Vice President — Internal
Tim Op’t Holt
University of South Alabama
Professor and Chair, Cardiorespiratory Care
Member Since: 1977
AARC Activities:
- Education Committee member, 1991-1992, 1995
- Membership Committee Member, 1990
- Respiratory Care Journal, Reviewer, 1989-present
- Political Action Committee Member, 1989
- Recruitment Subcommittee, Vice-Chair, 1989
- Education Section Chairman, 1987-88, 1992-94
- Education Section Newsletter Editor, 1984-86
- Education Section Program Committee Member, 1983-2000
- Education Section Program Committee Chairman, 1997-1999
- Education Section Long Range Planning Committee Chairman, 2002-2008
- Board of Directors member, 2014-present
Affiliate Activities:
- President, 1997
- President Elect, 1996
- Vice President, 1988, 1998, 2004
- Southwest District Representative, 1986-87, 2000-2003
- Program Committee Member, 1983-89
- Treasurer, 1982-84
Related Organizations:
- Coalition for Baccalaureate and Graduate Respiratory Therapy Education Treasurer 2012-2014
- National Tuberculosis Curriculum Consortium Associate member 2006-2008
- Association of Asthma Educators
- President 2009–2010
- President-elect, 2008–2009
- Board member, 2005–2010
- Education committee co-chair
- Program committee chair, 2007–08
- National Board for Respiratory Care
- Examination item writer, 1981–1997, 2004-present
- Board of Trustees Member, 1997–2003
Education:
- 1983-1988: Ed.D.- Auburn University/University of South Alabama Cooperative Doctor of Education Program. Major in Higher Education Administration. Dissertation: A Study of Allied Health Faculty Tenure at Institutions Granting Baccalaureate and/or Graduate Degrees.
- 1978-1981: Master of Health Professions Education – University of Illinois at the Medical Center, Center for Educational Development, Chicago, Illinois. Major in Health Professions Education. Thesis: Validation of the Delineated Roles for Respiratory Care Practitioners.
- April-May 1976: University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Program in Advanced Standing Respiratory Therapy, certificate of registry eligibility.
Publications:
- Op’t Holt TB. Introduction to ventilators. In: Cairo JM ed. Mosby’s Respiratory Care Equipment 10th ed. St. Louis, Mosby, 2017.
- Myers TR and Op’t Holt TB. Asthma. In: Hess DR, MacIntyre NR, Mishoe SC, Galvin WF, and Mishoe SC eds. Respiratory Care Principles and Practice, 3rd ed. Burlington, MA, Jones and Bartlett, 2016, 2020.
- Buckner EB, Copeland DJ , Miller KS, Op’t Holt T. School-Based Interprofessional Asthma Self-Management Education Program for Middle School Students: A Feasibility Trial. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action 2018;12, Special Issue: 9
Elections Committee Questions:
Within your role, and if given the opportunity, how would you incorporate and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion to uphold, update, and uplift the AARC as an organization, all AARC affiliates, and all AARC members?
Contemporary society has included people with varied traits and preferences. I support the AARC’s efforts to incorporate the thoughts of those of varied cultures, sexual preferences and gender identities by:
- Checking with venues to assure they are in states without discriminatory laws;
- Training their staff in diversity, sexual harassment and gender identity issues;
- Promoting the work of the diversity and education committee;
- Producing a list of speakers with experience in diversity to state societies; and
- Putting a diversity and inclusion committee member on the program committee.
As a nominee for AARC vice-president, I support these initiatives and suggest frequent placing of diversity articles in the AARC Times, the training of affiliate officers in cultural awareness, sexual preferences and gender identities, and placement of a Diversity tab on the home page, which is now under resources.
What ideas would you present to increase AARC membership?
The list of AARC benefits is too long to restate here and is at AARC.org; the benefits are great! The Respiratory Care Journal and AARC Times alone are worth the cost of membership. Techniques of getting nonmembers to join include:
- Including the cost of membership in registration for AARC and affiliate meetings, so the payment is less than that for a nonmember.
- Develop a short narrative members can use when talking to their colleagues about AARC membership: why did they join? What do they get out of it?
- Make AARC membership part of the career ladder.
- Give members an AARC pin and encourage them to wear it at work.
- Provide membership opportunities at state/local/district RT meetings.
Role-Specific Questions:
Promoting the profession is considered one of the greatest opportunities, what are your ideas to help realize this opportunity?
Promoting the profession is like increasing membership; the right thing to do. One always wants to speak well of the profession, one’s role, and the excellent care provided by respiratory therapists. Our profession is not well-known. Most people don’t know what a respiratory therapist is until they need one. Some ideas to promote the profession are to:
- Launch a public relations campaign with a well-known sponsor, such as the one promoting nursing several year ago
- Public service messages on television and the web
- Engage a public relations firm to formulate and implement a campaign to alert the public to the role and value of RTs
- Speak to school and community organizations about RT, what we do, and how to become an RT.
- In conversation with others in the community, discuss what therapists do: they may be hospitalized or have a loved one who is, and what the RT might do for them during their hospitalization.
