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September 9, 2022 marked the close of another very successful SCSRC annual conference; this proved to be a recording setting year for the state society with over 180 attendees, including therapists from states such as Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and, of course, all over South Carolina, students from five of the state’s seven technical colleges, speakers from all over the nation and a total of 52 vendors represented.

Len Geiger from Jacksonville, Florida presented a lecture about his experiences with having Alpha1 Antitrypsin deficiency and where that took on a road to a double lung transplant. Many in the audience were moved to tears and have asked to have him come to all of our conferences.

Jim Damron gave a lecture about Prescribing Suicide, which proved to be thought provoking; he was also a favorite among those in attendance.

These are only two of the highly rated lectures that were presented at the conference.

The Brief Tobacco Intervention training program that has been a project/partnership with SC DHEC for the past two years was also rolled out; this training program offers one hour of CRCE free to AARC/SCSRC members and is $10 for non-AARC members. Ms. Katy Wynne, with the SC DHEC Tobacco Quitline, presented a lecture on “Evidence That Supports Clinical Intervention with Patients Who Smoke or Vape” as a part of this roll out.

The RT students had their own half day break out sessions where they spent time with representatives from different vendor companies, including Vapotherm, Carolina Diagnostics Solutions, Sentec, to name a few, and Duke University Medical Center. This was held in the Dunes Ballroom of the Hilton hotel, with amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding them.

The celebration dinner, with a Halloween theme, was held on Wednesday evening, with the costume contest winners being announced the following day; congratulations to all on your creativity!

The exhibit hall was well attended; the Program Committee heard over and over from the exhibitors in attendance that our exhibit hall is the best in the region!

The annual business meeting was conducted on Wednesday afternoon, where the results of the election were announced; congratulations to all and we look forward to working with you in the new year of 2023. Mr. Wayne Barfield, one of delegates to the AARC’s House of Delegates, was the recipient of the 2022 President’s Award. Mr. Mike Bianchi, the SCSRC’s webmaster, was the recipient of the 2022 Palmetto Award, in recognition of the many years of commitment and value he has brought to the SCSRC by managing and maintaining the website, often donating time to the care and maintenance of the website.

The 2022 Department of the Year award was given to Prisma Health Hillcrest Hospital Respiratory Care Department – Congratulations!

The 2022 Leadership Practitioner of the Year award recipient was Kelcy Scott, RRT-NPS, from the Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital at the Medical University of South Carolina.

The 2022 Region of the Year was the Midlands Region – congratulations to directors Terrica Rice and Amanda Coffey!

All in all, it was a very successful conference; plans are already underway for the 52nd Annual Conference scheduled for September 2023! We hope to see you there!

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