Respiratory Care Practitioner – Initial Licensure

Before you apply, you should meet the following requirements:

• Education – Graduation from a school with a course of instruction in respiratory care approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) or the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Care (JRCRC).
• Certification – Certification through the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

After logging in, select Apply for a License and choose:

Category: Health
License Type: Respiratory Care Practitioner
Application Method: Initial Application

Please note: Your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address are available to the public as a licensed professional. You may request to withhold street address/PO Box, phone number, and e-mail address from lists of 10 or more credential holders during the application process.

If you need to update account information that is unavailable for editing on this page, you can create an Amendment (name or address change) or Request Support (all other changes). After requesting an amendment or submitting a support ticket, to continue your application, click My Applications, identify the draft application, and select Continue in the Action dropdown.

Enter your Education Information

Click Add School. If your school is not on the dropdown list, select Other Accredited School. Provide your school name, school address, and degree information.

Enter your request for a Veteran’s Fee Waiver or an income-based fee reduction, if applicable

Please Note: You are not required to provide all documents before initial application submission. You do not need to upload documents to every available category. 

Submit all your practice information within the past three years. If you graduated from school during the past three years, submit practice information since graduation. Be sure to include your job title/duties and the number of hours worked per week. If you are currently employed, enter the end date of your current employment as the present date. If you have not practiced respiratory care within the past three years, upload a statement to your application documents area.

Select all states where you have ever been licensed in this profession. Select None if you have never been licensed in another state. Click Save & Next.

Follow the instructions on the form. The form needs to be submitted by your school (or the custodian of records for a closed school)

Go to the Credentialed Practitioners page of the NBRC website (linked below) and click 'Order Credential Verification' to have NBRC send your verification to DSPSCREDMedBdAffiliates@wisconsin.gov. Staff will upload it when they review your application.

DSPS staff will email instructions for the exam once the fee and application are received and processed.

If you graduated school more than 12 months ago, complete and upload this form.

Review Communicable Disease Laws and upload a completed Form 1229 to your application documents area.

Upload Form 2829 and all required documents directly to your LicensE application’s Supporting Documents page in the Malpractice Suits or Claims section.

Upload Form 2252 and all required documents directly to your LicensE application’s Supporting Documents page in the Convictions and Pending Charges section.

If you have been disciplined by another state board, request all other states where you currently hold or have ever held a license send official verification directly to our department.

Other states may upload directly to your application using the LicensE Third Party Document Upload or email to DSPSCredMedBDAffiliates@wi.gov.

 If uploading, the state(s) will need your application number for successful upload.

National Board for Respiratory Care Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) Examination Information on the TMC exam may be found on the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) site.

Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code for Respiratory Care Practitioner Examination

This exam is an open-book, online exam. The passing score for the exam is 85%. Additional information regarding the exam may be found below. Instructions for the exam will be emailed after you submit the application and payment. Content

The exam content is drawn from applicable state statutes and administrative code chapters specific to the profession. The purpose of the exam is to familiarize yourself with locating the statutes and administrative code that regulate the practice of the profession. State of Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code for the profession can be found under the header of this webpage.

The state exam consists of material taken from the following statutes and code chapters:

• MED 10

• MED 14

• MED 20

• SPS 7

• Chapter 146

• Chapter 440

• Chapter 448

• Chapter 961

If you are unable to access the exam, try again later or refresh your web browser.

The exam is not timed. You may exit and return to the test any time over the next 3 months. Exit by clicking the "X" at the top right-hand corner of any screen.

Do not click "Done" until you are ready to submit the exam. If you accidentally click done before you are ready to submit your exam, just go back in and start again. Your first score will be deleted.

Print out a copy of your score report and retain it for your own records.

You will see your exam results immediately. Please allow 10 days for the verified results to be reflected on your application.

Retake

If you fail the exam (score less than 85%), you must pay the $75.00 retake fee and retake the exam. When staff process the exam results, you will be sent instructions to pay the retake fee. DSPS staff will email exam retake instructions when your exam retake fee is received and processed.

Questions

Additional technical or exam content-related questions can be directed to DSPSCredentialingCSC@wisconsin.gov or submitted as a LicensE support ticket. To submit a support ticket, go to license.wi.gov and select Request Support at the top of the screen.

An applicant who fails to receive a passing score on the TMC and/or the Wisconsin Statutes Exam after three (3) attempts must submit a remedial education plan to the board for approval prior to rescheduling the exam.

The oral exam must be completed if needed. Additional information regarding the oral exam is available in Med 20.04(4), Wis. Admin. Code. You may be required to complete an oral exam if you:

• Have a medical condition which in any way impairs or limits the applicant's ability to practice respiratory care with reasonable skill and safety.

• Use chemical substances so as to impair in any way the applicant's ability to practice respiratory care with reasonable skill and safety.

• Have been diagnosed as suffering from pedophilia, exhibitionism, or voyeurism.

• Have within the past 2 years engaged in the illegal use of controlled dangerous substances.

• Have been subject to adverse formal action during the course of respiratory care education, postgraduate training, hospital practice, or other respiratory care employment.

• Have been disciplined or had licensure denied by a licensing or regulatory authority in Wisconsin or another jurisdiction.

• Have been convicted of a crime the circumstances of which substantially relate to the practice of respiratory care.

• Have not practiced respiratory care for more than 1,200 hours during the last 3 years prior to application.

• Have graduated from a respiratory care school not approved by the Board.

If you meet any of the above criteria, the Respiratory Care Practitioner Council will review your application to determine if an oral exam is required. If selected to appear for an oral exam, you will be advised of that date upon completion of your application. Applicants required to complete an oral exam will be charged a fee of $266.00.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.