A round of applause to everyone who completed the test engine survey – we received 115 responses!  Here is a brief synopsis of the enhancements for the new test engine that will practically eliminate “started/not completed” results:

• Caregivers ability to re-enter exams
• Limited Number of Re-Entry Attempts
• Linear Progression through Exams
• Better Tracking via Time Stamping
• No Software Downloads Needed

For an in-depth refresher on all of these topics, check out the article "Test Engine Survey – Read All About It!"

So, without further adieu, I present the results from our survey regarding development of a new test engine. 

Drum roll please……..

89% Yes, make the changes – 6% No, keep it the same – 5% Indifferent

93% Yes! – 7% No

94% Yes! – 6% No

With the overwhelming positive response we have begun the development phase of our new test engine.  However, we took into consideration the additional requests mentioned and made two appeasing modifications!

Limit re-entry attempts to 2 (instead of 3)

Some clients felt that 3 re-entry attempts were too many.  We agree.  Thus, caregivers will be given 2 additional times to login.  But remember that even if they choose to log off in the attempts to search for an answer, they will only have access to the last question they were working on!  Caregivers will not be able to return to any previously answered questions, or look at upcoming questions.

Caregiver’s Running Out of Time

A few clients mentioned the linear format of the exam causing caregivers to rush through the exam.  For this reason we are programming in a feature to allow each exam to have a unique amount of time for completion.

Currently, all of our exams allow 1 minute per question.  However, moving forward we will be able to allocate more time to exams requiring critical thinking (i.e. RN Pharmacology) while others keep the typical 1 minute per question (i.e. Color Vision Exam).

Wrap-Up

Keep a look out for more communication about the test engine’s progress in the future.  I am pleased to say that we have clients lined up for the test engine’s beta testing phase – but if you would like to be added to the list, please contact Meredith @ 336-802-1070 ext 122.

Happy testing!

After reading this communication piece from our Clinical Team, you will understand why the Med Surg/Tele Combo and Telemetry Exams will no longer be available within NurseTesting (as of 7/9/2010) and that your profiles must be updated to reflect the changes.

We are excited about being able to present you with new and expanded options regarding our latest releases!  This new option will affect how you currently administer Med Surg/Tele Combo and Telemetry Exams.

The current Med Surg/Tele Combo and Telemetry will be removed from your exam library effective July 9th due to the recent 2010 Exam Releases.  In order to prevent unnecessary duplication in exam administration, we want to provide information to assist you with new exam recommendations.

Cardiac Telemetry/Cardiac Step-Down Population

The 2010 Cardiac Progressive Care Exam is appropriate for determining competency for the cardiac telemetry/cardiac step-down patient population.  This population would include those patients with a primary cardiac diagnosis i.e.: chest pain/rule out MI, cardiac catheterization, post stent replacements, pacemaker, etc.

For determining competency in the Cardiac Telemetry and or cardiac step-down, it is our recommendation to administer the:

•    2010 Cardiac PCU Exam (includes Pharmacology component)
•    Dysrhythmia Exam

Med Surg/Telemetry Combo Population

The Med Surg/Telemetry Combo patient population would include patients with a secondary cardiac diagnosis. i.e.: diabetes with a history of A-fib, bowel resection with history of CHF.

For determining competency in the Med Surg/Telemetry Combo arena, it is our recommendation to administer:
 

•    2010 RN Med/Surg Form A or B
•    Dysrhythmia Exam
•    2010 RN Pharmacology

Important Reminder

Any older versions of these exams that have previously been sent to caregivers will remain in the caregiver accounts.  Caregivers will be able to complete these exams at their leisure.  And, of course, the exams that were already completed will remain in their exams for documentation!  However, you will no longer have the ability to administer the Med Surg/Tele Combo or Telemetry exams from the "Send Exams" screen***

************Many clients have the old Med Surg/Tele Combo and Telemetry exams included in Exam Profiles.  These must be changed by July 9th or an "error" message will appear for your staff members.  Only administrators can make these changes.*************

Your profiles can be modified by following a few simple steps. For step-by-step assistance, check out the training video – “Creating Profiles”

For your convenience, the “Creating Profiles” training video can also be found in your NurseTesting account under the Help tab! Remember that for the protection of your account, only admins have access to updating profiles!

