National Asthma Educator Certification Board

What National Asthma Educator Certification Board does

The National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) is a U.S.-based non-profit credentialing organization founded in 2000 and operated by a staff of seven, focused on administering the Asthma Educator Specialist (AE-C) credential for healthcare professionals specializing in asthma education and management. NAECB operates as part of the broader National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) credentialing portfolio, which also issues the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT), Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), Certified/Registered Pulmonary Function Technologist (CPFT/RPFT), Adult Critical Care Specialist (ACCS), Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist (NPS), and Sleep Disorders Specialist (SDS) credentials. Across the portfolio, more than 313,000 professionals hold 573,000 credentials. Headquartered at 10801 Mastin Street, Suite 300, Overland Park, Kansas, NAECB/NBRC delivers examinations in-person and serves candidates, credentialed practitioners, and educators through the practitionerportal.nbrc.org self-serve portal and a public credential verification directory for employers.

The business model is built on examination fees for initial credentialing and recurring annual invoice fees for credential maintenance. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, but the home page explicitly markets the 2026 Annual Invoice to existing credential holders. Go-to-market is primarily direct and self-serve via the website, practitioner portal, and a broad social media presence spanning Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, and YouTube. Underlying technology is conventional: a web portal, an in-person examination administration process, and a content library of examination preparation and continuing competency resources. There is no indication of proprietary AI/ML, APIs, SDKs, or platform integrations.

Strategic posture is conservative and stewardship-oriented rather than expansionary. Recent moves include a new Respiratory Therapy Examination rolled out in 2025, scheduled examination changes for 2027, multi-channel social expansion, and maintained sponsor relationships with the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and American Thoracic Society (ATS). The organization operates as an independent, standalone non-profit with no disclosed parent company, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

National Asthma Educator Certification Board

Legal name

The National Board for Respiratory Care

Website

https://naecb.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

National Asthma Educator Certification Board is a U.S. non-profit founded in 2000 that administers the Asthma Educator Specialist (AE-C) credential for healthcare professionals, operating with seven staff within the broader NBRC credentialing portfolio of 313,000+ professionals and 573,000 credentials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Healthcare Certification

NAICS

Other Schools and Instruction (6116), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nursing & Allied Health Certification Prep (CNA, EMT/Paramedic, Radiology, Sonography, PT/OT) (EDANAIAB)

Keywords

• Asthma educator certification
• Respiratory care credentials
• Healthcare professional certification
• Specialty credentialing board
• Asthma management examination

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Asthma Educator Certification Board administers the Asthma Educator Specialist (AE-C) credential, a specialty certification for healthcare professionals who educate and manage patients with asthma. The credential is delivered through standardized examination and is supported by annual credential maintenance invoicing, with the broader examination infrastructure managed under the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).

Product overview

The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) is a credentialing organization that offers a comprehensive portfolio of professional certifications for respiratory therapists and related healthcare professionals. The credential portfolio includes entry-level certifications (Certified Respiratory Therapist), advanced certifications (Registered Respiratory Therapist), pulmonary function technologist credentials (CPFT and RPFT), and specialty credentials (Adult Critical Care Specialist, Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist, Sleep Disorders Specialist, and Asthma Educator Specialist). The organization also provides exam preparation materials and maintains a credential verification portal for employers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asthma Educator Specialist (AE-C)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC)coreOthersAARC is listed as a sponsor organization on the NBRC website. AARC is the leading association for respiratory therapists and is a key professional partner in the respiratory care field, representing professionals who may seek NBRC credentials.
• American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP)coreOthersACCP is listed as a sponsor organization on the NBRC website. ACCP represents chest medicine and critical care physicians who work with respiratory therapists and may collaborate on certification standards.
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)coreOthersASA is listed as a sponsor organization on the NBRC website. ASA represents anesthesiologists who work closely with respiratory therapists in perioperative and critical care settings.
• American Thoracic Society (ATS)coreOthersATS is listed as a sponsor organization on the NBRC website. ATS is a professional society focused on pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, representing physicians who collaborate with NBRC-certified respiratory therapists.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC): NBRC administers the AE-C examination on behalf of NAECB and offers the broader portfolio of respiratory therapy credentials. They are the most direct operational peer and partner, with overlapping candidate pools and shared governance over respiratory care certification.
• National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC): NCHEC certifies health education specialists (CHES/MCHES), operating a similar model of professional certification examinations, credential maintenance fees, and sponsor organization backing. Directly comparable as an allied health credentialing board.
• Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS): BPS certifies pharmacy specialists through board examinations and recertification, mirroring the model NAECB uses for asthma educators. Comparable as a healthcare specialty credentialing body with annual maintenance requirements.
• National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC): NBCC administers the NCC credential for counselors with a comparable exam-plus-recertification model and similar non-profit governance structure. Comparable as a non-profit allied-health certification board.
• Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC): BOC certifies athletic trainers through a standardized exam and recertification cycle, operating on a similar small non-profit model. Comparable in scale and operational structure to NAECB.

Broad incumbents

• American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT): ARRT is a much larger allied health certification body for radiologic technologists with a comparable exam-and-renewal business model. It serves as a scaled analog illustrating how specialty credentialing boards can expand scope and revenue.
• American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS): ABMS oversees physician board certification across specialties and serves as the broader incumbent reference point for healthcare specialty credentialing. Relevant as the upstream standard-setter that employer and licensing requirements often reference.
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): ANCC is a large-scale healthcare specialty credentialing body within the American Nurses Association ecosystem, offering numerous specialty certifications. Comparable in business model to a much larger scale, illustrating the upper bound of specialty credentialing organizations.

Regional players

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP): CAAHEP accredits allied health education programs rather than individuals, but it operates in the same allied-health quality-assurance ecosystem and shares sponsor relationships with respiratory care professional associations. Comparable as a related accreditation body.

Others

• National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN): NCSBN develops the NCLEX and related nursing licensure examinations. Not a direct competitor but a relevant reference for the healthcare certification-and-licensure ecosystem in which NAECB operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NBRC_tweets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeKW6Wrrjtg-ZGz5EUMRk0g/featured?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/NBRC.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-board-for-respiratory-care
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_nbrc
• TikToktiktok.com/@the_nbrc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Asthma Educator Certification Board