Credentialing and

Licensing Excellence:
NCSBNs Journey
Dania Eter, MBA
Associate Director, Examinations
O!ecti"es

NCSBN Mission # $rotect t%e $ulic&

Journey into credentialing and licensing

excellence

NCLE', NNAA$ and MACE strengt%s

O((ortunities to )urt%er our mission

*%e +m(ortance o) Credentialing

Nurses are t%e second largest grou( o)

licensed (ro)essionals

O"er ,-. million nurse aides are (racticing

in nursing )acilities

/00,000 nurse aide (ositions 1ill need to e

)illed in t%e next ,. years

By ,020, /3-. million 1ill e at t%e age o) 4.

or older

456 1ill (roaly e disaled

*%e +m(ortance o) Credentialing
Credentialing ensures t%at only sa)e
and com(etent nurses, nurse aides
and medication aides are allo1ed to
(ractice-
$rotecting t%e $ulic
NCSBN Mission:
*%e National Council o) State Boards o)
Nursing 7NCSBN8 (ro"ides education,
ser"ice, and researc% t%roug% collaorati"e
leaders%i( to (romote e"idence9ased
regulatory excellence )or (atient sa)ety and
(ulic (rotection-
NCSBN Bac:ground

*%irty9t1o year old, not9)or9(ro)it organi;ation consisting

o) .< state and territorial oards o) nursing

O1ner and de"elo(er o) t%e =-S- nurse licensure

examinations 7NCLE'9>N
?
and NCLE'9$N
?
8

O1ner and de"elo(er o) t%e largest National Nurse Aide

Certi)ication Examination 7NNAA$
?
8 and Medication Aide
Certi)ication Examination 7MACE
?
8 in t%e =-S-

De"elo(ing exams since 3</5

Administering NCLE' com(uter ada(ti"e exams since

3<<@, to more t%an 2-@ million candidates
NCSBN Examinations De(artment
Bac:ground

3< NCSBN sta)) memers assigned to

examinations (rogram o(erations

Comined ex(erience o) o"er 50 years in

nursing and testing

Examinations De(artment:

$ro"ides (syc%ometric, nursing and

administration ex(ertise

Conducts >N and L$NABN (ractice analyses,

nurse aide and medication aide !o analyses

De"elo(s NCLE', nurse aide and medication

aide test (lans
Assessment o) Entry9Le"el Com(etency

National Council Licensure Examination )or

>Ns 7NCLEX-RN8

National Council Licensure Examination )or

L$NABNs 7NCLEX-PN8

National Nurse Aide Assessment $rogram

7NNAAP8

Medication Aide Certi)ication Examination

7MACE8
C%y is NCSBN a leader in t%e 1orld o)
LicensingACredentialingD

NCLE' Eacts:

NCLE' is t%e successor to t%e SB*$E, t%e national nurse

licensure examination used y "arious state oards o) Nursing )or
more t%an )i)ty years (rior to 3<5,

NCLE' %as een administered "ia com(uter exclusi"ely since

3<<@ 1%en it 1as con"erted )rom $a(er and $encil to CB*
administration

Examinations administered continuously, on9demand in

a((roximately ,@0 NCSBN a((ro"ed $earson $ro)essional
Centers around t%e 1orld

Bot% NCLE'9>N
?
and NCLE'#$N
?
are "ariale lengt%,
com(uteri;ed ada(ti"e examinations

$assing standard is e"aluated e"ery 2 years concurrent 1it% any

test (lan c%anges
C%y is NCSBN a leader in t%e 1orld o)
LicensingACredentialingD

NNAA$AMACE Eacts:

+n ,005, NCSBN acFuired exclusi"e o1ners%i( o) t%e intellectual

(ro(erty )or t1o certi)ication examinations

NCSBN uses t%e )ollo1ing guidelines 1%en de"elo(ing t%e

NNAA$ and MACE exams:

Model Nurse $ractice Act and Model Nursing Administrati"e >ules

OB>A )ederal regulations )or nurse aide (rograms

Model curriculum )or medication aide (rograms

Examinations administered continuously in a((roximately 2@2

$earson >egional *est Sites in t%e =-S- and o))ered in t%ousands
o) in9)acility sites to t%e nurse aides t%at train in t%em

$assing standard is e"aluated e"ery . years concurrent 1it% any

test (lan c%anges
Candidate Bolume

O"er ,00,000 candidates sit )or t%e NCLE'9>N

?

examination eac% year, /.,000 sit )or t%e NCLE'9
$N
?
examination

O"er t%ree million examinations administered since

3<<@

2,,0/@ examinations administered in international

test centers in ,030

Aout 200,000 sit )or t%e NNAA$ exam eac% year

O"er 3,000 sit )or t%e MACE eac% year

Go1 is NCSBN ale to (rotect t%e
(ulicD
>oust Examinations due to:

