This year, the Annual Convention and Exhibition of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) will be held in the heart of beautiful, southern California in Anaheim. This wide-ranging, four-day conference and three-day exhibition is a prime opportunity for individuals involved in respiratory care to stay on the cutting edge of new thoughts and ideas circulating in today’s therapeutic field.
No other meeting specifically targets the practicing respiratory therapist; attendees range from manufacturing company executives, to department heads and medical directors, to RTs and specialists. The worldwide perspective is also maintained, with representatives from more than 40 countries in attendance. This is a chance for respiratory professionals from all levels to test their mettle and expertise against the best the respiratory field has to offer.
A Medical Medley
With expert speakers highlighting the current hot topics and technical exhibitors demonstrating the latest breakthroughs in the field, professionals will certainly find what they’re looking for – whether in education, innovation, peer-to-peer networking or technology, all geared specifically to respiratory care professionals.
For newcomers attending the conference, professionals can extend their knowledge and earn all the Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) credits they need for licensing in just one four-day event. With more than 250 programs in every area of respiratory care to choose from, attendees will be able to hear original research during 18 different respiratory care open forums in which practitioners present results of their groundbreaking scientific studies this year.
Sessions are offered daily, covering a variety of topics, including: management, asthma, COPD, ventilation, bench studies, rehabilitation, smoking cessation, home care, sleep apnea, education, and neonatal/pediatrics. The AARC Congress also provides an opportunity for “one-stop shopping” where attendees can evaluate and compare the new products, services, and solutions that are making waves in the field of respiratory care.
With the largest international respiratory exhibit hall available, attendees can expect to see the latest technological advances and pose questions to product representatives themselves. More interestingly, the AARC Congress is also a “buying show” – so attendees who are interested in the technical wares of the vendors can purchase products and take advantage of the onsite exhibitor promotions.
Points of Interest
The AARC Congress kicks off with an important keynote address about the legal and ethical snares rampant in the respiratory field by Timothy McDonald, MD, JD, chief safety and risk officer from the University of Illinois. This address will no doubt set a premise for the conference intent on fostering more aware and better-prepared respiratory care professionals. In this vein, the Congress will also be spotlighting its 24th New Horizons Symposium, focusing on the rapidly changing field of neonatal respiratory care – from new oxygen therapy techniques to the intricacies of extracorporeal life support.
Demonstrating that the Congress is not only about educating attendees, but also showing new areas where professionals are putting their respiratory expertise to use, the AARC Congress will be highlighting the “Cardiopulmonary Physiology of Dinosaurs” session, hosted by David J. Pierson, MD, FAARC. Indulging that inner child in each of us, Pierson will delve into research about the circulatory and respiratory physiology of the largest animals ever to walk the earth.
Tackling the big questions, such as: “What would the blood pressure have had to be in a creature 40-feet tall?” and “How could a dinosaur overcome the obstacles of having a 35-foot trachea”?, this presentation will host a serious, but entertaining, examination of the dinosaurs through the eyes of a clinician. Another long-awaited highlight of the conference will be the final face-off of teams in the Sputum Bowl, a competition often considered the “College Bowl” of respiratory therapy.
The Sputum Bowl team consists of three people sitting at a table with another team of three seated at their own table close by. Both teams will listen as a reader calls out a question pertaining to an aspect of respiratory care. The team that buzzes in first has 10 seconds to answer correctly in order to score a point. At the end of 10 minutes, the team with the most points wins. This knowledge contest, which has been part of every AARC convention since the late 1970s, brings the best and brightest in the field together in a friendly battle of the brains.
A Network of Possibilities
Nowhere else will respiratory professionals find more of their peers and colleagues assembled for a single event than at the AARC Congress. This mass of attendees can provide newcomers with connections to respiratory therapists, managers, and educators who may face similar challenges in the field and can share their own methods of overcoming certain obstacles. Also, professionals can come face-to-face with the industry’s movers and shakers and take advantage of some of their personal experiences.
Attending the conference also allows newcomers to explore alternative career paths that they may not have encountered otherwise. Through section meetings, topical sessions, and breakfast symposiums, attendees can check out what is new in their chosen specialty or investigate other specialties, review the latest research, and even network with others who have made the leap from direct care to other areas, such as management or education.
Respiratory students and recent graduates can certainly benefit from attending a conference of this caliber, as – with respiratory care practitioners from across the country present and available for discussion – one professional might have just the spot available for them. Session highlights include:
Saturday, December 13:
- Presentation debating the merits of permissive atelectasis implications for lung protection versus lung injury.
- Home respiratory care
- Pulmonary rehabilitation review
- Staff development
- Developing a rapid response team
- Pediatric lung injury
- Disaster planning
- Medication management
Sunday, December 14:
- The role of simulation in improving patient care
- Cystic Fibrosis 2008
- Blood gas diagnostics
- Staff management
- High frequency oscillatory ventilation
- Advances in bronchoscopy
- Polysomnography tutorial
- Noninvasive ventilation
Monday, December 15:
- Pediatric clinical cases
- Home care accreditation
- Advances in lung transplantation**
- Respiratory care management**
- Controversies in pediatric respiratory care**
- Future of long-term oxygen therapy**
- Asthma therapy**
- Adult neuromuscular disease**
Tuesday, December 16:
- Sleep symposium
- Pediatric airway management
- Simulation technology to improve staff
- Neonatal ventilation
- Patient and family-focused care
- Ethics of withdrawal of life support
- Noninvasive ventilation
- Cardiopulmonary exercise testing
Lighting up the Night
Although the conference will provide more than enough incentive for the hesitant practitioners to attend, there is always the locale to consider as an added bonus. For example, Anaheim GardenWalk, a one of a kind outdoor shopping and dining center, is located within walking distance from both the Anaheim Convention Center and the Disneyland Resort.
The entertainment and lifestyle development encompasses approximately 440,000 square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment areas surrounded by beautifully manicured and exotic gardens. Restaurant favorites along the GardenWalk include Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, Roy’s, McCormick & Schmick’s Grille, and P.F. Chang’s, so attendees should have no problem finding the cuisine that fits their palette.
The shopping experience is also nothing to turn up one’s nose at. Shops now open include Ann Taylor Loft, Fresh Produce, G stage, Harley-Davidson of Anaheim, Hollister, Lux Aveda Salon/Spa, Runway 5, Tommy Bahama, O’Neill and The Body Shop. Also, for those looking to enjoy any of the movies that open that weekend and can’t wait until they return home, the CinemaFusion (IMAX) provides a luxurious 14-plex theater.
Other entertaining stops include the 300 Anaheim, an upscale bowling lounge, Bar Louie, and the Heat Ultra Lounge. With more topics, more speakers, and more cutting-edge research than any other respiratory care meeting in the world, the AARC Congress is a professional’s one-stop destination for the latest scientific evidence on the care and treatment of respiratory conditions and the newest and most advanced respiratory technology.
For more information on the conference, visit
www.aarc.org.
— Bob Stott is the staff writer for Therapy Times. Questions or comments can be directed to editorial@TherapyTimes.com.
