The communications a medical field receives from its own specialized news outlets naturally delves deep into the layers of pertinent information that impacts its audience. It is a responsibility. As you may be aware, The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), at the request of The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), is exploring the formation of a sleep specialty exam for respiratory therapists, a move that has become a divisive issue for some sleep as well as respiratory care professionals. The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) and other sleep-related professional organizations, have supplied statements regarding the proposed exam.
My guest expert on this topic this Tuesday April 17th on Let’s Talk Sleep will be Mike Bederka, (pictured) senior associate editor for both ADVANCE for Managers of Respiratory Care and ADVANCEforSleep.com. Mr. Bederka has conducted an extensive investigation into the issue of a new NBRC credential, as well as magazine interviews with both the AARC and the BRPT. He has also collected public opinion data from the sleep industry on this issue.
Prior to ADVANCE, he spent several years in the newspaper business as an editor and reporter. His writing has earned several industry honors, including awards from the Associated Press, the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors, and the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association. Mike graduated from the University of Delaware in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Journalism and a minor in Black American Studies.
In closing I will say that it is my opinion that it is certainly a very different political climate now than it was when many of us entered the fields of sleep or respiratory care. As a member of the sleep healthcare media for many years, I know the value and importance of the press to represent the ethics of journalism correctly and provide the truth. People need and have the right to know what is happening in career-related arenas. This is true even if the issues may seem alien, such as in territorial conflict situations.
What is more imperative than keeping abreast of the issues is the importance of those in clinical practice on both sides of a healthcare territorial conflict to maintain respectful and professional working relationships with one another so that they may not be distracted away from providing quality patient care, every patient’s right.
I encourage you to take a few minutes to listen to the Let’s Talk Sleep Podcast featuring Mike Bederka, one of many broadcasts designed to keep you abreast of current events in sleep and respiratory care.
The Chinese Sleep Research Society 2007 Conference
2007年世界睡眠日暨中国健康睡眠促进工程启动仪式新闻发布会胜利召开
2007年4月12日，国家民间组织管理局孙伟林局长、中国科协学术学会部朱雪芬副部长和朱文辉处长、中共中央对外联络部办公厅金鑫处长一行，就全国学会改革和发展的情况来我会进行专门调研，汪光亮常务副秘书长和韩芳副秘书长向参加调研的领导围绕研究会的历史、现状和未来的发展思路进行了汇报，与会领导对研究会的工作予以充分肯定并提出了许多建设性的指导意见。
Information about the Chinese Sleep Research Society from its mission page:
The Chinese Sleep Research Society (CSRS), affiliated to China Association for Science and Technology, was officially approved in 1994 by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Linking with Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, CSRS enjoys the reputation of the most authoritative professional academic institution in the field of sleep.
With the support of China Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health and all stratum and with the joint efforts of Council and all the members, Chinese Sleep Research Society always adheres to all guidelines and policies of the Central Party Committee and the State Council. With the important thoughts - Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Three Represent as the guide, CSRS has accomplished a step-by-step development by implementing the scientific concept of development, building socialist harmonious society as the overall principle.
Within the society, there are five committees ranging from Academic Exchanges, Organization, Popularization of science, International Exchanges and Cooperation to Promotion of Science and Technology Industry. There are also two professional academic committees, sleep-disordered breathing and sleep disorders. We officially declared to the competent authorities according to law the established secondary branches: Sleep Physiology and Pharmacology, Mental Health Sleep, Sleep Environmental Engineering, the Traditional Chinese medicine Sleep, Sleep Environmental Engineering, and Sleep-enhancing Products etc. There are nearly 2,000 senior members nationwide, most of whom have high-class titles in sleep-related fields, such as clinical, basic, pharmacology, biomedical engineering, sleep-related industries and other relevant fields.
For more information about the CSRS, contact by phone: 010-65281730, Fax: 010-65123351, or e-mail: sleepcn@163.com
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Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa
