The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN ® ) Exam

The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN®) Exam

2012 Role Delineation Study: What is it, and why do it?

The purpose of the role delineation study is to:validate the inventory of the tasks and

knowledge related to work performed by pediatric nurses;

ensure that the tasks and knowledge statements identified were congruent with the objective of certifying pediatric nurses; and,

develop test specifications for the Certified Pediatric Nurse Examination.

The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN®) Exam2012 Role Delineation Study

A role delineation study is typically done through the use of a survey instrument to obtain descriptive information on demographics and role responsibilities every 3-5 years.

This periodic study is required of all nursing certification boards by their accrediting agency.

In order to develop a content outline for a certification examination, a role delineation study should identify tasks, knowledge, skills, or abilities deemed important to practice by pediatric nurses.

The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN®) Exam2012 Role Delineation Study

Outline of Changes to the CPN Exam

2012 Role Delineation Study: Steps Involved & Results “at a glance”...

Steps Involved... Over a period of several months, the

following occurred:Development of the survey instrument with subject matter

experts (SMEs) from around the countryPilot testing of the instrument for clarity and

comprehensivenessDissemination of the surveyAnalysis of survey dataDevelopment of test specifications and the updated content

outline from survey findings and input from the SMEs

The CPN Exam2012 Role Delineation Study

Results at a glance...A total of 1,962 responses were used for

analysis. The majority of respondents work in general

pediatrics (54%), in an urban setting (61%) and hold a Bachelors Degree (56%).

The survey participants responded to the following survey sections: Section 1: Background and General Information (Demographics) Section 2: Tasks (4 domains covering 83 task statements) Section 3: Knowledge (39 statements) Section 4: Recommendations for Test Content Section 5: Comments


2008 2012

Practice Setting

• 67% practice in an urban setting---------------

• 16% practice in inpatient community hospital• 60% practice in inpatient children’s

hospital

• 61% practice in an urban setting---------------

• 14% practice in inpatient community hospital • 66% practice in inpatient children’s

hospital

Top 3 Patient Populations

• 48% General pediatrics• 11% Critical care • 7% Emergency/Trauma

• 54% General pediatrics• 11% Critical care • 5% Emergency

Top 6 Conditions that Nurses

Care for (in order)

• Respiratory• GI• Infectious Disease• Neurology• Emergency/Trauma• Cardiovascular

• Respiratory• GI• Neurology• Endocrine/Metabolic• Infectious Disease• Cardiovascular

The CPN ExamOver Time

Results at a glance...

82 of 83 tasks achieved high importance means.The task that did not achieve high performance

ratings and was subsequently deleted from the content outline was: Assessing a child using developmentally appropriate

screening tools (e.g., DDST, Tanner)


Results at a glance...

39 of 39 (100%) knowledge ratings achieved high importance means

Respondents indicated that the survey covered the tasks and knowledge/skills well to very well.


2012 Role Delineation Study: How the new study impacted the exam...

Content Outline Changes from 2008 to 2012


The CPN ExamHow the new study impacted the exam...

2008 2012

Content Domains1. Assessment2. Health Promotion3. Management 4. Professional Role

1. Assessment2. Health Promotion3. Management 4. Professional Role

Number of Items / Time Allotment

• 3 hours• 175 Exam Questions

(150 scored/25 pre-test items)

• 3 hours• 175 Exam Questions

(150 scored/25 pre-test items)

No Change

No Change

The CPN ExamHow the new study impacted the exam...

2008 2012

Percentage of Items per

Content Domain

1. Assessment – 28%2. Health Promotion – 10%3. Management - 52%4. Professional Role – 10%

1. Assessment – 30%2. Health Promotion – 17%3. Management – 48%4. Professional Role – 5%

Number of Tasks per

Content Domain

1. Assessment – 182. Health Promotion – 73. Management - 364. Professional Role – 11

Total = 72

1. Assessment – 21 2. Health Promotion – 63. Management – 504. Professional Role – 6

Total = 83

Summary of Changes...

A shift in domain emphasis to a greater percentage of Health Promotion items and a lower percentage of Professional Role items on the updated content outline.

The domain of Management of Psychosocial/Behavioral expanded from 5 task statements to a total of 10 as tasks previously under other domains were reassigned or broken out into multiple tasks.

During the survey tool development, task statements were modified for clarity with more examples cited and subsequently only five were modified based on survey participant comments.



Under Assessment:o Added to the Content Outline:

• “Obtain health history”• “Recognize signs and symptoms of addiction or

withdrawal” • “Assess barriers to adherence to therapeutic

regimen” o Deleted from the Content Outline:

• Screening procedures and tools were deleted from “Assess child’s development and cognitive level”



Under Health Promotion:o Added to the Content Outline:

• “Facilitate the safe and successful practice of breast or formula feeding”

o Combined three tasks from the 2008 Content Outline• “Teach health promotion strategies to the child and

family” and “Facilitate the incorporation of self-care strategies to promote health” was combined with “Formulate and implement individualized teaching plan for health promotion”



Under Management:o Added to the Content Outline:

• “Interpret laboratory and diagnostic test results”• “Prioritize care within and across patient assignments”• “Implement safety precautions”, “restrictive

intervention” and “phototherapy” under Procedures• “Develop and implement plan of care based on

psychosocial assessment”• “Incorporate cultural and spiritual needs into plan of

care”



Under Management:o Added to the Content Outline:

• “Implement strategies to overcome barriers to care”• “Initiate education to child and family regarding risk

taking behaviors”• “Incorporate family’s strategies for managing child’s

chronic illness or condition”• “Provide anticipatory guidance for chronic illness or

condition course progression and treatment options”



Under Management:o Deleted from the Content Outline:

• “Facilitate the transition of child and family through the care continuum”

• “Evaluate the plan of care to identify the need for potential changes”



Under Professional Roleo Added to the Content Outline:

• “Maintain professional communication”• “Maintain professional boundaries”

o Deleted from the Content Outline:• “Document provision of care”• “Participate in disaster preparedness”


2012 Role Delineation Study: Additional Information


Q: When does the updated exam launch?A: The new exam is expected to launch April 22,2013.

Q: Is there any advantage in taking one version of the exam over the other?A: No, both will equally assess your knowledge.

Q: Do I need to study differently if I choose to take the new exam?A: No, any preparations you undertake will benefit you

regardless of which exam version you take. The reference list remains the same because the tasks listed on the new outline have not changed significantly from the older one

The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN®) ExamQuestions others are asking...

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The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN ® ) Exam

Documents

role responsibilities

survey instrument

survey findings

survey participants

periodic study

knowledge ratings

following survey sections

general pediatrics11