Frequent Questions
What is the respiratory care scope of practice?
Clinical respiratory therapists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have completed two to four years of college study and are fully credentialed by the National Board for Respiratory Care and licensed by the State of Ohio.
Ohio state law allows respiratory care practitioners, performed upon the prescription and under the supervision of a physician licensed to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery, to render to individuals, groups, organizations, or the public any service involving the:
- Evaluation of cardiopulmonary function
- Treatment of cardiopulmonary impairment
- Asessment of treatment effectiveness
- Care of patients with deficiencies and abnormalities associated with the cardiopulmonary system
What does the practice of Respiratory Care include?
The practice of respiratory care includes:
- Obtaining, analyzing, testing, measuring, and monitoring blood and gas samples in the determination of cardiopulmonary parameters and related physiologic data, including flows, pressures, and volumes, and the use of equipment employed for this purpose
- Administering, monitoring, recording the results of, and instructing in the use of medical gases, aerosols, and bronchopulmonary hygiene techniques, including drainage, aspiration, and sampling and applying, maintaining, and instructing in the use of artificial airways, ventilators, and other life support equipment employed in the treatment of cardiopulmonary impairment and provided in collaboration with other licensed health care professionals responsible for providing care
- Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and respiratory rehabilitation techniques
- Administering medications for the testing or treatment of cardiopulmonary impairment upon the prescription and under the supervision of a physician licensed to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery
