NC S520

Updates North Carolina's respiratory care licensing statutes to reflect current education, experience, and practices in the profession, citing COVID-19 pandemic impacts on healthcare demand.

Establishes new licensing categories for advanced respiratory care practitioners (ARCPs) with postgraduate training who can perform advanced procedures under physician supervision and obtain prescriptive authority.

Creates an "endorsement" designation for practitioners meeting additional competency requirements for advanced respiratory care procedures as defined by board rules.

Requires joint subcommittees from the North Carolina Medical Board and Respiratory Care Board to develop rules governing advanced respiratory care practitioners' medical acts, with rules effective only after adoption by both boards.

Updates Board composition to include four physicians with specialties in Pulmonology, Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, or Cardiothoracic Disorders, with implementation dates of October 1, 2021 and October 1, 2022 for various sections.