As the leader in providing valid and reliable competency assessment tools for healthcare professionals, we want to provide you with a brief overview to assist with implementation of the 2010 Cardiac Progressive Care Unit Exam.

2010 Cardiac Progressive Care Unit Exam

The 2010 Cardiac Progressive Care Unit Exam determines clinician competency based on the sub-acute patient population inclusive of the progressive care or step-down phase. The Pharmacology component has been integrated into this exam; therefore you will not need to administer a separate Pharmacology Exam.

However, you will need to administer the Dysrhythmia Version 2.0 Exam to determine competency for rhythm recognition, as the new Progressive Care Unit exams do not contain rhythm strips. Attempting to include the Dysrhythmia strips in the newer exams would have created a very lengthy exam for the applicant.

**** The 2010 Cardiac Progressive Care Unit Exam is available and
ready for sending from your NurseTesting account ****

Please let us know if there are any questions.  As always – we are happy to help!
 

High Point, NC (Vocus/PRWEB ) March 25, 2010 — Amistaff Healthcare Technology, Inc. – leader in healthcare competency – continues to raise standards of validated exam development with their NurseTesting.com service releasing the new Registered Nurse Medical/Surgical Exam and Registered Nurse Pharmacology Exam. Utilizing a new validation process never before applied to healthcare competency exams, hospitals and healthcare staffing firms receive access to exam content linked directly to specific job functions and requirements. Assisting with hiring and retaining the most qualified personnel for healthcare positions directly correlates to improving quality of patient care.

The new exams augment NurseTesting.com’s extensive exam library which follows standards set forth by The Joint Commission (a national healthcare standards organization). The new content validation process takes the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978) and applies them to the development of these assessments.

We are confident that with the use of our newly validated exams, a more accurate assessment of healthcare professionals will be available, empowering the employer to select the best candidate for the position, thereby improving the quality of care being delivered to patients across the country.

The two phase development process starts with an in-depth Job Analysis where Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) provide a series of ratings for key job/duties/tasks and specific knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of healthcare professionals on the first day of the job. Then SMEs develop a test plan and begin writing items for exams.

During both phases statistical data is collected and analyzed (i.e. inter-rater reliabilities and Angoff ratings) yielding final recommendations for which items to include in the assessments. The data collected affords the opportunity for assigning initial unmodified Angoff Cutoff Scores. Widely-used arbitrary cutoff scores leave hospitals and staffing agencies wide-open for adverse impact claims. Amistaff’s validation process helps minimize legal responsibility for hospitals and staffing agencies from the use of pass/fail cutoff scores.

Overseeing the implementation of the research and revision system, Chief Nursing Officer, James Ostmann Sr. RN, MBA, states, "We are confident that with the use of our newly validated exams, a more accurate assessment of healthcare professionals will be available, empowering the employer to select the best candidate for the position, thereby improving the quality of care being delivered to patients across the country."

Amistaff will continue utilization of this rigorous content validation process on future exams in an effort to provide high caliber pre-screening assessment tools for the healthcare industry. Implementing pre-screening standards aimed at hiring and retaining the best qualified healthcare professionals attests to facilities’ and staffing agencies’ commitment to improving quality of patient care.

About Amistaff Healthcare Technology – Amistaff Healthcare Technology was founded in 2004 as a healthcare staffing solutions provider. Amistaff creates products and services that help hospitals and healthcare staffing firms improve recruitment, retention and placement of caregivers. Amistaff includes a team of IT professionals, RN’s and former recruiters allowing Amistaff to base their products on an in-depth understanding of each client’s unique staffing requirements. All of the Amistaff products, including Prophecy Health, NurseTesting.com, and BlueSky Medical Staffing Software, are web-based solutions designed to simplify workflow and increase efficiency. Visit www.amistaff.com for additional information.

