Because the primary goal of NHA is to increase the quality of care and make the healthcare industry better one healthcare worker at a time via our partnership with you and other allied health schools, we are continuously working on improving our processes and policies. As executive director I want to make sure our partners are up-to-speed on the great things happening at NHA.

Updated Candidate's Guides available. Updated Candidate's Guides for the phlebotomy exam, clinical medical assistant and billing & coding specialist have been posted on the NHA website. These can be printed or downloaded at no cost.

The Candidate's Guide should be reviewed by every candidate preparing for certification. It outlines key polices for the certification, such as eligibility criteria, testing administration, requests for appeals or accommodations, etc. One of the most important and often overlooked items in the Candidate's Guide is the exam content. Reviewing what is on the exam can significantly impact candidates' ability to prepare.

What's new with the certification exams? The Administrative Medical Assistant certification program recently completed a job-task analysis, and NHA is recruiting subject-matter experts to assist in writing and reviewing items for the exam. In particular, we are seeking practitioners to join our group of subject-matter experts. If you have a stellar former student who you think would be good in this role, please invite them to consider "giving back" to their profession. Those interested should contact me directly at becky.rabbitt@atitesting.com and include a resume.

A job-task analysis was also recently completed for the pharmacy technician exam. A new blueprint was recently approved by the exam committee and the Certification Governing Committee.  New items are in the process of being pre-tested. The new exam blueprint will be available soon so that you'll have time to prepare students before the new exam goes live. 

There is no definitive date for the new exam, although it is expected in the first half of 2011.

Rebecca M. Rabbitt, Pharm.D.
Executive Director, Allied Health Certification Programs

Because we know that aggregate reporting on your students' performance on the national certification exam is of value to you, NHA has developed a report that summarizes the passing rate of your students and compares that to the state and national average pass rates. You will start to see this report in December along with the existing report that shows individual student pass/fail results.  In January 2011 the new report will replace the current pass/fail report which is being permanently retired.

As a reminder, the Certification Board, which governs policy for the certification exams, approved a policy in August that changed the handling of confidential student exam data. The new policy states that confidential information will not be disclosed without the candidate's permission and that score results will be sent directly to the candidates. Information that is not considered confidential (and may be shared with schools or employers) includes the data included in the new aggregate report, certification status, certification number and the current status of a credential. Based on this new policy, effective Jan. 1, NHA will not disclose confidential information directly to schools without the student's permission. Confidential information includes test scores, pass/fail results and percentage correct scores. 

Students may opt-in to release confidential data to their school during the Candidate Attestation step of scheduling their exam.  To opt in they will need to "check mark" the box in front of the authorization that reads "I authorize my results for this examination to be released to the institution associated with the examination."

If you have any questions regarding the new report or the implementation of the new policy please contact your client account manager. 

When it comes to the perfect student we wrote the book - Learning Strategies: Your Guide to Classroom and Test-Taking Success from ATI Allied Health.

This smart, research-based study guide teaches your students how to study before they walk through your classroom door. Taking effective notes during lectures, creating and maintaining productive study environments and succeeding on classroom and standardized tests are just a few of the valuable lessons your future students will learn.

These tried and true study techniques are all backed by proven results. Not only are they a great help for your students, they are equally helpful for you, their instructor. You can spend your time teaching them what to study instead of how to study.

Make this required reading. For more information, contact your client account manager or your sales representative.

Started in October 2005 with just a few hundred exams, the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) is celebrating its fifth anniversary and a growth spurt that has seen double-digit growth for five consecutive years.

Established by the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (now a part of the National Healthcareer Association), ExCPT was an innovator and led the way by offering a computer-based exam that was offered on-demand. "Green" from its start, the ExCPT program used technology to support registration, exam administration and recertification, allowing it to support rapid growth. Prior to the ExCPT, technicians had only the choice of a paper/pencil exam offered three times a year.

"The ExCPT achieved NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies) accreditation in June 2008 in less than three years on the market," said Rebecca Rabbitt, executive director at the NHA. "That's a remarkable feat. Now pharmacy technicians have choices between accredited exams. Competition among certification exams is common in the allied health and other disciplines. Competition raises the bar for everyone involved."

The ExCPT is available in 42 states and is approved by state boards of pharmacy in 26 states.

Oct. 26 was National Pharmacy Technician appreciation day, and NHA was proud to recognize certified pharmacy technicians and the educators who trained them. We marked the day by sending e-mails to CPhTs and pharmacy technician educators, as well as recognition on the ExCPT Facebook page, which included a contest asking CPhTs to tell us what their certification means to them. Check out some of the responses:
 

"I became certified to show my dedication to my field by going a step farther than necessary to prove my knowledge and understanding."

"My career as a CPhT means the world to me! I am very fond of my customers & am glad to go to work every day to serve them!"