CNA Certification
Resources
Bulletins
CERTIFICATION NEWS - Fall 1997 - Number Three
Committed to Nursing Excellence
Content
An exam is born!
Recertification Q & A
Certification credit follow-up
Isabelle Adams Award
Council on Certification
Dates to Remember
First oncology exam!
Much time and effort goes into writing a certification examination, but many taking the exam don’t realize the complexity involved with exam development.
Long before a candidate chooses an answer, competencies are identified, blueprints created, questions formulated and a pass mark set. Exams are not developed overnight; the process is lengthy and involves much hands-on participation. Those questions on the exam you just wrote were the result of intense, scrupulous deliberation. The time frame is approximately 10 to 18 months from competency development to the actual administration of an exam.
To shed some light on the exam development process, a chronological approach may work best.
1. Competency development
After the Council on Certification agrees that a new specialty exam should be created, the
competencies – defined as the core behaviours and core knowledge expected of a nurse
who meets the minimum certification eligibility criteria – are identified by a
committee of nurses with experience in the specialty. Competencies are validated for their
applicability, importance, and frequency of execution. The competencies are reviewed
periodically to ensure they are still current.
2. Blueprint development/revision
A blueprint outlining the content to be tested in the examination is developed by
the competency committee. The blueprint includes: (1) the set of competencies, (2)
variables that provide structure for the examination (e.g., number of questions on the
exam), (3) guidelines for test development (e.g., the percentage of questions representing
client age and gender). A blueprint is developed for the first exam in the specialty and
revised periodically.
3. Question writing
With the blueprint in hand, groups of nurses from across the country create examination
questions to measure the specific competencies and to fulfil the guidelines identified in
the blueprint.
4. Question appraisal and test
fairness review
All questions are reviewed by nurses from across Canada to ensure that the
questions reflect current standards of practice. As well, representatives from minority
groups (e.g., aboriginals, visible minorities and individuals with disabilities) review
the questions to ensure candidates who belong to such groups are not disadvantaged by
examination content and that no stereotypes are inadvertently reflected in the questions.
5. Compilation of the examination
The exam is compiled from approved questions to meet the specifications of the
blueprint; the remainder is placed in a test bank.
6. Approval of the examination
The examination committee reviews each examination question to ensure the
appropriateness and accuracy of the content and to provide final approval of the
examination.
7. Translation review
After the exam is approved, it is translated. A translator with testing expertise
and a group of Francophone nurses review the translation focussing on the technical
terminology. The translation must reflect the language used in work settings and the
vocabulary must be practice-based.
8. Setting the pass mark
The exam committee determines the pass mark by rating each exam question for its
difficulty and the expected success rate of a nurse with at least two years of experience
in the specialty. The pass mark is determined prior to the examination administration and
is not dependent on the performance of those writing the exam. In addition to the
nurses’ ratings, testing experts carefully consider a variety of relevant data to
ensure the pass mark is fair and valid.
9. Question analysis
After the exam is written and the answer sheets scored, all questions and
answers are statistically analyzed to determine their suitability for use in calculating
the total score.
After the exam
Just as candidates prepare carefully to write an exam, the certification
team spends much time developing a thorough and exact exam. Full regional representation
is ensured at all stages of exam development with approximately 40 nurses within the
specialty participating. As well, the development process is directed by an expert in
testing and measurement.
But what about after the exam? Now that the hard work is over how long is the wait for results?
Exams are computer-scored. One point is awarded for each correct answer. No points are awarded for incorrect, omitted or double answers. Experimental questions that are being assessed for future use or questions that are statistically poor do not count toward the final score.
Approximately six weeks after candidates write a certification exam, they receive their results. During this time many activities take place: exam materials are sorted, counted, scanned and converted into exam scores. The result is in the form of a pass or fail. The purpose of a certification exam is to determine whether a candidate has the competence required to be certified. The questions and exam are developed to make an accurate pass/fail decision.
Certified nurses have many questions about recertification. This column, a regular feature in Certification News, will answer some of these queries. If you have a question, send it to CNA (see contact information on page 4).
| Q | I would like to participate in CNA certification exam development. What activities are available and how do I get involved? |
| A | All graduates of the CNA Certification Program are eligible to assist with exam development. Activities include:
If you are interested in participating in any of these activities, complete the
nomination form sent to you as part of your graduation portfolio, along with a copy of
your most recent resume to the Certification Program. The test consultant responsible for
the exam will keep your resume on file and will call when there is an opening. Regional
representation is always required at all stages of exam development. |
| Q | I have participated in CNA certification examination development activities. How do these count toward my continuing education hours for recertification? |
| A | In our last newsletter, we outlined some of the various ways nurses can earn continuing education hours. You may have noticed that participation in CNA certification exam development activities was listed under formal education. This change in policy from recognizing exam development activity as formal education and not professional participation reflects the extensive research involved with such activities. Item writing, revision and translation review are ongoing learning processes that can easily involve more than 25 hours. CNA acknowledges the amount of work necessary and gives full credit for the hours worked on exam development activities. Now, nurses assisting the Certification Program will have the opportunity to earn more than 25 of the required 100 hours of continuing education through exam development assistance. |
Certification credit follow-up
The last issue of Certification News included an article on getting university credit for certification credentials. It was reported that a survey indicated a high number of diploma-prepared nurses who had earned the CNA certification credential were interested in pursuing a degree in nursing if credit was approved.
