs together could have accepted 483 students. In 2018-2020 the total number of students enrolled in these 7 respiratory care programs were only 338. Only 246 of those 338 students graduated from a respiratory care program. So the 7-respiratory care programs only graduated about 50% of their maximum.
• How the SCSRC can better serve the state:
• Assist with recruitment of future respiratory therapists through collaboration with educational programs in this state. Ask retirees to assist with visiting high schools and hospital career fairs to recruit.
• Timely follow-up and response to offers for assistance and requests to volunteer on committees that are written on annual conference evaluation sheets
• Increase educational and networking events and opportunities ALL OVER THE STATE.
• https://www.besomethingamazing.com/
• https://southcarolina.shareyourroad.com/
• Get the RT Navigators, Educators, Asthma Educators, and Telemedicine Providers involved in SCSRC Committees and target educational and networking events for this population
• Visit RT departments to promote SCSRC and AARC membership and events
• Pursue non-traditional ways to recruit members, students, and SCRSC leadership
  Support RRT as entry-level for licensure or employment
• Share success stories about Respiratory Therapists in our state and share all the many things our license allows us to provide
• Share positive outcomes when RTs are doing advance practice procedures in the state – (i.e. intubations, placing arterial lines and central lines, performing bronchs, working on ECMO teams, etc..)
• More in-person communication and meetings
• More communication defining SCSRC, who we are, what we do, and how others can get involved
• Educate and discuss with industry leaders on what RT departments are reimbursed for versus what we really do
• More virtual CEU opportunities
• How can industry leaders and Respiratory Care Practitioners support the SCSRC/AARC:
• Advocate for the SCSRC
• Help with lobbying events
• Encourage staff and students to get involved in SCSRC
• Use personal social media to help recruit students in RC programs
• Encourage staff to pursue BSRT
• Help with supporting funding and ordering a state car license tag for Respiratory Therapists only
• Volunteer to host SCSRC BOD meetings and provide a meeting venue so we will be able to hold the meetings in different areas of the state
• Take the time to explore the different committees and needs of the SCSRC to give of time and talents
• Develop a mentorship program
• Collaborate with educators, LLR, SCSRC, and other managers to discuss what skills and therapies student employees can/should be performing to set a state standard. Share the process of employing students.
• Require AARC membership
• Support private insurance for LTAC’s
• LLR:
• There is a large influx of applications for state licenses from contractors and therapists relocating to South Carolina
• There is a need for a timely turn-around for licenses
• Is our current structure working?
• What do we need to do to push the APRT forward in this state?
• RRT as entry-level for licensure or employment
• CMS
• How can we increase of scope billable services?
• How can we increase reimbursements from CMS for Respiratory Therapists providing services and therapies?
• How can we change the opinion or image of Respiratory Therapists in the eyes of CMS and governmental officials?
• One topic we were not able to give appropriate attention and discuss: RC scope and practice expansion

Downloadable version of this article: SCSRC Respiratory Care Summit 2022 (PDF)

Respiratory Care Summit Photos

To vote: Click HERE TO VOTE!

To vote, please visit: https://scsrcadmin.simplyvoting.com/

Enter your AARC Member Number as both your username and password.

This election is for the 2023 SCSRC Board for Directors. Your support and opinion is greatly desired and crucial to form a collective body of individuals to support and promote our practice and profession in the state of South Carolina. The future and direction of our profession relies on your input and support. Please vote and show your support for Respiratory Care in South Carolina and help us create a more vibrant future as your profession grows and evolves. Only those whose AARC membership is active and current during the voting period are allowed to vote in this election.

The election process for the South Carolina Society for Respiratory Care (SCSRC) Executive Officers and Board of Directors positions will open the weekend before August 7, 2022 and will close at 10 am Wednesday, September 7, 2022. You MUST be an active AARC member at the time the ballot opens to be eligible to vote in this election. For any questions or comments concerning voting, please contact Jerry Alewine, SCSRC 2022 President-Elect at elections@scsrc.org.

