Asthma is a reversible disease requiring appropriate pharmacological treatment by the Respiratory Therapist. This presentation will cover existing and new aerosolized medications recommended by national and international guidelines in both acute and maintenance treatment of the disease.

Presented by Douglas Gardenhire EdD, RRT, RRT-NPS, FAARC

Approved for 1.0 CRCE

• Please note that all programs require the participant to view the entire program before taking the final quiz and obtaining a course certificate.

• AARC-University courses are reviewed and updated every 3 years to ensure the quality and relevance of your learning experience. You can only claim CRCE credit for a course once within its 3-year active period.

• This course was reviewed in 2024.

This presentation will focus on high impact education that addresses individual self-care needs that are uncovered by EPR3-compliant assessments, including: patient access to and use of medications (adherence), adequacy of inhalation technique, recognition and avoidance of environmental triggers, self-monitoring routines, readiness for managing asthma emergencies.

Presented by Ben Francisco, PhD, PNP, AE-C

• To access the post-course quiz, you must watch the entire intro video. The course content you will be tested on is available as a PDF in the Resources section or Materials tab. 

• This course was developed in 2017, and reviewed in 2021 and 2024.

Patients and families depend upon asthma educators to help them control their asthma symptoms. This continuing education course highlights numerous critical updates to assure that asthma educators have both the knowledge to manage asthma and skills to facilitate our patients’ asthma self-management. The first module describes the efficacy, safety, and side effects of new asthma medications to include biologics. Next a review of the two major sources of asthma guidelines, GINA and the NAEPP Expert Panel Reports, compares the current updates for each. Pediatric critical asthma syndrome is refractory to usual asthma treatments and requires a hospital admission. The third module discusses the treatments for pediatric critical asthma syndrome in the emergency room and pediatric intensive care unit.

The last three modules address how to facilitate asthma self-management skills. Numerous tools promote patient-centered communication. Learn how to use RESPECT, Ask3Teach3, and motivational interviewing to improve patient engagement and learning. Explore how to extend your asthma education into the community by delving into the social determinants of health, assessing the community’s health, and improving access to health services. The final module reviews how asthma management at home requires different tools and skills. Some patients require home monitoring to improve their asthma control. Learn about the current tools and technological advances, including telehealth, to help people self-manage their asthma. Patients and families appreciate you for advancing your asthma education skills!

The AARC Asthma Educator Certification Preparation Course has been assisting RTs and RNs since the NAECB debuted the AE-C examination in 2002. Over 5,000 professionals have benefited from the collection of lectures, self-assessment examinations, and CRCE post-tests based on the content of the NHLBI Expert Panel Reports (EPR).

This course assists clinicians in preparing for the Asthma Educator Certification (AE-C) examination offered by the National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) and is a general refresher course on asthma care. 

This course is approved for 11 CRCE contact hours by the AARC.

The AARC Asthma Educator Certification Preparation Course has been assisting RTs and RNs since the NAECB debuted the AE-C examination in 2002. Over 5,000 professionals have benefited from the collection of lectures, self-assessment examinations, and CRCE post-tests based on the content of the NHLBI Expert Panel Reports (EPR).

This course assists clinicians in preparing for the Asthma Educator Certification (AE-C) examination offered by the National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) and is a general refresher course on asthma care. This course has been updated to reflect the September 2018 detailed content outline published by the NAECB.

The speaker will discuss the challenges of managing chronic disease processes and the key components of successful disease management programs, including assisting patients with self-management skills.

This course was reviewed in 2026

Approved for 1.0 CRCE Hour

**Please note that all programs require the participant to view the entire program prior to taking the final quiz and obtaining a course certificate.**

Wildfires are increasingly common and expose large populations to smoke containing high levels of fine particulate matter (PM?.?). This lecture will summarize key clinical evidence from their recent review on the respiratory health effects of wildfire smoke, with emphasis on acute and long-term outcomes, vulnerable populations, and implications for clinical practice and public health preparedness.

Presenter: 

Aleksandra Savich, MSc, RRT, RRT-NPS is a Respiratory Clinical Specialist at Rush University Medical Center, where she provides care to adult patients. She earned her Master of Science in Respiratory Care from Rush University, during which she contributed to a narrative review examining the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on respiratory health. Her professional interests include critical care, pulmonary disease management, and mechanical ventilation. She is passionate about evidence-based practice and advancing respiratory care through clinical excellence and research.

Diagnosing and managing asthma can be challenging, particularly because several conditions may mimic asthma while requiring different treatment approaches. Adhering to established guidelines and technical standards, including the appropriate use of objective testing for each patient, is essential to confirming an accurate diagnosis. This presentation outlines the recommended diagnostic tests to support confident asthma identification and applies these principles to four real-world case studies. Together, these cases demonstrate the critical role of testing in both the diagnosis and ongoing management of asthma.

Respiratory therapists are a vital component of helping persons with asthma control their disease process through disease self-management education and asthma action plans. However, the CDC reported over 3,000 deaths in the US from asthma in 2016. All patients with asthma are at risk of developing status asthmaticus – an acute asthma episode with progressive severity poorly responsive to standard therapeutic interventions. This presentation will help the respiratory therapist identify status asthmaticus through patient assessment, describe pathophysiologic findings of the condition, and identify the best evidence-based practice for interventions.

Presenter- Sara Parker MPH, RRT, RRT-NPS, RRT-ACCS, AE-C

**Please note that all programs require the participant to view the entire program prior to taking the final quiz and obtaining a course certificate.**