1. A Closer Look at the Board of Certification:
An Overview for New Program Directors and Faculty
February 23, 2017

2. CLEC 2017 Presenters: Karen A. Brown, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM
Immediate Past Chair, BOC Board of Governors
Patricia A. Tanabe, MPA, MLS(ASCP)CM
Executive Director, BOC
Susan J. Beck, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CMBBCM
Member, BOC Board of Governors

3. Ensuring that Examinations Remain Current
Part I
Ensuring that Examinations Remain Current

4. Committees and Work Groups
At the heart of the BOC Credentials are the Examination Committees and Qualification Work Groups.

5. Examination Committees
Committees and Work Groups
Examination Committees
Blood Banking
Clinical Chemistry
Cytogenetics
Cytotechnology
Hematology
Histotechnology
Joint Generalist
Laboratory Management
Medical Laboratory Assistant
Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Pathologists’ Assistant
Phlebotomy

6. Qualification Work Groups
Committees and Work Groups
Qualification Work Groups
Apheresis
Cytometry
Immunohistochemistry
(Histology Exam Committee)
Laboratory Informatics
Laboratory Safety

7. Committee and Work Group Composition
Committees and Work Groups
Committee and Work Group Composition
Include technicians, technologists, laboratory scientists, supervisors, educators, and physicians
Geographic distribution considered
Work setting important

8. Committees and Work Groups
Composition
The dedicated volunteers on these committees and work groups are appointed based not only on their clinical competence, geographic location and work setting, but most of all by their desire to improve the profession through credentialing of laboratory professionals

9. Committees and Work Groups
Generally 6-8 people per committee
Members serve two, 3 year terms
Theoretically 1-2 people rotate off or their first term expires each year
Guests can be invited
An educator is always on a committee if there is an educational program associated with the discipline
One member from the blood bank, chemistry, hematology, microbiology and molecular biology committees comprise the Joint Generalist committee

10. Committees and Work Groups
Responsibilities
Meet annually
Plan, develop and maintain examination databases
Determine accuracy and relevancy of test items
Confirm and set standards for each examination
Perform job or practice analyses

11. Committees and Work Groups
About Exam Databases
Most BOC exams consist of 100 questions.
Each exam database contains hundreds of items.
Thus, the number of different 100 question exams that can be administered from a 300 or greater question database is countless.

12. Committees and Work Groups
Examination Items
Write examination items
-assign classification according to content outline
-determine taxonomy
-provide references
Review examination items provided by each committee member
-assess clarity, accuracy, content, structure and appropriate classification
-determine if references are listed

13. Accuracy and Relevancy of Exam Items
Committees and Work Groups
Accuracy and Relevancy of Exam Items
Review statistics to evaluate how each item performed on the exam
Assess items that do not adequately differentiate high and low ability examinees
Revise or delete items as necessary
Review performance of experimental (field test) items for inclusion in the exam database

14. Standard setting or Benchmarking
Determine pass point for the examination (standard setting)
Standard Setting activity

15. Perform Practice Analyses
Committees and Work Groups
Perform Practice Analyses
Practice Analysis is performed to define the practice and to validate the certification program
Define questions to be on a survey
-Two sections on survey: knowledge questions and testing (task) questions
Evaluate and discuss survey responses
-Suggest theories or tasks to retain or remove

16. Practice Analyses & Exam Content
Committees and Work Groups
Practice Analyses & Exam Content
Knowledge questions ask how significant is knowledge of the “following” to effectively perform a job
Task questions assess if the test is currently performed/used, not performed/used and whether or not knowledge (basic or advanced) is needed of the concept /protocol to perform the job

17. Practice Analysis Example
Committees and Work Groups
Practice Analysis Example
Survey question asks if respondents perform peripheral blood smear evaluations to describe and grade red blood cells according to size, color, shape and inclusions.

18. Practice Analysis Example - continued
Committees and Work Groups
Practice Analysis Example - continued
Hematology Content Outline lists “Differentials and Morphology Evaluation” as a subtest area
BOC Study Guide includes the question:
A red blood cell about 5 μm in diameter that stains bright red and shows no central pallor is a:
Spherocyte
Leptocyte
Microcyte
Macrocyte

19. Committees and Work Groups
Example of topic removed from exam because of the practice analysis results:
A screening test for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is:
heat instability test
sucrose hemolysis
osmotic fragility
dithionite solubility
(BOC Study Guide, hematology #118, pg. 164)