Two RCSW Members Director Candidates on the AARC Elections Ballot

This year is very unique for the RCSW in that we have two candidates on the ballot for Director-at-Large for the AARC, Gary Wickman and Carl Hinkson.  Presently, there is little representation of the western states and this is an opportunity to expand that representation.  Both candidates' roots are here in the Northwest and they would bring much needed regional diversity and geographical representation to the AARC BOD

Gary Wickman, BA RRT FAARC was elected to the AARC board in 2012. Gary is the director of Cardio-pulmonary Services for Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. He has been a member of the AARC since 1984 and has held many positions in the RCSW,  most notably Gary's contributions as the chair of the legislative committee. Gary has chaired several national committees including the Chartered Affiliates for the House of Delegates, the AARC Bylaws committee and the AARC Membership committee. He is a patient advocate and mentor and has served the RCSW and the profession well on the AARC BOD.

Carl Hinkson, MSc, RRT-ACCS, FAARC is the Assistant Manager for the Respiratory Care Department at Harborview Medical Center. Carl has been active on the RCSW board since 2004, serving as RCSW president in 2010. Currently, Carl is the Senior Delegate. During his tenure he served as a member and chair on several committees. For many years Carl (along with Gary) traveled to Washington DC to advocate for our profession. As Delegate, Carl has chaired the Professional Volunteerism and Mentoring Committee, a group that seeks to increase and recognize volunteerism and mentoring by respiratory therapists. Carl has published several articles appearing in Respiratory Care and the AARC Times. He has received several awards including the AARC Adult Acute Care Specialty Practitioner of the Year in 2011 & was Highline Community College’s Distinguished Alumni of the year in 2013. Carl speaks locally and nationally about respiratory care. He is a strong advocate for the Respiratory Care Profession here in Washington and would like to represent the Pacific Northwest on the AARC BOD.

The Coalition for Baccalaureate and Graduate Respiratory Therapy Education (CoBGRTE) is organized to help students, faculty members, and the general public learn about baccalaureate and graduate respiratory therapy education in the United States. In their letter of endorsement for the AARC Elections, they recommended both Gary and Carl for the AARC Board positions, citing each candidate's continued involvement in addressing the need to increase the educational level of respiratory therapists.  

The 2015 AARC elections opened for voting on September 1st and will end September 30th.  

Because the voting system validates your AARC membership, you can only vote by clicking on the link in the email you receive. If you did not receive an email and believe you are eligible to vote, please do the following:

1. Wait until Sept. 16 when you will receive a reminder email, or
2. Write to binkley@aarc.org and request that the emailed invitation to vote be resent to you.

Candidate Bio - Gary Wickman

Candidate Bio - Carl Hinkson

All Candidate Bios

CoARC letter of endorsement for the AARC Elections

RCSW Eastern Chapter Fall Pulmonary Conference Oct 24th

RCSW Eastern Chapter Fall Pulmonary Conference
Saturday, October 24, 2015 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Pacific Time)

Providence Sacred Heart Auditorium
(509) 474-3131 
20 W 9th Ave
Spokane, Washington 99204-2309
United States 
Map and Directions
    Campus Map

• Nationally Recognized Speakers (Patrick Dunn MBA RRT, Bill Davies PAC RRT, Maureen Shogan MSN RN, Don Howard MD, and more) 
• 7 AARC CRCE Credits Pending
• Coffee and Lunch Included with Registration Cost  
• Industry Vendors on Site with Dedicated Vendor Time 
• Networking Opportunity 
• RN’s Welcome to Attend

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AARC Invites Students to Attend House of Delegates Meeting

American Association for Respiratory Care House of Delegates Student Mentorship Program Winter 2015

The fall is a busy time for students as you are settling in to a new schedule of classes and clinical practice, but I wanted to bring to your attention an exciting opportunity. This November 7-10, 2015 the AARC is hosting its International Congress Meeting at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 South Franklin Street, Tampa, Florida. The House of Delegates would like to invite you to a unique opportunity to participate and experience the inner workings of your professional organization by attending the House of Delegates Meeting on November 5^th and/or 6^th before the International Congress. We are hoping to ignite a spark that becomes a lifelong passion for the AARC and the profession of Respiratory Care. The House of Delegates encourages all students who are interested to apply for the program and participate and experience the inner workings of your professional organization.

Read more on how to apply

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RCSW at the 2015 Washington State Fair September 26-27th

Are you interested in helping the RCSW promote better lung health? Do you like the Washington State Fair?

