Translation of Credentialing Examination for Providers with English as a Second Language: An Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare education
• Professional credentialing
• Health equity

Background:

• Racial and ethnic minorities face disproportionately adverse health outcomes in the U.S.
• Language barriers can impede nursing school performance and credentialing exam success.
• Increased healthcare provider diversity may help reduce health outcome disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore current practices and trends in translating healthcare credentialing examinations.
• To understand the considerations involved in exam translation for professional certification.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to credentialing organizations, commissioned by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists.
• Data were collected from 27 organizations (63% healthcare-related) regarding their exam translation practices.
• Survey responses analyzed current translation availability, languages offered, and methodologies used.

Main Results:

• All surveyed organizations offered examinations in English; only a minority offered translations (e.g., Chinese/Mandarin, Spanish).
• A significant majority (78%) of organizations reported not translating their credentialing examinations.
• Among those translating, most translated one or two examinations, commonly using forward and back-translation techniques.

Conclusions:

• The limited translation of credentialing examinations highlights a potential barrier for non-English speaking healthcare professionals.
• Ensuring psychometric equivalence is vital for multilingual credentialing programs to accurately assess competencies.
• Exam translation can promote fairness by evaluating knowledge rather than language proficiency, potentially improving diversity and reducing health disparities.