We are pleased to announce the first release of new exams for the 2010 calendar year!  Please use this information to assist with using these exams during your screening process.

2010 Trauma ICU

The 2010 Trauma ICU Exam is a new exam that determines clinician competency based on a critical patient population inclusive of all pathologies familiar to the Trauma ICU setting.  The Pharmacology component has been integrated into this exam; therefore you will not need to administer a separate Pharmacology Exam.

However, you will need to administer the Dysrhythmia Version 2.0 Exam to determine competency for rhythm recognition, as the new Critical Care exams do not contain rhythm strips. Attempting to include the Dysrhythmia strips in the newer exams would have created a very lengthy exam for the applicant.

This exam has a corresponding 2010 Trauma ICU Skills Checklist.

2010 Surgical ICU

The 2010 Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) Exam determines clinician competency based on the patient population inclusive of the critical post-operative phase. The Pharmacology component has been integrated into this exam; therefore you will not need to administer a separate Pharmacology Exam.

However, you will need to administer the Dysrhythmia Version 2.0 Exam to determine competency for rhythm recognition, as the new Critical Care exams do not contain rhythm strips. Attempting to include the Dysrhythmia strips in the newer exams would have created a very lengthy exam for the applicant.

***If you want the newly validated exams included in your profiles, you must change your profiles to reflect this. ***

Your profiles can be modified by following a few simple steps. For step-by-step assistance, check out the training video – “Creating Profiles”.

For your convenience, the “Creating Profiles” training video can also be found in your NurseTesting account under the Help tab! Remember that for the protection of your account; only Admins have access to modifying profiles!

We hope this will assist you in the implementation of these new exams!

Some wonderful questions have come into our Q/A box in Get Satisfaction about exams that incorporate a year in their titles (2009 General ICU Exam A).

So, we figured everyone would benefit from a little explanation of the purpose for including the years on the newly validated exams within NurseTesting.

The numerical year that precedes the exam title for the new competency exams and corresponding skills checklist denotes the year in which the validated exam and skills checklist was created.  The newly validated competency exams are continuously monitored for reliability based on ongoing statistical analysis and the skills checklist are reviewed annually to reflect relevant practice. 

As revisions and/or updates are made to the exams, the year will also change accordingly. So, continue sending the exams based on the content denoted from the exam name and disregard the year that starts the exam name.  This is basically in-house tracking for us and will allow you to know when the last updates were on the particular exams you are sending out.

Hope this helps everyone! We look forward to assisting you with your testing needs in 2010!

Amistaff’s Clinical Team has come through right on schedule!  You now have access to the 2010 Core Mandatories from your "Send Exams" screen.

So, here is a synopsis of the 2010 Core releases:

•   2010 Core Mandatory Part I: exams that are aligned to meet all Federal Regulatory Agency Requirements such as OSHA and CDC.
•   2010 Core Mandatory Part II: correlates with each discipline to meet all Joint Commission requirements.
•   2010 Core Part III : for your convenience to meet any possible contractual or facility specific requirements.

Exams now available on the Mandatory section of the exam list:
 

2010 Core Mandatory Part I (for all disciplines) includes:

•     Body Mechanics/Ergonomics
•     Disaster Preparedness
•     Environmental Safety
•     Fire Safety
•     Hazardous Chemicals
•     HIPAA
•     Infection Control/Blood Borne Pathogens

2010 Core Mandatory Part II (Nursing) includes:

•     Age Specific
•     Cultural Diversity
•     Ethics for Healthcare
•     2010 National Patient Safety Goals (Nursing)
•     Patient Rights

2010 Core Mandatory Part II (Allied) includes:

•     Age Specific
•     Cultural Diversity
•     Ethics for Healthcare
•     2010 National Patient Safety Goals (Allied)
•     Patient Rights

2010 Core Mandatory Part II (Non-Licensed Personnel) includes:

•     Age Specific
•     Cultural Diversity
•     Ethics for Healthcare
•     20010 National Patient Safety Goals (Non-Licensed)
•     Patient Rights