The RCSW has been provided a health booth at the 2015 Washington State Fair in Puyallup, Wa.   We are presently seeking individuals from the Respiratory Care profession to help organize and staff the booth! Our primary goal is to provide information and education to the general public on pulmonary health promotion and disease prevention. Volunteers will received one free admittance and free parking for the fair.

The dates are Saturday, September 26th and Sunday, September 27th. Hours 10am-10pm. Each shift at the booth will be three hours (10-1, 1-4, 4-7, 7-10). We can have two to four volunteers at a time. If interested, please fill out this form or contact Linda Wilson, RCSW Puget Sound Chapter President, at ldwilson@uw.edu.

RCSW Rainier Chapter Journal Club Monday, September 14th

The RCSW Rainier Chapter invites all to Journal Club!

2 FREE AARC CEU's!

When:  Monday, September 14th, 6pm-8pm 

Where:  The Hub Brew Pub - map
203 Tacoma Ave S
Tacoma, WA 98402
253.683.4606 

Articles: “Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Sepsis-Related vs Non-Sepsis Related ARDS” CHEST
“One year mortality and predictors of death among hospital survivors of the Acute Respiratory  Distress Syndrome” Intensive Care Medicine

For Questions please contact Karen LaRoche’ at klaroche123@comcast.net or klaroche@uw.edu

Monday Specials at the Hub - 1/2 off the entire menu all day! This includes food + drinks!

2015 RCSW Elections now through September 13th

It is time once again to elect the next leaders in the RCSW!

If you are an AARC member and live or work in the State of Washington, you are a RCSW member and eligible to cast a vote!

For candidate information, please check out the 2015 RCSW Elections Voter Guide. The guide describes the leadership positions presently open for election, information and a short Q&A of the candidates, and links for AARC membership status and the 2015 RCSW elections ballot
Check your AARC membership status
Get your AARC membership number 

2015 RCSW Online Ballot

The ballot will be available Through September 13th.

Thank you for your continued support of the profession and your help making Respiratory Care in Washington a national example of excellence in the field. 

Earl M. Moore President RCSW
Fred M. Goglia Elections Chair RCSW

Students Receive Warm Welcome

On April 12th, 2015, the largest AARC State Respiratory meeting opened its doors in Seattle, WA. Of the greater than 500 registrants, nearly one hundred and fifty were students. The highlight of this conference was the sessions offered to students.

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House of Delegates Meeting was Great Student Experience

Carl Hinkson, Melinda Altena, and Greg Carter

Melinda Altena, Student - Being a student guest at the House of Delegates meeting was an awesome experience. It was an inside view of how the AARC operates.

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RCSW Rocked the Lung Force Walk

By Linda Wilson
RCSW Puget Sound Chapter President

The Respiratory Care Society of Washington teamed up with fellow Respiratory therapists, UW Medicine Pulmonologists, Respiratory students and children at the Lung Force Walk May 9th at Denny Park in South Lake Union.

We had an absolutely great day for this special event, warm sunshine and fellow colleagues walking together for a great cause. It was very inspirational to hear firsthand from lung cancer survivors how difficult the journey is and that love of friends and family really does help but what is really needed is early detection and better treatment. There is a perception that only smokers will get lung disease but many new lung cancer patients have never smoked.

May the Lung Force be with you! Mark your calendar for next year and if you still want to donate go to RCSW website and donate today, fundraising efforts are open until May 31, 2015.

A short note from the ALAW of the Mountain Pacific.

LUNG FORCE Walk - Seattle benefits the mission of the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific, to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, research, and advocacy. More than a Walk, LUNG FORCE is a national movement to turn the tide on lung cancer, the #1 cancer killer of both women and men.

The LUNG FORCE Walk is like no other charity walk. With inspiring song and music, we will celebrate the collective power of our breath. Our voices will soar as we rally our friends, neighbors and colleagues to raise our voices against lung cancer—and for lung health for everyone.

Scholarship Recipients Announced at the 42th Annual RCSW State Conference

Join the RCSW in congratulating the recipients of the Respiratory Care Society of Washington Student Scholarships for 2015: Michelle Weiss, Amanda Carlson, Carnessa Elem, Josh Dolan, Jennifer Armstrong, Angelo Bonelli, Hal Ungerleider, Dan Nuygen, Kelsi Burkhart, Ngan Nguyen, Gary Wickman, Michele Pedicone,  and Pawlos Okubagzi.

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