Date: 07/01/2003

Author(s): Nona Kocher, Susan A. Chapman, Marina Dronsky

 

Respiratory care practitioners (RCPs) comprise a critical sector of the allied health care workforce though the profession is not well understood or highly visible to the public, even though RCPs are very involved with direct patient care. This issue brief examines this workforce in California where a current shortage of RCPs must be addressed and projections indicate an even greater need for additional RCPs within the next decade and beyond. The visibility and attractiveness of the profession may be enhanced as it moves toward more advanced practice and patient management in acute care, emergent care, and in the management of chronic cardio-pulmonary and respiratory conditions.