2010 Core Part III includes:

•     Abuse
•     Advanced Care Planning
•     Domestic Violence
•     Pain Management
•     Patient Restraints
•     Sexual Harassment
•     Workplace Violence

*** Please note that effective 1/04/2010, the 2009 Core Mandatories along with the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals will no longer be available.***

Also, many clients have the 2009 Core Mandatories included in their Exam Profiles. If you want the 2010 Core Mandatories included in those profiles, you MUST change your profiles to reflect this. If you need assistance with changing your profiles, please refer to the Training Link under the HELP menu for a tutorial on Creating Profiles.

We hope that these changes will assist you in your continued success for 2010!

Please contact support with any questions.

As the leader in providing valid and reliable competency assessment tools for healthcare professionals, we want to provide you with a brief overview for the 2009 Neuro ICU, 2009 Neuro Progressive Care Exam and 2009 Endoscopy/GI Lab exams to assist you with their implementation.

2009 Neuro ICU

The 2009 Neuro ICU Exam is a new exam that determines clinician competency based on a critical patient population inclusive of all general disease pathologies familiar to the Neuro ICU setting.  The Pharmacology component has been integrated into this exam; therefore you will not need to administer a separate Pharmacology Exam.

However, you will need to administer the Dysrhythmia Version 2.0 Exam to determine competency for rhythm recognition, as the new Critical Care exams do not contain rhythm strips. Attempting to include the Dysrhythmia strips in the newer exams would have created a very lengthy exam for the applicant.
 
2009 Neuro Progressive Care

The 2009 Neuro Progressive Care (PCU) Exam determines clinician competency based on the sub-acute patient population inclusive of the progressive care or step-down phase. The Pharmacology component has been integrated into this exam; therefore you will not need to administer a separate Pharmacology Exam.

However, you will need to administer the Dysrhythmia Version 2.0 Exam to determine competency for rhythm recognition, as the new Progressive Care exams do not contain rhythm strips. Attempting to include the Dysrhythmia strips in the newer exams would have created a very lengthy exam for the applicant.

2009 Endoscopy/GI Lab

The 2009 Endoscopy/GI Lab Exam determines clinician competency based on a patient population inclusive of procedures commonly performed in this Endoscopy/GI Lab. The Pharmacology component has been integrated into this exam; therefore you will not need to administer a separate Pharmacology Exam.

However, you will need to administer the Dysrhythmia Version 2.0 Exam to determine competency for rhythm recognition, as the new Endoscopy/GI Lab exams do not contain rhythm strips. Attempting to include the Dysrhythmia strips in the newer exams would have created a very lengthy exam for the applicant.

We hope this helps with the implementation of the exams.  Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

We are pleased to announce the 2010 National Patient Safety Goals Exams are available for immediate implementation!

To continue in assisting you with your testing needs, we are releasing the 2010 NPSG exams specific for Nursing, Allied, and Non-Licensed Personnel. The following exams are now available and located in the Mandatory section of the exam list:

• 2010 NPSG (Nursing) – includes RN’s and LPN’s
• 2010 NPSG (Allied) – includes PT, OT, ORT, Radiology, Certified Medication Aides, CNA’s (licensed by state) and other Allied personnel that retain licensure.
• 2010 NPSG (Non-Licensed Personnel) – includes CNA’s (non-licensed by state), HHA’s, sitters and all other Non-Licensed Personnel.

The 2009 NPSG exams will still be available in your account until January 1, 2010.

***To use the 2010 NPSG exams via profiles, you must change your profiles to reflect this. ***

Your profiles can be modified by following a few simple steps. For step-by-step assistance, check out the training video – “Creating Profiles”.

For your convenience, the “Creating Profiles” training video can also be found in your NurseTesting account under the Help tab! Remember that for the protection of your account, only Admins have access to modifying profiles!

The 2010 NPSG will also be reflected in the new 2010 Core Mandatories that will be released this month!

We hope that these changes will assist you in your continued success for 2010!