OWINGS MILLS, Md. (July 2, 2014)—Valid and reliable examinations are used by the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) to ensure its certified individuals have the knowledge and skills required to serve patients in their fields. Recently, BOC’s chief credentialing officer, Wendy Miller, BOCO, CDME, along with testing professionals from Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP), BOC’s testing vendor, convened a group of subject matter experts in Kansas City, MO, to collaborate on the BOC Pedorthist Job Task Analysis.
A Job Task Analysis (JTA) is a detailed study of the job activities of a specified profession. JTAs provide the basis for the valid development of certification examinations. During this meeting, the JTA group created a survey that will be sent in July to as many as 5,000 pedorthists and other health care professionals. After receiving the survey responses, the results will be compiled and used to update the exam’s detailed content outline to ensure it reflects the current practice in pedorthics and make any needed changes to the exam. JTAs are typically conducted every five to seven years.
The JTA team was comprised of BOC-certified practitioners, educators, BOC-accredited facility representatives, and other medical professionals, including a physician, and was facilitated by AMP. Headquartered in Olathe, KS, AMP has been BOC’s partner in test development and implementation for more than 20 years. AMP was instrumental in empowering BOC to be the first in the orthotics and prosthetics field to offer instant results to candidates, now the industry standard. BOC is the only O&P certifying organization to offer year-round testing, allowing candidates to take exams five days a week, and even some weekends, 12 months a year.
“It was a very productive meeting, and I am pleased with the results of our collective efforts,” noted Wendy Miller, BOCO, CDME, BOC’s Chief Credentialing Officer. “We sequenced the pedorthist task list from prescription to final fitting and evaluated each task to ensure our pedorthist certification candidates continue to be assessed on appropriate competencies.”
BOC is continuously evaluating and refining its six certifications. BOC’s Certified Mastectomy Fitter (CMF), Certified Orthotic Fitter (COF) and Orthotist Clinical Simulation exams are currently being refined for the upcoming year.
The Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) has provided credentials demonstrating the competence and proficiency of O&P and DME professionals for more than 30 years. BOC offers NCCA-accredited certification programs in five O&P disciplines: orthotics, prosthetics, pedorthics, orthotic fitting and mastectomy fitting. BOC also offers the Certified DME Specialist (CDME) certification for DME support staff. BOC partners with facilities and pharmacies providing Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) by offering accreditation that evidences compliance with standards set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and respective state boards. To learn more visit bocusa.org.
