Director-at-large
Ronda Hood
Retired
Former Director of Cardiopulmonary Services and Hospital Safety at Helen Keller Hospital, Sheffield, AL, 1990 -2022
Member Since: 1979
AARC Activities:
- Section membership – Management, current and past; Acute Care, past member; Diagnostics, past member; Sleep, past member.
- AARC PACT member
House of Delegates Activities:
- Delegate, House of Delegates, Alabama Society for Respiratory Care, 1995-2002, 2005-2012, 2015-2022.
- Nominations and Elections Committee, Co-chair, member.
- Chartered Affiliates Committee, member
Affiliate Activities:
- Alabama Society for Respiratory Care – President, 1991; Past President, 1992; President Elect, 1990; Treasurer, 1988-1989; North District Representative, 1984-1987.
- Budget and Audit Committee; Judicial Committee; Membership Committee; Public Relations; Program and Education; Legislative Committee and Co-chairperson; TriState Respiratory Therapy Conference Alabama representative on Board of Directors; PACT representative, AARC HOD Delegate.
Related Organizations:
- Alabama State Board for Respiratory Therapy, (Alabama Licensure Board), Chairperson of the Board of Directors 2004-2006, 2021-current; Board member 2014-current
- Advanced Life Support past instructor, American Heart Association
- Smoking Cessation past instructor, American Lung Association
Education:
- Respiratory Therapy – Regional Technical Institute, University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
- Calhoun Community College, Decatur, Alabama
- Certified Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Planner – University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama
Elections Committee Questions:
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the profession of respiratory care, and what do you recommend the ARC do to address it?
Currently, the profession of respiratory therapy is experiencing a severe shortage of therapists. This shortage is in part due to the number of therapists leaving the field during and after covid, and the decrease in the number of people entering healthcare fields. The AARC needs to be actively involved in promoting the profession to HOSA and other organizations to educate and recruit new people into the field. At the same time, the AARC will need to continue working on the Strategic Plan to Elevate, Engage, Advocate, and Educate to best position our profession for the future.
Healthcare is changing more rapidly than ever. What ideas do you have to help today’s respiratory therapist meet these changes?
Today’s respiratory therapists must be an active part of the healthcare interdisciplinary teams at their facilities to have a seat at the table and voice in the decisions made. Therapists should be taking advantage of all opportunity to increase their visibility and participation in positive ways. Membership and participation within our professional organizations will allow therapists to have the most up-to-date information, interact with therapists that have the same interests, and to advocate for changes and advancement of the profession.
Role-Specific Questions:
Your role as Director-at Large is to represent the general AARC membership. If given the opportunity to represent, how would you use your skills and experience to advance and advocate for the respiratory care profession?
My experience working with the AARC House of Delegates, Alabama Society for Respiratory Care, and Alabama State Board of Respiratory Therapy has given me the opportunity to work with many diverse groups, listen to their needs and opinions, and advocate for measures to respond to those inputs. I would be available to the AARC membership to understand their concerns and priorities and to represent members within the AARC Board of Directors.
