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ISRC HOD Student Mentorship

ISRC HOD Student Mentorship

ISRC is looking for a student to represent Idaho at the House of Delegates meeting in 2019.  Below you can find the information regarding the requirements.

HOD Student Mentorship requirements:

  1. You must be an active AARC Student member.
  2. You must submit a letter of recommendation from either your Program Director or Clinical Director.
  3. You must submit, not later than August 26, 2019, an essay to Jeff Anderson, Delegate for Idaho at janders@boisestate.edu and include in the subject line “I Want to Go to AARC International Congress and House of Delegates!” so it doesn’t get missed. Make sure you receive a confirmation of receipt within a few days.
  4. At the head of the essay include your name, address, phone number, school and AARC member number.  Entries without this information will not be considered.
  5. Give your essay a creative title.  On a single page, in size 12 font, explain why we should send you to Congress and how attending the House of Delegates meetings will help you and the ISRC. When you return, we would like you to write up a summary of your experiences so we can share it with others.
  6. The Idaho Delegates and the ISRC Executive Committee (Respiratory Care faculty/ program associates excluded) will be selecting the winners.  We will consider grammar, spelling, why you believe the HOD and the AARC are important, and your ability to clearly express yourself.  
  7. Involvement in the ISRC in some capacity will earn additional points.

If you are selected, here’s what we expect of you:

  1. You will commit yourself to be available for both the International Congress and House of Delegates, including a mixer the evening before the HOD meeting. The ISRC will reimburse you for airfare after you submit your receipt for your ticket if we are unable for any reason to get your airfare charged directly. You will sign an agreement to reimburse the ISRC for all non-reimbursable expenses in the event you cancel your trip.  You will provide receipts to the ISRC Treasurer.

NOTE:  The AARC provides free National Congress registration to any students attending the full two days of the Fall HOD meeting (must be registered student delegates). You will be responsible for any additional housing costs. This is a tremendous opportunity for any student!

  1. You will be representing the ISRC at the meetings.  Therefore, you will show up on time for meetings, dress appropriately (business casual), and conduct yourself properly.  

The BOD will determine the winner by September 10th and notify that individual by email.  We will recognize the winner of the essay contest during the ISRC State Conference in spring.  GOOD LUCK!

Hill Day 2026 Talking Points

Talking points to help legislators understand Respiratory Care:

You should be prepared to talk about YOU!

  1. What is a Respiratory Therapist
    1. Why did you get into the field?
  2. What do we do?
    1. Where do you work?
  3. Why is what we do important?
  4. How is your job different from a nurse or PA/doctor?
  5. What education do you have that is unique to other healthcare disciplines?

Talking points about the SOAR Act:

  1. What exactly is the SOAR Act? (60 sec elevator pitch)
    1. Removes Oxygen from Medicare Competitive Bidding: Creates a new payment system to replace Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) for oxygen, which has limited options.
      1. Expanded explanation:
        1. Ensure Access to Liquid Oxygen: The act removes supplemental oxygen from Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program, which has historically led to a collapse in the availability of liquid oxygen. It establishes a separate payment rate specifically for liquid oxygen to ensure it remains a viable option for patients who require high-flow modalities.
    2. Ensures Equipment Access: Guarantees access to medically necessary portable oxygen, including liquid oxygen, for patients needing higher flow rates, preventing home confinement.
      1. Expanded explanation:
        1. Ensure Patient-Centric Care: This pillar changes the legal terminology from “home oxygen” to “supplemental oxygen” to ensure patients can access therapy outside their primary residence. It also establishes a Patient’s Bill of Rights to guarantee beneficiaries a choice in suppliers and clear communication about their care.
    3. Protects Respiratory Therapists: Includes reimbursement for respiratory therapists, ensuring patients receive crucial training and support.
      1. Provide Reimbursement for Respiratory Therapists: For the first time, this bill creates a statutory service element to provide adequate Medicare reimbursement for respiratory therapists. This ensures patients have access to professional expertise for education, setup, and clinical monitoring in their homes.
    4. Establishes Patient Rights: Creates an “Oxygen User’s Bill of Rights,” empowering beneficiaries with choice, clear communication, and informed consent.
    5. Standardizes Documentation: Mandates electronic templates for prescribing oxygen to reduce fraud and administrative burdens, relying on clinical inference.
      1. Expanded explanation:
        1. Standardize Documentation and Protect Against Fraud: The act requires the creation of national, standardized electronic templates for prescribing oxygen. By relying on these templates rather than fragmented medical records, the bill aims to streamline the claims process, ensure predictable reimbursement for suppliers, and strengthen protections against fraud and abuse.
  2. How does this improve patient outcomes? (SOAR ACT)
    1. TO BE UPDATED
  3. What does this cost, and who pays for it?
    1. TO BE UPDATED
  4. Who supports this bill?
    1. Bipartisan
      1. 1 Sponsor
      2. 39 Co-Sponsors as of January 2026
    2. Where is this bill currently in House committees – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
      1. SOAR Act of 2025 (H.R.2902)
  5. How does this affect scope of practice?”
    1. Does this expand RT scope?
      1. No. Respiratory Therapists would continue to practice under the same license. The bill focuses more on education, and who is available to provide the care, not deciding what care is to be given.
    2. Does this replace nurses or physicians?
      1. No. It actually helps to alleviate role stress by ensuring that disciplines can address patient needs within existing scopes of practices. RTs are trained and specialize in the administration and education of oxygen, ensuring patients have access to an RT to help with this will alleviate workload for other disciplines who are currently tasked with this to address other patient needs. 
    3. Does this change licensure requirements?
      1. No. This is still set at the state level.
  • Be clear: this is about education, workforce sustainability, and access, not scope creep