My Life as an Asthma Mom

  Have you heard of pulmonary rehab? It's a supervised exercise and education program created to help people with long term lung diseases.  Most programs are held at hospitals or outpatient clinics. The sessions are held 2- 3 days for several weeks. Sometimes they will offer in home help. Who will be helping you? A long list of professionals such as: respiratory therapists, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists or social workers, dieticians, spiritual advisors and of course  - doctors.  Since everyone with asthma (or other lung diseases) are different, your program will be different from other patients and designed just for you.  The goals are to help you improve your quality of life, help you with your shortness of breath, and help you improve how you do daily activities (like laundry, going to the grocery store and carrying the groceries in, etc)  How does it work? The different staff members will help you in a variety of areas.  They will start by s

  Do you want to learn more about asthma?  And want to learn from the best people in the profession? You're in luck! There is a national certification for asthma education in the U.S. It's a tough exam (in my opinion). It took me 3 hours, cost $350, and has a low pass rate. I studied hard and passed the exam in 2016. It's also a voluntary certification.   So those who take and pass the exam do so because they are passionate about asthma education and evidence based care.  What is the certification?  The Asthma Educator Specialist (AE-C) is managed by the National Board for Respiratory Care. (Previously, it was managed by NAECB - National Asthma Educator Certification Board.) To pass this national certification exam, candidates must have:  ".....comprehensive, current knowledge of asthma pathophysiology and management including developmental theories, cultural dimensions, the impact of chronic illness, and principles of teaching-learning. " Passing this exam sh