National Board For Respiratory Care, Inc.

The National Board for Respiratory Care, Inc. (NBRC) is a voluntary health certifying board that was created in 1960 to evaluate the professional competence of respiratory therapists. The primary purposes of the NBRC and its 31-member Board of Trustees are to provide high quality voluntary credentialing examinations for practitioners of respiratory therapy and pulmonary function technology; establish standards to credential practitioners to work under medical direction; issue certificates to and prepare a directory of credentialed individuals; advance medicine by promoting use of respiratory care in treating human ailments; support ethical and educational standards of respiratory care; and cooperate with accrediting agencies to support respiratory care education. Since its inception, the NBRC has issued over 220,000 professional credentials to more than 140,000 individuals and currently tests nearly 30,000 candidates annually. One of the respiratory therapy examinations is the standard for licensure in the 42 states that regulate the profession.