1.2 Scope of Practice, Candidate Admission Pathways, and Credential Maintenance
Key Takeaways
- The CPFT scope of practice covers performing pulmonary diagnostic tests, verifying technical validity, running equipment quality control, and supporting physician interpretation.
- NBRC admission requires age 18 or older plus one of four pathways; there is no clinical-experience requirement and no chemistry or physics requirement for the PFT Examination.
- The alternative academic pathway is 62 semester hours of college credit that must include college-credit-level courses in biology and mathematics.
- The PFT Examination costs $200 for new applicants and $170 for repeat applicants, with a one-time $40 AARC member discount available on a first application.
- Candidates may attempt the PFT Examination twice without waiting; every subsequent attempt requires a wait of at least 180 days.
1.2 Scope of Practice, Candidate Admission Pathways, and Credential Maintenance
The Certified Pulmonary Function Technologist (CPFT) credential recognizes diagnostic specialists working in pulmonary laboratories, hospitals, research institutions, and outpatient clinics. The CPFT performs specialized diagnostic procedures, validates physiological data, maintains complex instrumentation, and supports medical decision-making under physician oversight. Knowing the defined scope of practice, the exact admission requirements, the fee and retake structure, and the credential maintenance obligation prevents costly application errors.
CPFT Scope of Clinical Practice
Core Clinical and Technical Responsibilities
-
Diagnostic procedure execution:
- Spirometry, including forced vital capacity (FVC), slow vital capacity (SVC), and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV).
- Static lung volumes by body plethysmography (thoracic gas volume), open-circuit nitrogen washout, and closed-circuit helium dilution.
- Single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) with alveolar volume (VA) and DLCO/VA.
- Bronchial provocation (methacholine, exercise, eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea, mannitol) and bronchodilator response studies.
- Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and field walking tests such as the six-minute walk test.
- Arterial and capillary blood sampling, blood gas analysis, and CO-oximetry.
- Airways resistance and conductance by plethysmography, respiratory muscle strength (MIP/MEP/cough peak flow), pulse oximetry, and oxygen assessment and titration.
- Sputum sample collection, home testing instruction, and patient education on medication delivery, travel, and asthma.
-
Diagnostic versus prescriptive boundaries:
- The CPFT evaluates technical test quality, confirms ATS/ERS acceptability and repeatability, and flags physiological patterns for the interpreting physician.
- Medical diagnosis excluded. CPFTs do not formulate medical diagnoses, prescribe therapy, or independently order diagnostic regimens; those remain within the licensed physician's scope.
-
Interprofessional collaboration: CPFTs work daily with pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, allergists, pediatricians, occupational medicine physicians, researchers, and respiratory care leadership.
NBRC Admission Requirements for the PFT Examination
The NBRC admission policy has exactly two parts: an age requirement and one of four qualifying routes. Candidates frequently over-read this policy and assume clinical hours or a chemistry course are required. They are not.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NBRC PFT EXAMINATION ADMISSION POLICY (CPFT / RPFT) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| REQUIRED: Be 18 years of age or older |
| AND |
| ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FOUR: |
| |
| 1. Graduate of, and hold at least an associate degree from, an entry-into- |
| practice respiratory therapy education program supported or accredited by |
| CoARC (Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care); OR |
| |
| 2. Be a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or Registered Respiratory |
| Therapist (RRT) credentialed by the NBRC; OR |
| |
| 3. Complete 62 semester hours of college credit from a college or university |
| accredited by its regional association or equivalent, INCLUDING college- |
| credit-level courses in BIOLOGY and MATHEMATICS; OR |
| |
| 4. Hold the CPFT credential, if seeking the RPFT credential. |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
What the Policy Does Not Require
- No clinical-experience minimum. Unlike several NBRC specialty examinations, the PFT Examination has no required months of laboratory employment and no medical-director verification of clinical hours.
- No chemistry or physics requirement. Only biology and mathematics must appear in the 62 semester hours. (Chemistry and microbiology appear in the RRT admission pathways, which is where the confusion originates.)
- No application deadline. Applications are accepted at any time; there are no testing windows.
Credit hours are accepted from any public or private postsecondary vocational or technical institution, community or junior college, or university accredited by an agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education, provided the coursework appears on an official transcript. All coursework must be complete before applying.
Fees, Scheduling, and Retake Policy
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| First-attempt fee | $200 |
| Repeat-attempt fee | $170 |
| AARC discount | One-time $40 discount on a first application, claimed through the AARC registration link before payment (not applied retroactively) |
| Delivery | PSI assessment centers, Monday through Saturday |
| Initial attempts without waiting | 2 |
| Days between each subsequent attempt | 180 |
| Record retention | Eligibility records are inactivated one year after application if testing is not pursued |
The two-attempt/180-day rule is specific to NBRC specialty examinations (PFT, NPS, SDS, ACCS). The TMC and Clinical Simulation examinations allow three attempts without waiting and then 120 days — do not transfer those numbers to the PFT Examination.
NBRC Credential Maintenance Program (CMP)
The Five-Year Cycle
Each NBRC credential is awarded for a term of five years, calculated from the end of the calendar month in which the credential was issued. CPFT and RPFT credentials earned on or after July 1, 2002 are subject to the Credential Maintenance Program; credentials awarded before that date are not.
The Three Renewal Options
| Option | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Option 1 — Assessments and/or CE | Complete NBRC assessments and submit continuing education. CE volume is driven by assessment performance and is banded into Green, Yellow, and Red zones: strong performance can eliminate the CE requirement entirely, while other results require documenting 15 or 30 CE credits. |
| Option 2 — Retake the examination | Retake and pass the examination for the highest credential held that is subject to the CMP, during the last year of the five-year period. A new five-year period begins on the date you pass. |
| Option 3 — Pass a new NBRC examination | Pass an NBRC credentialing examination not previously completed. This extends all NBRC credentials you hold for five years from the new credential date, synchronizing every expiration date. |
Acceptable continuing education must relate to respiratory therapy, pulmonary function or diagnostics technology, neonatal/pediatric care, sleep testing, adult critical care, or asthma education, depending on the credentials held. NBRC accepts courses approved by U.S. state licensing boards for respiratory care licensure and credits from the AARC Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) program.
Planning point: Option 3 is the most efficient route for a technologist who already intends to add a credential. Passing the PFT Examination itself resets a CRT's or RRT's maintenance clock, because it is an NBRC examination not previously completed.
A candidate holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with 62 semester hours of college credit including biology and mathematics, but has never worked in a pulmonary function laboratory. Is this candidate eligible for the PFT Examination?
How long is an NBRC CPFT credential valid, and which of the following satisfies the Credential Maintenance Program?
A candidate fails the PFT Examination on the first and second attempts. What does NBRC policy require before a third attempt?