Good news for Quebec’s respiratory therapists
Following more than a decade of demands, respiratory therapists recently gained major ground in professional recognition. A regulation that will allow respiratory therapists to assess the cardiopulmonary condition of a symptomatic person, published on July 4 in the Gazette officielle du Québec, will come into force on July 19, 2018.
More good news: respiratory therapists who wish to do so may also prescribe a drug for smoking cessation (except varenicline and bupropion) under the national public health program provided for under the Public Health Act. Respiratory therapists who wish to enrich their practice with this new professional activity must attend a two-hour training course offered by the Ordre and obtain a prescribing designation.
The FIQ is confident that these advances will help promote the essential role respiratory therapists play within the healthcare team.