Director-at-Large
Raymond Pisani, BS, RRT, RRT-NPS, RRT-ACCS, FAARC
Teche Regional Medical Center
Louisiana Market Director Respiratory Services
Member Since: 1983
AARC Activities:
- AARC Membership Committee, 2012-2017
- AARC State Government Affairs ,Co-Chair, 2013-2017
- AARC By-Laws, 2015-2017
- Chair, AARC By-Laws, 2016
- Co-Chair, AARC By-Laws, 2015
HOD Activities:
- House of Delegates, 2010-2015
- HOD, Elections Committee, 2013-2015
- HOD, Co-Chair, Elections Committee, 2015
Affiliate Activities:
- Tristate Respiratory Care Conference (Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama)
- Appointed to Board of Directors, 2007-present
- Co-Program Chair of Conference, 2008
- Program Chair of Conference, 2009-2010
- Chairman Tristate Conference, 2011
- Treasurer, 2012-2018
- Registration Chairman, 2012-2018
- Exhibits Chairman, 2014-2016
- Louisiana Society for Respiratory Care
- Executive Committee, 1997, 2000-2003, 2006-2017
- Past President, 2012, 2016-2017
- President, 2010-2015
- President Elect, 2009
- Treasurer, 1997, 2000-2003, 2006-2008
- Past Treasurer, 2009
- Parliamentarian, 1998, 2000
- Chairperson Chapter Affairs, 1995-1999
- Pelican Bowl Committee, 1993
- Budget and Audit, 2001-2003, 2005-2017
- Legislative Committee, 2000, 2003-2004, 2007, 2009, 2012-2017
- Education Committee, 2001-2005, 2009-2018
- Education Chair, 2018
- Public Relations Co-Chair, 2000
- Advisory, 1997-2018
- Nominations Chair, 2009, 2013-2014
- Elections Chair, 2009, 2013-2014
- By-Laws, 2009-2016
- By-Laws Chair, 2012
- AARC House of Delegates, 2010-2015
- Management, 2010, 2012-2018
- Planning Committee, 58th AARC Congress, New Orleans, 2012
- PACT, 2015-2018
Related Organizations:
- American Heart Association
- BLS Instructor/Training Center Faculty, 1986-present
- PALS Instructor, 2013-2015
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program Instructor/Regional Instructor, 1989-present
- Health Trust Purchasing Group (HPG), LifePoint Representative Respiratory Advisory Committee Member, 2009-2013
- Louisiana Asthma Surveillance Collaborative Board, Under Department Health & Hospitals Board Member, 2012-2014
Education:
- 1986, Associate Applied Sciences
- 2003, Bachelor of Science Degree, Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana
- CRT 1986
- RRT 1993
- NPS 1995
- ACCS 2015
Elections Committee Questions:
What AARC or Chartered Affiliate offices/positions have you held where you feel you made a significant contribution to our profession? What is the contribution and how will you apply it to your new position, if elected?
During my term as president of the Louisiana Society for Respiratory Care, I was engaged in numerous activities on the local, state, and national level. One of my true passions is legislative activities on all levels. I had worked very closely with Cheryl West, Tom Kallstrom and George Gaebler on HB 2619. It was very moving to get the grass roots moving in Louisiana through Town Hall Meetings to greet our US Congressional Representatives detailing our support and vision on HR 2619. It was truly an honor for me to be awarded the Volunteer Excellence Award for Outstanding Legislative Efforts in Louisiana by President Gaebler at the 59th AARC Congress. I’m now focusing on other Legislative challenges as one of the PACT Members from Louisiana. I will be working closely with the LSRC and AARC on the Medicare Telehealth Parity Act and other Telehealth Legislation during the 2018 Congressional Session in Washington, DC.
What experience would you bring to the AARC to accomplish the goals set out by President Walsh?
I will continue to abide by the AARC’s vision to maintain their mission and representation of the practice of Respiratory Care. As a board member, I will remain active in supporting the goals and principles the AARC has established over the years. On a more specific level, I will be an advocate to promote AARC memberships and encourage fellow therapists to participate and engage in decisions made about our careers and its future. It is imperative to uphold the standards we have established and to continue to grow in a positive direction. I believe that being united is essential in achieving the ultimate journey for Respiratory Care.
What ideas do you have to attract non-members to join the AARC?
This challenge is faced daily on the State and National Level. The lack of knowledge of what Membership has to offer and the roadblocks setup by Professional Leaders are barriers that exist and need to be overcome.
In my opinion, students are our greatest asset and tool. They are the future of the AARC. As an organization, we need to engage and motivate them early in their career to become ambassadors for Membership and help them develop a Grassroots Network on the Local, State, and National Level.
I believe the AARC House of Delegates Student Mentoring Program has helped to motivate students and to promote Membership. I have heard students express their gratitude for being able to attend and see the work of the Profession being done during this Meeting. They see firsthand the hard work of Respiratory Therapists working together as a team to move the profession forward and how the AARC is actively working for the good of Respiratory Therapists nationally and internationally.
Role-Specific Questions:
How would you, as a member of the AARC Executive Committee, work to move the profession forward based on the work done by our current and previous presidents?
As a Board Member, I would work with the AARC Board and Executive Office to carry out the Mission and Vision of the AARC to bring the profession into the next century.
Specific issues that face the profession now that the AARC can work on: The importance of Telemedicine. This is the way of the future for practice in the health care profession. We have to work on this arena on a national level in Washington, but the AARC should have a plan to reach out to each affiliate and assist them in moving forward with legislation on their state legislative level. Some states have already been successful moving in this direction but everyone has to be on board when that time comes to move this profession forward in the technological world.
Recruitment of students into Respiratory Care Programs is a must. Many of the baby boomers have retired or are getting very close to doing so. Our profession has to be ready with trained therapists to step into these positions. Nothing else matters if we end up with a shortage of practicing therapists. The world of health care is changing so fast, it is requiring therapist to perform with heavier workloads and take on more responsibilities than ever before. This is a good thing for the job security of the profession, but we have to make sure we have the numbers to step up to the plate.
Maybe some thought should be given as to how the AARC President Elect develops their personal goals to advance the Profession during their two years in office. Would it be better serving to the profession, if the AARC Executive Office along with the AARC President Elect and BOD work on developing fewer goals to advance the profession forward with a united front including the AARC, Affiliates, Therapists, and Students? The goals of the Presidents are for the most part excellent, but I wonder how many actually are able to be carried out in a two years period.
I feel my compassion, commitment and strength for this Profession motivates and engages me to challenges in health care. Those characteristics will enhance my effectiveness in implementing the change needed to bring this Profession forward into the next century.
