Factors influencing performance on the Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist Examination: Passing rates and domain-level scores.

The Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP) specialty certification was launched by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties in 1994. Candidates for the BCPP can qualify for the examination through 3 possible pathways: practice experience (4 years) in the specialty, completion of a PGY-1 residency plus an additional 2 years of practice experience, or completion of a PGY-2 specialty residency in psychiatric pharmacy. Recent fluctuations in the passing rate raised questions as to explanatory factors. This article represents the first published comprehensive study of candidate performance on the BCPP Examination. It describes a retrospective, observational study presenting (a) statistical trends of examination passing rates for biannual cohorts over the past 5 years, as well as (b) score distributions on the 3 performance domains of the certification. Pass-rate trend analyses suggest that variation in the proportion of eligibility pathway cohorts in the respective testing samples explains some of the fluctuation in passing rates. An analysis of variance of domain-level scores, using groups defined by eligibility pathway, yielded significant differences for nearly all group comparisons. Evaluation of the effect sizes suggest that the most disparate performance was observed on the core clinical domain, Patient-Centered Care. The results of this study are consistent with previously published research and will inform the upcoming role delineation study for the Psychiatric Pharmacy Certification.

The Perceived Value of Certification in Nonsurgical Pain Management.

Chronic pain is a growing epidemic in America. Challenges in patients' access to care, and in reimbursement to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who provide pain services, have resulted in a voluntary subspecialty certification in nonsurgical pain management (NSPM) for CRNAs. An evaluation was conducted of perceptions of CRNAs toward the value of certification in NSPM. An invitation to complete the Perceived Value of Certification Tool (PVCT) was sent to 474 CRNAs who identified the subspecialty practice of NSPM upon application for recertification to the NBCRNA. Data were collected on 18 factors related to the perceived value of certification in the NSPM subspecialty. Exploratory factor analysis using principal components analysis with varimax rotation was conducted to assess the latent structure of the PVCT and to identify potential constructs of CRNAs' perceptions. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach α coefficients. Of 64 CRNAs who provided data, a 3-factor solution emerged that explained 72.25% of the overall variance: personal satisfaction, professional recognition, and competence, each with excellent to good reliability (F1: α = 0.95, F2: α = 0.94, F3: α = 0.88). Identification of the 3 constructs in this study will assist with future efforts of examination validation for the subspecialty of NSPM certification for CRNAs.

Computer-Based Case Simulations for Assessment in Health Care: A Literature Review of Validity Evidence.

Simulation for education and training in health-care professions has been widely applied. However, its value as an assessment tool for competence is not fully known. Logistical barriers of simulation-based assessments have led some health-care organizations to utilize computer-based case simulations (CCSs) for assessment. This article provides a review of the literature on the identification of psychometrically sound, CCS instruments designed to measure decision-making competence in health-care professionals. CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Ovid databases identified 84 potentially relevant articles published between January 2000 and May 2017. A total of 12 articles met criteria for inclusion in this review. Findings of these 12 articles indicate that summative assessment in health care using CCSs in the form of clinical scenarios is utilized to assess higher order performance aspects of competence in the form of decision-making. Psychometric strength was validated in eight articles and supported by four replication studies. Two of the eight articles reported evidence of construct validity and support the need for evidence based on a theoretical framework. This literature review offers implications for further research on the use of CCS tools as a method for assessment of competence in health-care professionals and the need for psychometric evidence to support it.

Reference Resource Usage Among Nurse Anesthetists: A Survey.

The National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) references all questions on its examinations. Because examination questions should be clinically applicable, the NBCRNA is interested in knowing what reference resources clinicians rely on in their work, so that questions can be based on those or similar resources. In October 2016, the NBCRNA sent an email blast for a survey on reference usage to a weighted random selection of 14,993 student and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists from its database. The final response rate to the survey was 21.0% (3,155). Important findings included a greater percentage acknowledging usage of web-based references (90.7%, 95% CI = 89.6%-91.8%) than of textbooks (61.4%, 95% CI =59.7%-63.1%) or journals (62.3%, 95% CI = 60.5%-64.1%), as well as more frequent reported usage of web-based resources than textbooks. The survey also queried overall usage of journals, handbooks, and mobile apps, and of specific subcategories and titles. Characteristics of references that respondents reported as very important included easily accessible, portable, and reputable. Most findings indicated that practicing nurse anesthetists prefer webbased resources to printed textbooks or journals. With some exceptions, that preference held true across age groups and job duties.

Advancing recertification for nurse anesthetists in an environment of increased accountability.

The nurse anesthesia profession has been an advocate of credentialing since 1945 when the certification program and initial requirements were introduced. Substantial changes have evolved in the credentialing of health professionals over recent years to include documentation of initial and continuing competence while promoting patient safety. The National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) has conducted a 3-year investigation into continuing competence as applied to the practice of nurse anesthesia and to other professions. The purpose of this article is to present the essential concepts and current developments related to competence and continuing competence for nurse anesthetists. The NBCRNA continues to seek input from nurse anesthetists and stakeholders in its deliberations on how to define the future requirements for continuing competence.

A report on the CCNA 2007 professional practice analysis.

The purpose of this column is to present the results of the 2007 Professional Practice Analysis (PPA) of the field of nurse anesthesia, conducted by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists. The PPA used survey and rating scale methodologies to collect data regarding the relative emphasis of various aspects of the nurse anesthesia knowledge domain and competencies. A total of 3,805 survey responses were analyzed using the Rasch rating scale model, which aggregates and transforms ordinal (rating scale) responses into linear measures of relative importance and frequency. Summaries of respondent demographics and educational and professional background are provided, as well as descriptions of how the survey results are used to develop test specifications. The results of this analysis provide evidence for the content outline and test specifications (content percentages) and thus serve as a basis of content validation for the National Certification Examination.