The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) sets the general requirements for becoming a licensed respiratory therapist and maintaining/renewing a license, but state licensure boards also have individual requirements.
In order for respiratory therapists to maintain their license, they must earn continuing education credits (CEUs) each year, with the exception of Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Utah, and Wisconsin. These states don’t require CEUs to renew a license.
Specific CEU requirements vary by state, but most respiratory therapists have to attend between 12 and 30 hours of training each year. That’s a lot of training hours for people who lead busy lives, and that’s why most respiratory therapists earn their CEUs entirely online. If you’re a respiratory therapist still taking live, in-person classes, here’s why you should consider staying home and taking your courses online.
Online classes meet the AARC’s requirements
Most CEU online courses are pre-recorded, and that’s great for many respiratory therapists, but it’s not enough to meet all of the requirements for a license renewal. In most cases, you’ll also need to take live courses with an instructor who is available during the class to answer questions in real time. To meet this need, there are live online CEU classes that meet the AARC’s requirements for being “live courses.”
If you’ve been shying away from online CEUs because you don’t think they qualify, look for live courses that meet the AARC’s requirements and you’ll be set.
Online courses are more convenient
Everyone seems to be busy these days, and trying to fit 20 hours of required learning into an already-busy schedule can make life complicated. If you take courses in person, you can only function for a few hours at a time, which means you’ll have to go out and travel to the in-person location too frequently.
It’s easier to dedicate a few weekends each year taking back-to-back classes on your own time, rather than trying to take a couple of courses each month. You don’t have to drive anywhere, find a babysitter for your kids, or rearrange your schedule at the last minute when you realize you’ve forgotten to earn all your required CEUs.
Online classes are so flexible that even 60% of college students take online classes. We are witnessing the world shift into a digital era where in-person classes are no longer the standard.
Online classes work around your schedule
With the exception of the live courses you’ll be required to take, online CEU classes work around your schedule. Most companies broadcast their online classes on a regular schedule every day of the week. You can choose the classes you want to take that are most relevant to your position, and then take the class on a day that works for you.
Other companies make their classes available at any time. As long as you pay for access, you can watch the course at your pace. If you’re short on time, have big responsibilities, or are just too tired after work to drive to a location to earn your CEUs, online classes will be a lifesaver.
Online CEUs are affordable
One of the best reasons to take your CEU courses online is the affordability. Back in the day, in-person courses were more expensive because of all the resources involved in putting them together. For instance, space had to be rented from a conference hall, office space, or university, and that required money and sometimes companies were required to buy extra liability insurance. The company offering the CEUs had to pay several employees to set up the space, including the teacher. On top of that, they’d have to pay for a bunch of printed materials. The cost of running in-person CEU classes is much greater than running them online.
Since online CEU classes are much cheaper to put on, the cost savings has been passed down to the students. That doesn’t mean the companies offering CEUs are not making a profit. They are, and that’s just how business works. However, since they don’t have the massive overhead of having to arrange for in-person lessons, they don’t have to charge respiratory nurses nearly as much to take their courses. Especially the pre-recorded courses, which only need to be created once and programmed to be accessible on-demand.
Consider earning your CEUs online
If you’re a respiratory therapist looking for ways to make life easier, consider earning your CEUs online to save time and money. It’s the easiest and most convenient way to renew your license.