Licensees can now submit mailing address changes and request duplicate licenses online. Step-by-step instructions on the web pages will guide you through the process. Mailing address changes submitted online will be reflected in the licensing system 24 hours after they are submitted. Click here to begin.

The primary purpose of the Respiratory Care Advisory Board is to safeguard the life and health and promote the public welfare by qualifying, licensing, and regulating the practice of respiratory care in New Mexico.

Standards and Criteria for Licensing and Regulation

The Board promulgates rules and regulations to set standards of education, minimum proficiency for performance, and continuing education requirements for licensure applicants and for licensees. The Board thereby protects the public welfare by ensuring that the RCP is competent in the delivery of patient care and in the performance of complex and potentially hazardous medical procedures in the area of cardiopulmonary technology.

Requirements for licensure include successful passing of a national standards exam developed and administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care, Inc. (NBRC). The Board accepts three of the NBRC’s exams as a qualification standard for licensure in New Mexico:

  • Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician (CRTT)
  • Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT)
  • Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)

A candidate wishing to sit for any one of the NBRC exams must meet the NBRC requirements for that exam. One of those requirements is successful completion of an accredited respiratory therapy program recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

Passing the NBRC entitles the respiratory care practitioner (RCP) to be credentialed nationally and ensures that physician’s orders can be accurately and effectively interpreted and filled. By utilizing the NBRC exams, the Board facilitates licensure by endorsement of practitioners entering New Mexico or of New Mexico licensees seeking licensure in other licensing jurisdictions.

The NBRC maintains a Disciplinary Databank to which licensing jurisdictions report final disciplinary actions taken against respiratory care practitioners. The Board checks this databank for information on all licensure applicants as a final qualifying criteria before issuing licenses. “Final disciplinary action” refers to any action that has the effect of revoking, restricting, suspending, or otherwise adversely affecting an RCP's license, registration, certification, or any other such privilege to provide respiratory care services.

For more information contact:

Respiratory Care Advisory Board
2550 Cerrillos Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
(505) 476-4965
RespiratoryCareBd@state.nm.us