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Evolving a blueprint for certification: the responsibilities and knowledge comprising American professional oncology
M E Ropka1, J Norback, M Rosenfeld
1Division of Intramural Research Programs, National Center for Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Oncology Nursing Forum
|June 1, 1992
Summary
A job analysis study confirmed the essential responsibilities and knowledge for oncology nursing certification. This ensures the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) exam accurately reflects current oncology nursing practice.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education and Certification
- Health Professions Assessment
Background:
- Content validity is crucial for certification exams in specialized fields like oncology nursing.
- The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) sought to ensure its exam accurately reflected the required competencies for newly certified nurses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish the content validity of the ONCC certification exam through a comprehensive job analysis.
- To identify and prioritize the key responsibilities and knowledge areas essential for entry-level oncology nursing practice.
Main Methods:
- Development of the 'Profession of Oncology Nursing: An Inventory of Responsibilities and Knowledge' (IRKPON) questionnaire.
- Distribution of the IRKPON to a stratified random sample of 3,000 U.S. oncology nurses.
- Analysis of ratings on the importance of 56 responsibilities and 217 knowledge areas by 1,297 respondents.
Main Results:
- A high percentage of responding nurses identified core responsibilities (80.4% 'very important', 14.3% 'extremely important') and knowledge areas (75.1% 'very important', 18.9% 'extremely important') as critical.
- The study pinpointed specific, high-importance responsibilities and knowledge domains for newly certified oncology nurses.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide empirical data to validate the ONCC certification exam's content.
- Subsequent revisions to the ONCC exam blueprint and passing score were implemented based on the study's results to enhance exam relevance and validity.