Advanced Certification in Respiratory Technology - ACRT

Introduction and Scope of Practice:

The Advanced Certification in Respiratory Technology- ACRT Program is a one year certification program offered by Indian Association of Respiratory Care (IARC) and Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM). The program is designed to provide opportunities for nurses and other skilled health care professionals to enhance their technical knowledge and skills with respiratory devices and equipment, which will enable them to work with multidisciplinary team of Intensivists, Respiratory Therapists, ICU Nurses and other ICU professionals. The ultimate goal of this program is to develop technical and equipment related skills of general health care providers to function competently in critical care settings. Upon successful completion of the program, the trainees will be awarded ACRT certificate jointly by the IARC & ISCCM.

Program Objectives:

Upon completion of the Advanced Certification in Respiratory Technology- ACRT, the candidates are expected to:

• Assemble, test, and deliver of all Respiratory Care equipment, supplies, devices and consumables.
• Ensure that Respiratory care equipment and consumables are made available and placed for the access of staff
• Provide technical training to the Clinical staff, regarding the operational aspects of various Respiratory care equipment and devices
• Communicate with the vendors regarding the timely delivery of consumables and equipment and maintenance
• Continuously monitor the units for the timely delivery of equipment as and when needed
• Perform the disinfection and sterilization of all the equipment used, and to keep it ready for next use.
• Demonstrate professionalism in the planning and delivery of patient care at all times.
• Demonstrate the interpersonal and psychomotor skills needed to deliver quality patient care.
• Participate in professional development activities, including self-directed learning and continuing professional education

Aim:

To design and establish a structured Certificate Program for Health Care Professionals to advance their skills in the areas of respiratory technology.

Need of the Program:

There is a huge gap in the ICU, when it comes to the areas of technical aspects of respiratory equipment and devices. There is a paucity of trained technical staffs, who can support the clinicians in the ICU. Not many of the staffs are able to solve the crisis of timely delivery of consumables and calibrated and disinfected equipment, when and where it is required. A trained health care professional specialized in respiratory technology is expected to bridge the aforementioned gap in the technical areas of ICU.

Duration of the Program:

One year

Mode of Study:

Residential, Full time

Entry Requirements:

• A graduation/ diploma in any allied health specialty or nursing.
• On the Job Trainees with minimum 5 years of experience in the critical care units – certified by the head of the department endorsed by the hospital administration
• Associate Membership of IARC
• Associate Life Membership of ISCCM

Important Information:

1. The trainee shall abide by the regulations and obligations established by the Indian Association of Respiratory Care (IARC) and Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM).
2. Training is a full-time commitment. The trainee shall be enrolled on a full-time, continuous basis for the entire duration of the program
3. The training will be comprehensive in the specialty of the respiratory technology
4. The Trainee and Certificate holder is strictly prohibited from using the credential of RT or Respiratory Therapist
5. The awarding body holds all rights to cancel/ withdraw the certification and credential, if noticed that the certification is used or misused for the purpose of seeking job for the position of Respiratory Therapist or mentioning wrongly as Respiratory Therapist.

Training Center:

All Critical Care Medicine Departments, accredited by the ISCCM for conducting its courses (IDCCM, CTCCM, IDCCN) will be eligible to enroll trainees for this course. Each center can take upto a maximum of 2 trainees for one academic year. The IDCCM teachers will be the mentor along with a designated faculty from IARC who will also perform the duties of mentor.

Entry Criteria:

The candidate shall apply directly to the Head of Department of Critical Care of the hospital. The selection will be based upon the interview conducted by the Head of the Department of ICU Hospital and HR personnel

Certification Fees:

The student will pay a one-time fee of INR 10000/- (Rupees Ten Thousand only) to the ISCCM as listed on the website. The fee will take care of all expenses of the course including the conduct of exams.

Fellowship Stipend:

As per the hospital policy [recommended not less than INR 20000/- (Rupees Twenty thousand only) per month for a period of 12 months = 1 academic year]

Log Book:

All the candidates are expected to have a logbook, in which the cases seen, procedures assisted and calibrations performed shall be noted, and to be signed by the designated faculty assigned by the Head of the Department. Faculty should be the in-charge of monitoring and reviewing this logbook and provide continuous feedback to the trainee.

Research, Journal Clubs and Publication:

• All the candidates are encouraged to attend a research module during the initial three months of certification (Either Online/ Onsite) and;
1. Publish a case study
2. Publication shall be in The Indian Journal of Respiratory Care (IJRC) in the Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine (IJCCM).
• All Candidates are expected to actively participate in the ICU journal club with Case Presentations, Article Critique and Literature Reviews- All these need to be entered in the Logbook, countersigned by the Head of the Department/ Assigned Faculty.

Additional Requirements:

Attendance of ISCCM Annual National Conference, during the Certificate period Mandatory

Attendance of IARC Annual National Conference, during the Certificate period Mandatory

Completion of One Online Course conducted by IARC and ISCCM Mandatory

Attendance Requirements:

48 hours per week x 48 weeks in one calendar year; or, as per the Hospital Policy, as reported by the Head of the Department of ICU.

Leaves:

As per the Hospital Policy

Certification Coursework:

• Attendance requirement, as per the policy of department/ hospital
• Completion of Logbook, signed by the Head of the Department/ Assigned Faculty
• Case Study Publication
• Certificate of Attendance- IARC and ISCCM National Conferences
• Certification of completion of one online course, each by IARC and ISCCM
• Completion of competency checklist, countersigned by the Head of the Department/ Assigned Faculty (Mandatory)

Assessment:

Overall, the evaluation and assessment of trainees is carried out in accordance with the examination rules and regulations, as set by IARC and ISCCM. Assessment is divided into two parts

1. Continuous Evaluation Process

• Feedback from the assigned preceptor or faculty head this feedback should be obtained and documented every month and as needed.
• Case study evaluation and Technical competency

2. Exit Exam

Upon the successful completion of certification Program, the candidate will have an exit exam, comprising of Theory and Practical evaluation.

• Theory: Objective MCQ
• Practical Examination- by External Examiners, assigned by IARC and ISCCM s

Accreditation of certification:

1. Indian Association of Respiratory Care
2. Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine

Certification Board:

The board will also act as the grievance cell.

Teaching Methodology:

• Classroom Lectures
• Laboratories
• Computer assisted interactive instructional programs
• Weekly reading assignments
• Webinars
• Presentations
• Group discussion of case studies

Award of Certification:

Upon the successful completion of certification coursework and final exit exam, the candidate will be announced to have cleared the "Advanced Certification in Respiratory TechnologyACRT”. The certification will be conferred to the candidate in the National Conference of ISCCM, in the presence of Board of Certification Program and representation from both the societies.

Mandatory Disclosures:

• The Advanced Certification in Respiratory Technology- (ACRT) is a Certification Program to enhance the technical skills of Healthcare Professionals and is not a replacement for/ equivalent to Certification/ Diploma/ Bachelor Degree/ Master Degree/ Fellowship Programs offered in Respiratory Therapy, offered by any UGC approved Indian Universities/ Foreign Universities or by any societies.
• The certification is not awarded by any University.
• The certification only aims to enhance the Technical skills of trained health care provides/ on the job trainees with specific years of experience to support teamwork of ICU Workforce
• The Certified professionals are not eligible to add or use the credential of Respiratory Therapist or Respiratory Care Specialist in any form.