Raising the Bar: Understanding the Value and Opportunities of Nursing Certification

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Raising the BarUnderstanding the Value and
Opportunities of Nursing Certification

• Nancy Eisemon RN MPH APRN/CNS CGRN

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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American Board of Certification for
Gastroenterology Nurses

• Maintain and improve the knowledge, understanding
  and skill of nurses in the fields of
  gastroenterology and gastroenterology endoscopy
  by developing
• and administering a certification program.

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• Accredited by Accreditation Board for Specialty
  Nursing Certification)
• Only accrediting body specifically for nursing
  certification
• Ensures quality standards specifically for
  professional certification
• Endorsed by the National Council of State Boards
  of Nursing

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ABCGN Responsibilities

• Ensures High Quality Exam
• Exam Development
• Role delineation
• Item Writers Workshop
• Course on Item Development for novice writers
• Item Review Committee
• 6 member committee-assists in exam assembly
• Item Writers Panel
• 6 member panel of experienced writers

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ABCGN Responsibilities

• Setting the Standard/passing score
• Test administration
• Reviewing examination statistics
• Eligibility Standards for Certification and
  continued competency

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Licensure - Certification - Certificate

• Licensure (mandatory) Basic level skills
• Done once in a lifetime
• Certification (voluntary) Specific to specialty
• Demonstrates knowledge and skill in specialty
• Documents continued learning by recertification
• Tangible accomplishment
• Requires professional experience
• Certificate (voluntary)
• Educational offering
• Indicates completion or attendance of program
  with specific focus
• Measures knowledge of course content
• Does not require professional experience

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• Licensure mandatory entry level
• Certification voluntary requires added
  professional experience
• Certificate voluntary no professional
  experience certificate of attendance
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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Reasons to Certify - Perspectives

• Hospital
• Higher nurse recruitment and retention
• Job satisfaction/boosts loyalty of nurse
• Retention critical at time of nursing shortage
• Magnet status Marketing tool of differentiation
• Certification promoted by JCAHO and ANCC
• Public
• Awareness of Certification
• Patient safely
• ABNS 2011 Research patient outcome study- Link
  between Certification and specific patient
  outcomes.
• National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators

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Study Finds Certification May Impact
Surgical Patients
New research correlates Direct-Care RN
Specialty Certification and Surgical Patient
Outcomes DENVER, CO (January 6, 2015)Results
from a recent study indicate specialty nursing
certification contributes to improved surgical
patient outcomes in hospitals nationwide.
Published in the November 2014 issue of AORN
Journal, the peer-reviewed journal of the
Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses
(AORN), the research was conducted by the staff
at the National Database of Nursing Quality
Indicators (NDNQI) and the University of Kansas.
It was sponsored by the Competency
Credentialing Institute (CCI). This is not the
first research assessing the potential impacts of
nursing specialty certification. Previous
research indicated a positive correlation between
certified nurses and a lower frequency of falls,
as well as decreased length of hospital stays and
decreased odds of adjusted 30-day mortality.
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Reasons to Certify - Perspectives

• Professional
• ABNS Study October, 2005
• 20 certification org. 11,724 respondents
• TOP FIVE
• Enhances professional credibility
• Enhances feeling of professional accomplishment
• Provides personal satisfaction
• Provides professional challenge
• Provides evidence of professional commitment

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Higher recruitment
• Job satisfaction
• Safer care by Certified nurses
• Personal marketing tool for nurses
• Personal value
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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Role Delineation StudyDevelopment of Practice
Domains

• Done every 5 years
• Provides the foundation or BLUE PRINT for
  constructing a valid examination
• New RD Completed in June 2012
• Evaluation of the job by experts in field
• New Exam using New Blue Print October 2012

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Examination Content 175 Questions (25
experimental or pretest)
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Practice Domains

• General Nursing Care
• 3 Tasks Assessment, monitoring, educating
• Gastroenterology Procedures
• 3 Tasks Assisting with GI procedures, assisting
  with non-endoscopic procedures, performing
  non-endoscopic procedures
• Patient Care Interventions
• 3 Tasks Emergencies, wellness, administering
  medications and fluids

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• General Nursing Care
• Gastroenterology Procedures
• Patient Care Interventions
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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How is ABCGN Involved in setting the Passing
Score ?

• Panel of Judges selected
• 10 certified GI Nurses representing the diversity
  of the profession
• Judge each item on the exam determining minimal
  acceptable passing point
• Facilitated by the psychometrician
• Scores are based on what the examinee knows or
  can do, rather than on their relation to other
  examinees performance on the examination.

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How is the Passing Score Determined?
Panel of Judges grade each question on how
important or essential the item is for competent
practice. A Cut Score and passing standard is
determined.
Cut score is the minimum number of items needed
to pass.
Passing standard is the minimum level of
competency for the nurse to practice safely -
set by ABCGN
Passing score is set after a Role Delineation,
which is every 5 years.
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Scoring

• A scaled score is used for this examination.
• The passing score cannot be set using a specific
  number of questions which are answered correctly.
  Instead, a statistical procedure is performed to
  ensure that all forms or editions are equal in
  content and level of difficulty. The passing mark
  for this exam is 450.

