Criteria and Rules for AARC Fellowship

Purpose

The AARC Fellowship Program was established to recognize active or associate members in good standing who have made profound and sustained contributions to the art and science of respiratory care and to the AARC.

Eligibility

• Be an Active or Associate member of the AARC in good standing for at least ten consecutive years prior to the deadline for receipt of nominations.
• Possess the RRT credential issued by the NBRC and be licensed or hold registration/certification (if applicable) within their state of employment or, be a licensed physician with a respiratory care-related specialty.
• International respiratory therapist nominees must meet the eligibility criteria for AARC membership above and possess the RRT credential from the NBRC or equivalent from the credentialing agency for the country they work or reside. They must have a license (if licensure if applicable) and/or be approved to work within the country they work/reside.
• First term members of the AARC Board of Directors or Officers of the House of Delegates are not eligible.

Criteria

• Must be nominated by at least two AARC members, one of which is required to be a Fellow of the AARC with membership in good standing.
• Must have demonstrated national prominent leadership, influence and achievement in clinical practice, education or science.
• Must possess documented evidence of significant contribution to the respiratory care profession and to the AARC.

Rules

• All nominations for Fellow, and associated supporting documents, must be submitted online through the AARC website.
• Upon receipt of a nomination, the Executive Office will confirm each nominee satisfies the minimum criteria for 10 consecutive years of AARC membership, and that each nominator continues to maintain eligibility to submit nominations for Fellow.
• For those nominees not meeting the 10-year requirement, the nominator will be so informed and the nomination not accepted.  Nominators are not eligible to submit nominations will likewise be notified.
• Deadline for receipt of nominations and all supporting documentation will be determined each year in which the nomination is to be considered or, by pronouncement, an earlier deadline as determined by the dates of the AARC’s Annual Congress. Nominations not received by the established date will not be accepted.
• The Fellowship Selection Committee, consisting of a Chair and up to six current Fellows appointed by the AARC President, will evaluate nominations annually.
• Selection Committee members will be provided an electronic folder containing all accepted nominations and supporting documents in alphabetical order. Committee members will also receive a ballot to indicate which nominees they consider worthy of induction as a Fellow. Completed ballots will be returned to the Chair anonymously for final tabulation.
• Committee members are to evaluate each nominee independently and make their determination based upon the contributions of the respective nominee to the profession, and most importantly, to the AARC.  Committee members will not collaborate with anyone during the selection process.
• Nominees receiving an affirmative vote from all five committee members will be inducted as a Fellow of the AARC.
• Nominees selected for induction will be formally notified upon completion of the selection process, with their nominators receiving a blind copy of the congratulatory letter.
• An overriding goal of the Selection Committee is to minimize any embarrassment or discomfort to members not selected for induction.  Therefore, for those nominees not selected, a letter so stating will only be sent to the nominators.
• Once the final tabulation is completed, the results of the balloting for induction shall remain confidential and will not be subject to outside review or discussion.
• New Fellows will be inducted during the Awards Ceremony held in conjunction with the annual AARC International Respiratory Congress.
• Newly inducted Fellows will receive a pin, a certificate suitable for framing and will have their names added to the list of Fellows on the AARC website.
• Upon induction, Fellows are expected to maintain their AARC membership in good standing.

Categories for Nominee Consideration

Please note: The examples under the categories are not the sole criteria, but can be used as a guideline to assist the nominator with ideas of how their nominee may fulfill the criteria.

The nominator must provide specific examples for at least one of the following two categories:

• Service to the AARC and/or Chartered Affiliates and/or International Affiliate:
• Nominee has participated or participates in committees/activities of the AARC and/or Chartered Affiliate.
• Nominees service as an officer and/or member of the leadership structure within the AARC and/or State Affiliate and/or International Affiliate.
• Leadership in Respiratory Care:
• Nominee’s role as a leader in which the advancement of respiratory care and/or pulmonary medicine improves the outcomes of the profession, practice, patient care, or disease management.

The nominator must provide specific examples for at least two of the following three categories:

•  Scholarship in respiratory care (below are examples of scholarship that can be cited):
• Research and reviews published in peer-reviewed journals.
• Textbooks and book chapters.
• Presentations at national or international scientific meetings (e.g., AARC, ATS, ACCP).
• Co-author of clinical practice guidelines.
• Peer-reviewer for a journal (e.g., Respiratory Care, Critical Care Medicine, Chest, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, etc.)
• Member of an editorial board for peer-reviewed journal.
• Advancement of the profession, nationally or internationally:
• Nominee participates in activities that advance the respiratory care profession to a higher practice level or improved patient outcomes.
• Awards, honors and recognitions:
• The nominee has received one or more of the above from an organization that promotes the practice, care or advancement of profession, practice, patient care, or disease management

If you have questions, please contact Frank Salvatore, Chair of the Fellowship Committee.

Nominations

Use the form below to submit your AARC Fellowship nomination. The nomination deadline is Aug. 29, 2023.