2012 Role Delineation Study: What is it, and why do it?

The purpose of the role delineation study is to: validate the inventory of the tasks and knowledge related to work performed by pediatric nurses; ensure that the tasks and knowledge statements identified were congruent with the objective of certifying pediatric nurses; and, develop test specifications for the Certified Pediatric Nurse Examination. The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN®) Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

A role delineation study is typically done through the use of a survey instrument to obtain descriptive information on demographics and role responsibilities every 3-5 years. This periodic study is required of all nursing certification boards by their accrediting agency. In order to develop a content outline for a certification examination, a role delineation study should identify tasks, knowledge, skills, or abilities deemed important to practice by pediatric nurses. The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN®) Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

2012 Role Delineation Study: Steps Involved & Results “at a glance”...

Steps Involved... Over a period of several months, the following occurred : Development of the survey instrument with subject matter experts (SMEs) from around the country Pilot testing of the instrument for clarity and comprehensiveness Dissemination of the survey Analysis of survey data Development of test specifications and the updated content outline from survey findings and input from the SMEs The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Results at a glance... A total of 1,962 responses were used for analysis. The majority of respondents work in general pediatrics (54%), in an urban setting (61%) and hold a Bachelors Degree (56%). The survey participants responded to the following survey sections: Section 1: Background and General Information (Demographics) Section 2: Tasks (4 domains covering 83 task statements) Section 3: Knowledge (39 statements) Section 4: Recommendations for Test Content Section 5: Comments The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Practice Setting 67% practice in an urban setting % practice in inpatient community hospital 60% practice in inpatient children’s hospital 61% practice in an urban setting % practice in inpatient community hospital 66% practice in inpatient children’s hospital Top 3 Patient Populations 48% General pediatrics 11% Critical care 7% Emergency/Trauma 54% General pediatrics 11% Critical care 5% Emergency Top 6 Conditions that Nurses Care for (in order) Respiratory GI Infectious Disease Neurology Emergency/Trauma Cardiovascular Respiratory GI Neurology Endocrine/Metabolic Infectious Disease Cardiovascular The CPN Exam Over Time

Results at a glance of 83 tasks achieved high importance means. The task that did not achieve high performance ratings and was subsequently deleted from the content outline was: Assessing a child using developmentally appropriate screening tools (e.g., DDST, Tanner) The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Results at a glance of 39 (100%) knowledge ratings achieved high importance means Respondents indicated that the survey covered the tasks and knowledge/skills well to very well. The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

2012 Role Delineation Study: How the new study impacted the exam... Content Outline Changes from 2008 to 2012

The CPN Exam How the new study impacted the exam Content Domains 1.Assessment 2.Health Promotion 3.Management 4.Professional Role 1.Assessment 2.Health Promotion 3.Management 4.Professional Role Number of Items / Time Allotment 3 hours 175 Exam Questions (150 scored/25 pre-test items) 3 hours 175 Exam Questions (150 scored/25 pre-test items)

The CPN Exam How the new study impacted the exam Percentage of Items per Content Domain 1.Assessment – 28% 2.Health Promotion – 10% 3.Management - 52% 4.Professional Role – 10% 1.Assessment – 30% 2.Health Promotion – 17% 3.Management – 48% 4.Professional Role – 5% Number of Tasks per Content Domain 1.Assessment – 18 2.Health Promotion – 7 3.Management Professional Role – 11 Total = 72 1.Assessment – 21 2.Health Promotion – 6 3.Management – 50 4.Professional Role – 6 Total = 83

Summary of Changes... A shift in domain emphasis to a greater percentage of Health Promotion items and a lower percentage of Professional Role items on the updated content outline. The domain of Management of Psychosocial/Behavioral expanded from 5 task statements to a total of 10 as tasks previously under other domains were reassigned or broken out into multiple tasks. During the survey tool development, task statements were modified for clarity with more examples cited and subsequently only five were modified based on survey participant comments. The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Summary of Changes... Under Assessment: o Added to the Content Outline: “Obtain health history” “Recognize signs and symptoms of addiction or withdrawal” “Assess barriers to adherence to therapeutic regimen” o Deleted from the Content Outline: Screening procedures and tools were deleted from “Assess child’s development and cognitive level” The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Summary of Changes... Under Health Promotion: o Added to the Content Outline: “Facilitate the safe and successful practice of breast or formula feeding” o Combined three tasks from the 2008 Content Outline “Teach health promotion strategies to the child and family” and “Facilitate the incorporation of self-care strategies to promote health” was combined with “Formulate and implement individualized teaching plan for health promotion” The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Summary of Changes... Under Management: o Added to the Content Outline: “Interpret laboratory and diagnostic test results” “Prioritize care within and across patient assignments” “Implement safety precautions”, “restrictive intervention” and “phototherapy” under Procedures “Develop and implement plan of care based on psychosocial assessment” “Incorporate cultural and spiritual needs into plan of care” The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Summary of Changes... Under Management: o Added to the Content Outline: “Implement strategies to overcome barriers to care” “Initiate education to child and family regarding risk taking behaviors” “Incorporate family’s strategies for managing child’s chronic illness or condition” “Provide anticipatory guidance for chronic illness or condition course progression and treatment options” The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Summary of Changes... Under Management: o Deleted from the Content Outline: “Facilitate the transition of child and family through the care continuum” “Evaluate the plan of care to identify the need for potential changes” The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

Summary of Changes... Under Professional Role o Added to the Content Outline: “Maintain professional communication” “Maintain professional boundaries” o Deleted from the Content Outline: “Document provision of care” “Participate in disaster preparedness” The CPN Exam 2012 Role Delineation Study

2012 Role Delineation Study: Additional Information

Q: When does the updated exam launch? A: The new exam is expected to launch April 22,2013. Q: Is there any advantage in taking one version of the exam over the other? A: No, both will equally assess your knowledge. Q: Do I need to study differently if I choose to take the new exam? A: No, any preparations you undertake will benefit you regardless of which exam version you take. The reference list remains the same because the tasks listed on the new outline have not changed significantly from the older one The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN®) Exam Questions others are asking...

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