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• Panel of Judges
• Cut score min. to pass
• Passing standard- min. level to practice safely
• Passing score- set q5y by ABCGN
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification

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Certification Eligibility

• A current unrestricted Registered Nurse license
  in the United States or any of its territories
  which use the National Council of State Boards of
  Nursing Licensing Examination (NCLEX) examination
  as a basis for determining RN licensure.
• An unrestricted RN license, issued by a State
  Board of Nursing, means that an RN license must
  not have provisions or conditions that would
  limit the RN's practice in any way

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Certification Eligibility

• Involved in the field of gastroenterology
• Clinical
• Administrative
• Research Education
• Industry (40 clinical practice, education or
  research)
• 2 years full time or its part time
  equivalent/4,000 hours over 5 years
• 2 validating signatures of gastroenterology
  practitioners

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Recertification Eligibility

• Certification Period begins with the exam date
  and ends on December 31 five years later.
• Exam date May 5 years and 7 months
• Exam date October 5 years and 2 months
• Taking the exam in May gives you 5 extra
  months to
• accumulate CEUs for recertification
• Eligibility the same for recertification

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Options for Recertification

• Retake the Examination

• CEUs
• Annual Tracking option
• 5 Year Submission

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Criteria for Recertification by CEUs

• 100 contact hours required in 5 years
• 80 must be GI specific
• 40 of those GI specific must be earned through
  approved nursing seminars or workshops

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Objectives

• Differentiate licensure from certification
• List reasons why nurses should certify
• Discuss the practice domains used for test
  construction
• Discuss how a passing score is determined
• List the eligibility requirements for
  certification and recertification
• Current license
• GI Practice
• 2 y full time or part time equivalent of 4,000
  hours in 5 years
• 2 validating signatures

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Preparation

• Internet CE courses
• Regional SGNA Courses
• ASGE courses for nurses
• SGNA educational DVDs
• Form study groups
• 3-6 people
• Develop a study plan
• 6-12 weeks depending on needs
• Some organizations recommend
• 6 months of study
• ABCGN Library resources 20
• Focus on your weak areas

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Study Tips

• Try to study every day- avoid cramming
• Pick time when you are most alert research
  shows AM and early PM best
• Study one topic at a time
• Review what you learned the previous day
• Make outlines, develop questions, tape record
  what you have difficulty learning, flash cards,
  post a topic or drug by the phone,
• If you have test anxiety, consider taking a
  course at a local college to alleviate fear.

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Testing Options

• Computer-based Testing (CBT)
• 425 sites

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Filing and Examinations Dates

Registration Examinations
Spring Deadline February 27, 2015 500 PM EST May 1-31, 2015
Fall Deadline July 31, 2015 500 PM EST October 1-31, 2015

• Exam candidates are notified of their options for
  testing dates and sites 30 days prior to the
  start of the testing window.
• There are processing fees for rescheduling,
  cancelling or roll over.

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Certification Examination Fees

Options Member Non-member
Computer Based Testing 400 485
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Recertification Fees
Options Member Non-member
Computer Based Testing 400 485
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) 350 435
Non-cancelable and non-transferable Rollover policy in certification handbook Non-cancelable and non-transferable Rollover policy in certification handbook Non-cancelable and non-transferable Rollover policy in certification handbook
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Check List!!

• Make sure you know how to get to test location
  and the reporting time
• Locate the testing room the night before

You will only be permitted to bring into the
testing room your ID, pencils, and keys!
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Prohibited Items in Exam Room

• Personal items
• Medications
• Candy
• Food and/or drink
• Books, pamphlets, and dictionaries
• Communication devices of any nature, including
  cell phones, pagers, PDAs, etc.
• Digital watches, calculator watches or watch
  alarms
• Examinee-provided keyboards
• Eye glass cases
• Highlighter pens, personal writing instruments
• Language translation dictionaries
• Lanyards, or the cords that allow glasses to
  hang around a persons neck
• Laptop Computers
• Listening devices, including radios or stereos
  with headphones
• Papers of any kind
• Purses or backpacks
• Recording, copying, and photographic devices
• Slide rules, rulers, compasses, and protractors
• Stencils, colored overlays

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Test Item Examples

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Domain I - General Nursing Care

• A patient developed severe watery diarrhea with
  dehydration after taking a regimen of
  antibiotics. A stool test was positive for
  Clostridium difficile. Which acute inflammatory
  disorder of the colon would be suspected?
• a. pseudomembranous colitis
• b. amebic colitis
• c. campylobacter enteritis
• d. bacillary dysentery

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Domain II Gastroenterology Procedures

• The nurse is caring for a patient whose
  esophagram showed a dilated esophagus with
  abirds beaktapering of the distal esophagus.
  Which of the following interventions should be
  included in the patients plan of care?
• a. pneumatic balloon dilation
• b. hydrostatic balloon dilation
• c. use of Maloney dilators
• d. use of Hurst dilators

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Domain III Patient Care Interventions

• The nurse is caring for a patient with a history
  of alcoholism who presents with severe retching
  and vomiting followed by excruciating
  retrosternal chest and abdominal pain. Which of
  the following emergencies should the nurse
  anticipate?
• a. tracheoesophageal fistula
• b. Boerhaaves Syndrome
• c. traction diverticula
• d. esophageal candidiasis

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Computer Based Testing
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ABCGN Board of Directors Volunteer
Opportunities
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President Jeanie Ebbert presenting at 2014 SGNA
Leadership Conference

ABCGN Board of Directors
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Item Writers Workshop

• First step in learning how to develop questions
  for the exam
• Questions are drafted, edited, and reviewed for
  the Item Bank
• Exam questions are taken from the Item Bank

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Item Review Committee

• Test Plan Classification
• Item Rejection
• Item Revision
• Item Validation
• Exam Assembly

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Item Writing Panel

• Writes 20 items annually
• Validates items
• Classifies items
• Meets annually in Chicago

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• http//www.abcgn.org
• 1-855- 25- ABCGN
• or 1-855-252-2246
• Fax [phone]

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SUCCESS IS NOT OUT OF YOUR REACH
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SET YOUR GOALS HIGH!
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DONT BE ANXIOUS!!
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BE PROUDGet CERTIFIED!
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What is your Path to Certification?
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Questions?