Important: Please note that the SCSRC elections process is NOT related to the AARC process. If you need assistance, with casting your vote, please send an email to elections@scsrc.org (opens in a new window). We respectfully ask that you do NOT contact the AARC with questions related to this ballot and voting procedures.

President-Elect: The office of President-Elect is a three-year commitment, which starts as President-Elect in 2023, then President in 2024 and Immediate Past President in 2025.

Candidate for President-Elect: Megan Shell

Treasurer: The office of treasurer is a two-year term, beginning in January 2023 and ending in December 31, 2024.

Candidate for Treasurer: Selma Watson

Vice-President: The office of Vice-President is a two-year term, beginning in January 2023 and ending in December 31, 2024. The Vice-President will also serve as the Program Committee Chair and will be responsible for the annual education program.

Candidate for Vice President: Amanda Coffey

Piedmont Region Director: The position of Piedmont Region Director is a two-term commitment; the first year as junior director will begin January of 2023, the second year as senior director will begin January 2024.

Candidate for Piedmont Region Director: Kristin Lesley

Midlands Region Director: The position of Midlands Region Director is a two-term commitment; the first year as junior director will begin January of 2023, the second year as senior director will begin January 2024.

Candidate for Midlands Region Director: Kristi Lane

Pee-Dee Region Director: The position of Pee-Dee Region Director is a two-term commitment; the first year as junior director will begin January of 2023, the second year as senior director will begin January 2024.

Candidate for Pee-Dee Region Director: Josh Gillman

Coastal Region Director: The position of Coastal Region Director is a two-term commitment; the first year as junior director will begin January of 2023, the second year as senior director will begin January 2024.

Coastal Region Director Candidate: Joyce Lamberson

Good evening,

The SCSRC Executive Committee and Board of Directors met on Friday morning, April 22nd, 2022 via Zoom. Some highlights from this board meeting are noted below:

Report from President Tracy Cook:

Even though I am fairly new to this profession I find it hard to believe that the AARC is celebrating 75-years. I am proud to say that the program committee and many regional directors are working, planning, and strategizing to present quality educational and networking events. If your region has not had an event in the last year, I strongly encourage you to please plan an event. To gather support, you can start with a networking event such as a Dutch-treat dinner. Just get started…. You will be surprised if you set a date, find a venue and advertise the speakers and vendors will respond and fill your agenda. If you feel you do not have the skills and contacts, please, please reach out to me as I am here to help and guide. I also really want to encourage and challenge everyone to think of ways to increase membership in your area. We need to think of all the things we accomplished and did in 2021 and send that information to Wayne Barfield before May 1, 2022 so we can submit our Summit Award Application.

SCSRC goals are:

• Advocacy: My challenge this quarter is that we all advocate and speak up to support our scope of practice. Hill Day is coming in May and we need to write those letters, send those emails, and make the phone calls in support of legislature that supports us and/or our patients. Never be afraid to write your senators or congress.
• Communication/Marketing: Please, post to the SCSRC community on AARConnect. I would love for committee members and regional directors to share a little about themselves utilizing AARConnect posts. Please use that forum to share information or to respond to each other.
• Education/Professional Development: Encourage others to seek educational opportunities and specialty credentials. AARC has several programs to assist members who are seeking specialty credentials.
• Events/Meetings: Each region needs to sponsor a minimal of (1) educational and/or membership event in 2022.
• Membership: We still need to focus on increasing our statewide membership. Less than 20% of the RCP licensed in SC are members of the SCSRC. We need to be deliberate in our encouragement of others to support the SCSRC.
• Revenue and Finance: I am so thankful for our Treasurer and Committee members who are thoughtful in how they spend our money. I appreciate the committees being good financial stewards which allows SCSRC to continue to have a sound financial foundation.

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