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Respiratory Care Board Defends Possible Shift to Bachelor's Degree as Stakeholders Warn of Workforce Strain
Summary
Board leaders described a multi-year study of raising the entry-level requirement to a baccalaureate and cited potential benefits for reimbursement and public protection; frontline therapists and long‑term‑care providers warned the change could worsen rural shortages and urged exemptions for congregate living facilities.
Ricardo Guzman, president of the Respiratory Care Board, told a joint Assembly–Senate sunset review that the board has been studying whether to raise the minimum education for new respiratory care licensees to a baccalaureate degree and is focused on modernizing licensing and strengthening enforcement.
"The board's mission is to protect and serve consumers by licensing qualified respiratory care practitioners," Guzman said, describing recent work to digitize applications and clarify scope-of-practice rules.
Board vice president Ray Hernandez outlined the board’s multi‑year review, which began after national organizations raised a vision for moving toward a bachelor’s degree. Hernandez said community colleges and the board have been working on pathways and noted that, in many programs, transitioning from an associate to a bachelor’s could add roughly six to 12 months of coursework rather than years in practice. He added that higher formal…
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