Certification for Asthma and Respiratory Educators (CAEs and CREs)
In 1999, the Canadian Network for Asthma Care (CNAC) established a national certification program
for Canadian asthma educators – creating the Certified Asthma Educator
(CAE). In 2007, the Certified Respiratory Educator (CRE) exam was developed for
educators of both asthma and COPD. In 2009, the organization changed its name to the Canadian Network for Respiratory Care (CNRC). In 2012, CNRC created the Certified COPD Educator (CCE) credential for US healthcare professionals.
Who Can Become a CAE or CRE?
Nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists,
physiotherapists, dieticians, and medical doctors – are among the many
healthcare professionals who have chosen to become certified as asthma and/or
respiratory educators.
Certified Asthma and Respiratory Educators teach Canadians
about their asthma and COPD, preventative measures, how to avoid triggers, the
proper use of medications, diet and lifestyle counselling, and the use of
written action plans that allow rapid adjustment of medications when symptoms
worsen.
How Do Educators Become Certified?
Educators are certified after successfully writing the
national CAE or CRE exam. These exams are based on CNRC National Learning
Objectives as well as the most up-to-date Canadian asthma and/or COPD consensus
guidelines.
In order to write the exam, educators must first graduate
from a CNRC-approved asthma educator program for the CAE exam or both a
CNRC-approved asthma educator and COPD educator program or combined respiratory
educator program to write the CRE exam. Applicants must also have a degree or
diploma in a recognized healthcare profession with scope of practice to include counselling clients.
CNRC CAE & CRE National Learning Objectives
The Certified Asthma Educator (CAE) and Certified Respiratory Educator (CRE) exams test educator proficiency in two integral aspects of asthma and
respiratory education:
- up-to-date knowledge about asthma and COPD (the "what to teach"); and
- better understanding on the part of educators about educational theory and process (the "how to teach").
National Learning Objectives (core curriculum) have been established to provide a common set of technical and teaching competencies for Canadian asthma and respiratory educators. Proficiency in these competencies is required for national certification.
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