national asthma educator certification examination where we are where we ve come from

1. National Asthma Educator Certification Examination Antoinette Gardner, RN, MEd, AE-C

2. Mission Statement To promote optimal asthma management and quality of life among individuals with asthma, their families and communities, by advancing excellence in asthma education through the Certified Asthma Educator process.

3. Why is Certification Important? Role of the Asthma Educator has increased over the past decade as research has shown the importance of a well-educated, informed patient in the management of this chronic disease. Need for standardize process to certify Asthma Educators/Coordinators/Counselors and to evaluate their effectiveness in disease management Certification assures that information obtained from a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C) is based on scientifically sound concepts of disease management

4. About the National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) Voluntary health certifying board Created in 2001 Purposes To prepare examinations to test the qualifications of candidates for certification as asthma educators To conduct and evaluate these examinations

5. About National Asthma Educator Certification- History Stakeholder Consensus Conference held in January 1999 - Washington, DC The American Lung Association served as the initial catalyst and convener of the consensus conference (50+ participants) Goal: To develop an asthma educator certification organization Stakeholders nominated and elected a Nominating Committee Stakeholders elect the first Board of Directors from candidates selected by this Stakeholder Nominating Committee

6. Evolution of the NAECB Sept. 2000 � 1st Board of Directors meeting, Feb. 2001 � Became independently incorporated as a 501 (c) (6) Established by-laws Signed a management agreement with ALA Spring 2001 Initiated funding requests Received RFPs from certification examination experts Selected a consultant � Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP)

7. Summer & Fall 2001 Developed the Asthma Educator Job Tasks Survey Sent survey to 2000 asthma educators in US Analyzed return survey data Designed exam matrix Submitted request to the AMA CPT Editorial Panel

8. Spring 2002 Finalized the �Summary of Job Analysis of Asthma Educators� Approved eligibility requirements for the exam Held an Item Writers Workshop and began exam development Completed the web site (www.naecb.org [.net, .com]) Published the Candidate Handbook (online & print) Published the brochure

9. NAECB Ongoing Timeline Summer & Fall 2002 Complete the initial forms of the exam Establish cut scores Sept. 19th - initial offering of the exam Spring 2003 Scholarship program announced

10. Fall/Winter 2003 First election of new board members Reimbursement site launched Summer 2004 First Dr. Linda B. Ford Scholarships awarded Fall/Winter 2004 Pursuing NCCA accreditation E-newsletter published for certificants 2005 Self assessment exam in development Item writer workshop in Las Vegas in July NAECB Ongoing Timeline

11. Executive Committee- 2005 Antoinette Gardner, RN, BSN, MEd, AE-C- Chair Susan Blonshine, BS, RRT, RPFT, FAARC, AE-C � Past Chair Kristin Homze, RN, BSN, AE-C - Vice Chair Theresa Prosser, PharmD, AE-C � Vice Chair Laurel Ratcliff Talabere, RN, PhD, AE-C � Treasurer Marianna Sockrider, MD, DrPH, AE-C - Secretary National Asthma Educator Certification Board

12. National Asthma Educator Certification Board

13. Who Is the Asthma Educator?

14. Asthma educator conti.

15. The Examination Items Cognitive levels of test items: Recall - The ability to recall or recognize specific information Application - The ability to comprehend, relate or apply knowledge to new or changing situations Analysis - The ability to analyze information, determine solutions and/or evaluate the usefulness of a solution

16. National Asthma Educators Certification ExaminationMatrix Summary I. The Asthma Condition Pathophysiology of asthma Factors contributing to Acute and Chronic Asthma

17. National Asthma Educators Certification ExaminationMatrix Summary II. Patient and Family Assessment History Physical Examination Objective Measures Educational Needs

18. III. Asthma Management Medications and Delivery Devices Behavioral and Environmental Modifications Developmental Implementation, and Evaluation of an Asthma Management Plan National Asthma Educators Certification ExaminationMatrix Summary

19. IV. Organizational Issues Program Outcomes Referral and Professional Networking National Asthma Educators Certification ExaminationMatrix Summary

21. NAECB Exam Categories

22. NAECB Exam 175 multiple choice questions 150 test items 25 pretest items Not identified Performance on these items does not affect score Includes some �multiple multiples� 3.5 hours allowed for exam Multiple forms Sample questions and Review References are in the Candidate Handbook on website: www.naecb.org

23. Examination Eligibility Requirements The following currently licensed or credentialed health care professional may be admitted to the examination: Physicians (MD,DO) Physician Assistants (PA-C) Nurses (RN,LPN, NP) Respiratory Therapists (RRT,CRT) Pulmonary Function Technologists (CPFT,RPFT) Pharmacists (RPh) Social Workers (CSW) Health Educators (CHES) Physical Therapists (PT) Occupational Therapists (OT)

24. OR Individuals providing asthma education, counseling, coordination services with a minimum of 1000 hours experience in above services. Examination Eligibility Requirements

25. NAECB Exam: Application & Scheduling Online or paper www.naecb.org Complete & submit application & payment Must sign Code of Conduct Make examination appointment, pending confirmation of having met eligibility requirements Request for special accommodations available

26. How and where to take the test 1st exams taken Sept 19, 2002 online online at 100+ secured testing sites in H&R Block Centers across the US assessment centers listed at www.goAMP.com As of July 1, 2005 Exam is offered in Puerto Rico

27. NAECB Exam Fees $275 - New candidate If successful Certification designation of AE-C Receipt of NAECB certificate $150 - Repeat candidate (fee per exam) May reschedule within one year of application $275 � Recertification Certification valid for 5 years Renewal by re-examination only

28. Demographic Analysis

29. Who has written the exam? (as of September 23, 2005) 1942 certificants (71% pass rate) Almost every eligible group Most frequent groups: Respiratory Therapists (RRT, CRT) and Pulmonary Function Technologists (CPFT, RPFT), n=731 Nurses (RN,LPN), n=683 1000 Hours, n=165 Pharmacists, n=116 Pass rate by qualification (overall) Respiratory Therapists (RRT, CRT), 67.5% Nurses (RN, LPN), 81% 1000 Hours, 57% Pharmacists, 77.5%

30. Demographic Questions A series of seven optional demographic questions were asked of each candidate: Nature of practice setting Hours in asthma education per week Experience in years Type of primary practice setting Location of primary practice setting Highest education level achieved How did you hear about certification?

31. Practice Setting: First-Time

32. Number of Hours: First-Time

33. Experience in Years: First-Time

34. Type of Practice Setting: First-Time

35. Location of Practice Setting: First-Time

36. Education Level: First-Time

37. Where did you hear about certification? First Time

38. Keys to Success Experience Education Practice setting Heard about exam through a colleague 2-3 times as often as other methods except other Content area does not vary significantly with any demographics

39. Future Considerations Statistics are likely to change as review materials and courses become increasingly available across all settings Consistency across content areas supports the reliability of current content � consistency has remained over all 3 forms that have been retired Research committee will review the statistics to date in greater detail as the number of candidates increase

40. Reimbursement Site

44. Promoting Excellence in Asthma Education