(225 ILCS 106/50)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)

Sec. 50. Qualifications for a license.

(a) A person is qualified to be licensed as a licensed respiratory care practitioner, and the Department may issue a license authorizing the practice of respiratory care to an applicant who:

(1) has applied in writing on the prescribed form and has paid the required fee;

(2) has successfully completed a respiratory care training program approved by the Department;

(3) has successfully passed an examination for the practice of respiratory care authorized by the Department, within 5 years of making application; and

(4) has paid the fees required by this Act.

Any person who has received certification by any state or national organization whose standards are accepted by the Department as being substantially similar to the standards in this Act may apply for a respiratory care practitioner license without examination.

(b) Beginning 6 months after December 31, 2005, all individuals who provide satisfactory evidence to the Department of 3 years of experience, with a minimum of 400 hours per year, in the practice of respiratory care during the 5 years immediately preceding December 31, 2005 shall be issued a license, unless the license may be denied under Section 95 of this Act. This experience must have been obtained while under the supervision of a certified respiratory therapist, a registered respiratory therapist, or a licensed registered nurse or under the supervision or direction of a licensed health care professional. All applications for a license under this subsection (b) shall be postmarked within 12 months after December 31, 2005.

(c) A person may practice as a respiratory care practitioner if he or she has applied in writing to the Department in form and substance satisfactory to the Department for a license as a licensed respiratory care practitioner and has complied with all the provisions under this Section except for the passing of an examination to be eligible to receive such license, until the Department has made the decision that the applicant has failed to pass the next available examination authorized by the Department or has failed, without an approved excuse, to take the next available examination authorized by the Department or until the withdrawal of the application, but not to exceed 6 months. An applicant practicing professional registered respiratory care under this subsection (c) who passes the examination, however, may continue to practice under this subsection (c) until such time as he or she receives his or her license to practice or until the Department notifies him or her that the license has been denied. No applicant for licensure practicing under the provisions of this subsection (c) shall practice professional respiratory care except under the direct supervision of a licensed health care professional or authorized licensed personnel. In no instance shall any such applicant practice or be employed in any supervisory capacity.

(Source: P.A. 94-523, eff. 1-1-06.)