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Executive Summary
A National Job Analysis of the Infusion Nurse
Conducted by the:
Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation
The purpose of this study was to identify the responsibilities of the infusion nurse as a first step in the continuing development of job-related certification examinations. The Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation (INCC) requested the services of Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) to design and conduct a study that would provide the support necessary to develop specifications upon which a content valid certification examination could be built. INCC identified the need to ensure that the examination specifications would be representative of the role of the infusion nurse.
The Infusion Nurse job analysis advisory committee (AC) worked to conduct the activities necessary to identify infusion nursing responsibilities and to develop examination specifications. The diversity of this group was reflective of the specialty areas within the infusion nursing role, and all committee members had demonstrated expertise in their respective areas of specialization.
The study involved development of a job analysis survey, distribution of that survey to practitioners, and an analysis of the responses. Test specifications for the CRNI® exam were developed on the basis of these data. The advisory committee met in September of 2007 to initiate the following seven tasks:
1. Identify the target practitioner
2. Develop a sampling plan
3. Identify tasks for the survey instrument
4. Identify classifications of core tasks into knowledge domains
5. Determine the rating scales to be used to evaluate tasks
6. Determine the relevant demographic variables of interest
7. Integrate demographics, rating scales, and tasks into a survey instrument
A total of 3,475 survey invitations were emailed to infusion nurses. After removing undeliverable addresses, insufficient responses, and addresses of those who indicated they were not interested in participating, it was determined that approximately 22.1% of the sample responded to the survey using the link provided in the email and provided usable responses (N = 670). Response rates in this range are typical of unsolicited surveys of this type. The responses to the demographic questions indicated that there were sufficient numbers of respondents in relevant groups for subsequent analysis. Approximately 94.7% of the respondents felt that the job analysis survey at least adequately addressed the responsibilities of the infusion nurse. In addition, respondents used all rating scales with an acceptable level of reliability.
During follow-up web conferences held with the advisory committee in February of 2008, decision rules were adopted and used to determine which tasks were appropriate for assessment, and therefore for inclusion in the final detailed content outline. Application of the decision rules resulted in retention of 182 tasks. It was determined that a total of 150 scored multiple-choice items would be sufficient to assess the tasks.
The INCC CRNI® Examination Council (EC) will use the resulting test specifications in building the CRNI® examination with first administrations beginning September 2008, and all items appearing on the examination will be linked to the specifications based on the unanimous agreement of the committee. In addition, a detailed content outline will be made available to candidates for use in preparing to attempt certification.
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Content Category
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# of Items
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1.
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Technology and Clinical Applications
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38
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2.
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Fluid and Electrolyte Balance
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20
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3.
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Pharmacology
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20
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4.
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Infection Control
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20
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5.
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Pediatrics
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8
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6.
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Transfusion Therapy
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8
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7.
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Antineoplastic/Biologic Therapy
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16
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8.
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Parenteral Nutrition |
10
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9.
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Performance Improvement |
10
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Total
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150
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Prepared by:
Lawrence J. Fabrey, Ph.D.
J. Michael Clark III, M.S.
Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc.
Overview of Test Specifications
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