What's an Asthma Educator Specialist? (Formerly known as a Certified Asthma Educator)?
If you want to learn about asthma, you want to learn from the best and brightest in their profession, right?
An Asthma Educator Specialist is a someone who specializes in teaching patients and their families about asthma.
They stay updated on the latest research and guidelines by attending annual asthma conferences, and only share evidence based information with families (rather than folk remedies).
I'm talking about you essential oils and homeopathic drops...
An Asthma Educator Specialist was originally called a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C) and was credentialed through the National Asthma Education Credentialing Board. I took and passed the exam from them back in 2016.
This credential is now offered through the National Board for Respiratory Care and the name has changed to "Asthma Educator Specialist."
https://www.nbrc.org/
What's the big deal about an Asthma Educator Specialist?
As I mentioned earlier, people will share ideas about folk remedies that they truly believe will help.
But that can be dangerous
Case in point
Dangerous Homeopathic Remedies
When my son was first diagnosed with asthma back in 2000, I had received articles about asthma, but not the basic asthma education. The internet wasn't widely available, and this was before smart phones.
I didn't know asthma terminology, medicines used, etc. And my pediatrician said my son didn't need an inhaler because it can have long term side effects.
A family member convinced me that homeopathic drops were the way to go. They said their son had asthma and they used the homeopathic drops with their son, and they worked great!
This person was quite a bit older, had 4 kids, and I assumed they were wiser since they worked with a doctor testing patients and then giving them homeopathic drops.
Boy was I wrong.
We tried the homeopathic drops the next time my son became sick. Not only did it not help, but my son became so sick, he ended up in the ICU.
How I finally got accurate information
While my son was in the ICU, the pediatrician called in an asthma specialist who spent part of his Sunday teaching us about asthma and the importance of using evidence based approaches (inhalers, nebulizers, etc)
My world changed that day and I immersed myself in the world of asthma education. I read scientific journals, attended asthma conferences, and went back to college for another degree, this time in Public Health
Becoming an Asthma Educator Specialist
This is who can sit for the exam
I was certified in Public Health (CHES), so even though I wasn't a doctor, nurse, respiratory therapist, etc I was eligible to sit for the exam
I took a practice exam, used flash cards, read an in-depth book recommended for the exam and watched Youtube videos about interpreting pulmonary lung function tests.
I also memorized sections of the NAEPP EPR 3 guidelines (national asthma guidelines). It was updated in 2020 and you can review it for funsies.
I spent 6 months studying for the exam. By this point, I also had 16 years of real life experience managing my asthma and my 3 children's asthma.
I was incredibly nervous, but passed the 3 hour exam.
But that's only the beginning.
I also need 35 CEU's every 5 years to keep my credential. And I need 75 CEU's every 5 years for my Public Health CHES credential
That's 110 CEU's every 5 years.
Learn from the best
That means anything I post here or on my socials will be accurate and evidence based.
If someone is teaching you asthma education, make sure they are credentialed as a Asthma Educator Specialist.
Your life could depend on it
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