Asthma Assessment and Management Course

Student Comments

Susan Stearns, RCP, RRT

Carolina's Medical Center

Charlotte, NC

2005 Graduate

"I have been a respiratory therapist for 15 years and had asthma as a child.   I have seen the management and understanding of this disease change drastically since I was a child and even since I entered my profession.  By understanding the approaches for managing asthma, I know I have become a better and more confident educator.  I treat patients during their acute phase in a hospital setting.  I realize that there is much more to be done than just relieving a patient’s exacerbation.  One of my goals is to teach my patients that they can and should be proactive rather than reactive in managing their asthma."

Sharrel VanRossum, RN, BSN, AE-C

Pediatric Asthma Care Manager

Kaiser Permanente Medical Group

Baldwin Park, CA

2005 Graduate

"This course had a positive impact, improving both my knowledge and confidence in caring for asthma patients.  The course helped me identify areas in my practice which can be improved.  The course also has been instrumental in beginning to develop an asthma care managers networking group within my organization.  This will provide opportunities to share best practices, ongoing education, and professional development and will enhance asthma care within my organization and the community."

Susan Wood, RN, BS, CCM

Clinical Care Coordinator

Community Care Partners of Greater Mecklenburg

Charlotte, NC

2005 Graduate

"This asthma course has helped increase my knowledge base of the pathophysiology of asthma with a clearer understanding of what actually happens during an exacerbation and why that exacerbation may have occurred.  I am encouraging the physician offices that I am responsible for to complete an asthma action plan that is age specific as well as asthma specific.  I have also started asking that they put the stage of asthma in their documentation.  Now when I complete an asthma assessment, I am able to collect more valuable data as I have clear ideas of what to ask and what the answers are actually indicating.  My approach to the patient or parent is geared more to telling me what they know and perceive about their asthma so I know what they might want to learn.  I am learning more about their viewpoints on asthma which I now realize is the biggest part of helping to reverse the problems.  This has been a very valuable course for expanding my skills as a Disease Management Case Manager.  The manual will also continue to be a good resource for me and my co-workers."

Jennifer Leffingwell

Patient Coordinator

Community Care Of Wake and Johnston Co., Carolina Access II

Raleigh, NC

2005 Graduate

"The Asthma Course has made a huge impact on me and I feel like it will make a huge impact on the patients that I take care of in the future.  It has taught me how to understand the disease process and about the asthma medications.  I have learned how to gather comprehensive patient history and understand the significance of the information I have gathered.  I learned how to write an asthma action plan and how to design a comprehensive management plan for adults and children, including appropriate medications, devices and self-monitoring.  I can now recognize signs and symptoms of acute acerbation and recommend proper treatment."

Gail Edwards, RN, AE-C

Pediatric Education Coordinator

Pediatric Asthma Program

Lenoir Memorial Hospital

Kinston, NC

2004 Graduate

"I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed the course and how much we learned.  I am a pediatric nurse and have never felt very comfortable educating asthma patients, but I can no longer say that.  No, I don’t know everything there is to know about asthma, but I feel very confident about teaching caregivers about asthma and how to use any of the devices.  This is all because of the knowledge I gained through the NRTC Asthma Course.  I would truly recommend it to anyone who works with individuals with asthma or is in a role to teach patients or caregivers about asthma."

Colleen Felts, RN, BS, AE-C

Veterans Health Administration

Rockford, IL

2002 Graduate and NRTC Trainer

"Completing the NRTC Asthma Course allowed me opportunities to present seminars in the community to teachers, patients and other health professionals. It prepared me to pass the newly created United States asthma certification exam. The opportunities are endless, and the networking done during class time was invaluable. Thanks to NRTC for the professional credibility offered to our pulmonary professionals."