Adult Acute Care Section Chair
Kenneth Miller
Clinical Educator
Lehigh Valley Health Network
Member Since: 1975
AARC Activities:
- 2012 AARC RRT Preceptor Course Development
- 2013-present AARC Journal Club
Affiliate Activities:
- Director of Critical Care Section of Pennsylvania Society of Respiratory Care 2016-2022
- Northeastern District President of Pennsylvania Society of Respiratory Care 1988-1992
- Member of PSRC for since 1980-current
Related Organizations:
- National Board for Respiratory Care
- Item developer-1995-current
- ACCS review board-2020-current
- Certified Basic Life Support Instructor-Trainer, American Heart Association. 1980-current
- Editorial Board Journal of Pulmonary Technique-2013-current
- Penna. Partnership in Asthma 2011-current
Education:
- Lehigh Community College 1975-1977 A.A.S.
- Muhlenberg College 1988-1995 B.A.
- Kutztown University 1996-2000 MEd
- Canisius University 2013-2016 MSRsc
- CPR 1975
- CRRT 1978
- RRT 1983
- ACLS 1990
- NPS 1995
- License PA 1995
- PALS 1995
- AE-C 2004/2007
- ACCS 2012
- FAARC 2015
Publications:
- Sandhu R, Pasquale M, Miller K, Wasser T. Measurement of Endotracheal Tube cuff to Predict Post Extubation and Stridor. J AM Coll Surg 190:682-687.
- Sands T, Miller K. Liquid Breathing: A Case Study. American Jour of Critical Care. Nov 2001(9) 397-402.
- Miller, K. A Better Picture to the Lung: AARC Therapy Times (4) April 2010. Nonpharmacological Management of Retained Secretions in the ICU Patient
- Kenneth Miller MSRT, MEd, RRT-ACCS, NPS, AE-C, FAARC. AARC Times. Vol. (8) August 2019
Elections Committee Questions:
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the AARC and what do you recommend to address it?
To enhance member engagement in the AARC. Ensure that the information disseminated is salient, timely, and meaningful to its members. An example would be the visionary mission of the AARC and its five-year plan for the association and profession. Currently, the greatest challenge is to recruit more individuals into the respiratory care profession. Institutions are struggling to maintain adequate staffing and provide optimal patient care. The AARC has to examine novel options to enhance professional avenues to become an RRT. For example, could there be a fast-track educational opportunity, the utilization of respiratory therapy assistants, and a structural on-the-job training curriculum? If a process is not generated to encourage more individuals to become respiratory therapists, other disciplines will start moving in and performing our gold-standard responsibilities. This will cause a downward spiral that may be irreversible.
What ideas do you have to help todays Respiratory Therapist recover from the pandemic and what do you feel is the main issue Respiratory Care Practitioners are facing, and what key solutions should be addressed to support our profession?
The past two years have been the most exhausting, emotional, and engaging time for the respiratory care practitioner. The pandemic has challenged our profession in ways that one could never have imagined. Currently, many practitioners are experiencing post-trauma distress syndrome, including myself. Adding some positively to this subject, our profession stepped up and brilliantly shined. Never did society become more aware of the role and impact of the respiratory care practitioner as in the pandemic. The AARC has two major responsibilities: First, the respiratory therapy practitioner needs to be recognized for their hard work during the pandemic and needs to be placed on a pedestal and glorified. Secondly, mental and emotional support must be provided and easily obtained. I would also add, to keep the respiratory care practitioner in the limelight and foster a newsworthy image that is captured and embraced by all of society.
Role-Specific Questions:
Value of this section is important. If given the opportunity to represent, what would you do to increase the value to this section and how would you increase section membership?
If given the opportunity to represent the critical care section, I would foster an educational avenue that would be inclusive to all critical care therapists regardless of experience and hospital demographics. It is critical that we are inclusive in our section and not primarily gravitate to the high-hanging fruit issues. The importance of performing a daily ventilator assessment versus doing a venting check is as salient in a major medical center as in a rural, small institution. Drawing in all levels of critical care practitioners would be one of my major emphases. Discuss issues that are germane and basic to providing great bedside care and how to optimize patient outcomes need to be at the forefront of any discussions. Case studies, different patient etiologies, and open discussions would foster this learning concept. I have been a critical care RRT for 47 years and every day I learn something new and exciting!