The advisory committee responsible for investigating this issue has prepared a list of recommendations for the executive directors of CNA and the Schools of Nursing (CASN). We’ll touch on these recommendations and any follow-up news in the next issue of Certification News.
In honour of the Quebec nurse who helped form the Bilingual Operating Room Nurses Association of Quebec in 1956, the Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada awards the prestigious Isabelle Adams Award, on an annual basis, to an outstanding nurse who has made a significant contribution to operating room nursing in Canada. This year the award went to Anne Hughes, a CNA certified perioperative nurse from St. John’s, Newfoundland.
An OR nurse since her graduation in 1966, Hughes retired a year ago from the Health Care Corporation of St. John’s and established her own perioperative nursing consulting company. She is currently assisting in the development of a post-basic operating room nursing program through the Centre for Nursing Studies in St. John’s.
Hughes says her commitment to nursing stems from her love of perioperative nursing. “Nurses in the OR do so much for patients. Patients are so vulnerable when they are in the OR. There is a sacred trust between the nurse and the patient.”
Hughes helped to establish the Newfoundland and Labrador Operating Room Nurses Association 19 years ago and was president from 1986 to 1989. She also served on the national board of directors as secretary, helped develop national standards, sat on a committee to develop approval for post-basic programs and has chaired OR nursing conferences.
Originally trained in England, Hughes wrote the first CNA certification exam for OR nurses in June 1995. She says certification validates what you know and your practice. It enhances self-confidence and in the future, she thinks it will help in gaining employment.
The Canadian Nurses Association Board of Directors approved new structures for its testing committees at its November 1996 meeting. One change saw the Special Committee on Certification and the Committee on Testing replaced with a new Council on Certification.
Members of the first Council on Certification were selected from a list of many
qualified candidates. The council consists of the following people:
Cheryl Forchuk — CNA board representative (Ontario)
Sandra Matheson — critical care (Nova Scotia), associate and
affiliate group representative
Lorraine Varner — perioperative (British Columbia)
Rosemary Herbert — Assistant Professor, UPEI School of Nursing
Pat Ness — Program Chair, Post-Basic Nursing Programs, Grant MacEwan
Community College (Alberta)
Sharon Blaney — occupational health (British Columbia), associate
and affiliate group representative
The council is responsible for the implementation and evaluation of the overall Certification Program and is accountable to the CNA Board of Directors.
The council’s mandate is:
a) Develop and recommend program policies for the Certification Program to the CNA Board
of Directors;
b) Resolve issues and problems related to program policies and procedures;
c) Identify, on a national basis, requirements/needs related to the Certification Program;
d) Establish the terms of reference, composition, and terms of office of the certification
committees and working groups;
e) Review new designation proposals and approve the designation of new nursing specialties
for certification;
f) Serve as an appellate body for certification candidate appeals; and,
g) Monitor and evaluate the Certification Program.
Council membership is composed of six members: one from the CNA Board of Directors; two representing associate and affiliate members whose specialty is part of or about to become part of the Certification Program; three representing nurse educators, unions and employers; and, the CNA executive director who is an ex-officio member of council.
Individuals are appointed to the council by the CNA board’s appointment committee. Nominations are received from jurisdictional members and associate and affiliate members whose specialty is part of or about to become part of the Certification Program.
Half of the council members will be appointed for two-year terms, the other half for three-year terms. This arrangement will ensure continuity of members from year to year.
The council will be consulted on a regular basis to discuss issues concerning the development and implementation of the Certification Program. In addition, the council will meet annually to monitor and evaluate the program, to identify emerging issues, and to discuss the future direction of the program.
Help spread the word about the benefits of certification by telling colleagues about upcoming certification exams and specialty conferences.
Canadian Association of Neuroscience
Nurses
June 25, 26, 1998
Montreal, QC
Contact Nancy Thornton, chairperson, specialization committee at
(604) 875-3059 for more information.
Canadian Federation of Mental Health
Nurses
June 5 to 7, 1998 (tentative dates, awaiting approval by board)
Toronto, ON
Contact Judith Buchanan, president
at (506) 648-5720 for more information.
Operating Room Nurses Association of
Ontario
Fifth Provincial Conference
April 20 to 22, 1998
Niagara Falls, ON
Call Sharon Ball at (416) 586-4800 ext. 2630 for more information.
ORNAC – 16th National Conference
June 13 to 18, 1999
Halifax, NS
Hosted by the OR Nurses Association of Nova Scotia
Call Donna Farid at (902) 473-4519 for more information.
CNA Biennial Convention and Annual
Meeting
June 14 to 17, 1998
Ottawa, ON
Contact Pat Mohr, conference coordinator, for more information.
Tel.: (613) 237-2133 or 1-800 361-8404;
Fax: (613) 237-3520 or
E-mail: media@cna-aiic.ca
Next examination date for all
specialties:
Saturday, April 4, 1998
(Deadline to apply has passed/2,000 to 2,500 applications anticipated to be received.)
The 1999 exam schedule has not been finalized at this time; check the next issue of Certification News for more information.
Please feel free to submit items for this section, but be sure to include a contact name and phone number. The next issue of Certification News will be published in the summer of 1998. Please submit items by April 1, 1998 to the attention of Certification News.
There are currently 335 CNA certified oncology nurses in Canada following the first administration of the CNA Certification Exam in Oncology Nursing on 27 September 1997. Congrats! The next oncology exam, as well as the other seven nursing specialty exams, is scheduled for 4 April 1998.