Diligent test de"elo(ment (rocesses

$ractice analysesA!o analyses 7researc%8

Ex(erienced Su!ect Matter Ex(erts

Strong (syc%ometric ex(ertise to insure legally

de)ensile exams

*o( test deli"ery ser"ices, $earson B=E

Gig% security measures

$rom(t customer ser"ices

Exam De"elo(ment $rocess
3- $ractice Analysis
,- *est $lan
2- +tem Criting and
+tem >e"ie1
@- Su!ect Matter
Ex(ert 7SME8
$anel >e"ie1
.- Editorial >e"ie1
4- Building *est
Eorms
/- Setting t%e
$assing Standard
5- $retesting o) +tems
<- Administering
Examinations
$ractice

Analysis
*est
$lan
+tem
Criting
+tem
>e"ie1
Sensiti"it
y >e"ie1
Board o)
Nursing
D+E
>e"ie1
7NCLE'8
Committe
e
>e"ie1
7NCLE'8
$
r
e
t
e
s
t
NCLEX
,

NNAAP

and
MACE

Exam
Go1 t%e $rocess Cor:s
$ractice Analysis

Conducted e"ery t%ree years )or NCLE' and e"ery )i"e

years )or NNAA$ and MACE

Ensures t%at t%e content o) t%e exams re)lects t%e (ractice

o) entry9le"el nurses, nurse aides and medication aides
*est $lan

*%e test (lan (ro"ides guidelines )or:

Candidates (re(aring )or t%e exam

Direction )or item de"elo(ment

Eacilitation )or classi)ication o) exam items

Go1 t%e $rocess Cor:s # Continued
Exam Development Meetings

Standard Setting

SMEs determine t%e (assing standard ased on :no1ledge o)

minimally com(etent (ro)essionals

+tem Criting

SMEs 1rite exam items ased on t%eir )amiliarity 1it% entry9le"el

(ro)essionals and current (ractice

+tem >e"ie1

SMEs 1or:ing directly 1it% t%e (ro)essionals 1%o %a"e entered

(ractice in t%e (ast 3, mont%s re"ie1 items )or accuracy, currency
and one correct ans1er

Sensiti"ity $anel 7NCLE'8

Ex(erts re"ie1 item 1ording to eliminate language t%at could e

considered elitist or stereoty(ical, 1ords t%at %a"e di))erent meanings
to di))erent et%nic or geogra(%ic grou(s, andAor 1ords t%at %a"e an
ina((ro(riate tone
Go1 t%e $rocess Cor:s # Continued

$retest

All ne1ly 1ritten items are administered to at least @00 )irst9time, =-S-
educated test9ta:ers in order to gat%er statistical in)ormation

D+E $anel

+tems t%at (er)orm signi)icantly di))erent )or a minority grou( are )lagged
)or Di))erential +tem Eunctioning 7D+E8, 1%ic% indicates (otential item ias

Memer Board >e"ie1

Memer oards are in"ited to re"ie1 sam(le exams and (retest items
t1o times eac% year, and (ro"ide )eedac: 7NCLE' only8

NCLE' +tem >e"ie1 Sucommittee

*%e NCLE' +tem >e"ie1 Sucommittee 7N+>SC8 memers consist o)

oard o) nursing re(resentati"es and t%e grou( re"ie1s all (retest and
master (ool items

Master $ool >e"ie1

Ex(ert re"ie1 items t%roug%out t%e year in order to ensure t%at t%e exam
is current
$syc%ometrics
Ex(ert team o) (syc%ometricians ensure t%at
researc% is done on t%e )ollo1ing:

Measurement construct # does t%e exam measure

entry9le"el :no1ledgeD

Aility # measured t%roug% (ractice analysis

Content alancing # all areas o) t%e test (lan are

re(resented

Di))iculty # ensure t%at item di))iculty "aries )or e"ery

exam ta:en
$syc%ometrics 9 Continued

*esting models # is aility consistent 1it%

di))icultyD

Di))erential item )unctioning # are all items

testing only nursing contentD

>eadaility analysis # are candidates

con)used y item 1ordingD

Standard setting # does t%e (assing

standard re)lect t%e minimum amount o)
aility t%at an entry9le"el candidate must
%a"eD
Administration 7NCLE'8

A((ro"ed $earson $ro)essional Centers

9,,3 in t%e Americas, 3< internationally

On demand deli"ery

Exam security

Aility to legally (rosecute c%eaters

Biometric Collection

ADA accommodations

Stellar and (rom(t customer ser"ice

Administration 7NNAA$AMACE8

2@2 $earson >egional *est Sites in t%e

=-S-, rural and uran locations

*%ousands o) in9)acility locations

On demand examinations

ADA accommodations

Stellar and (rom(t customer ser"ice

LOOH+NI EOCA>D
Cor: settings
CNAs

Long9term
careAnursing %ome

Gome %ealt% and

%ome care

Gos(ital

Continuing Care
>etirement
Community 7CC>C8

Community Based
>esidential Eacility
7CB>E8
CMAsAMA9C

Long9term
careAnursing %ome

Continuing Care
>etirement
Community 7CC>C8

Community Based
>esidential Eacility
7CB>E8

Sc%ools
Direct9Care $ro"iders

Ma:e u( one o) t%e largest and )astest

gro1ing 1or:)orces in t%e =-S-

$ro!ected need o) /00,000 nurse aide

(ositions to e )illed in t%e next ,. years
C%allenges

Ex(osure # 1ritten )orms 7NNAA$8

Con)identiality 7Social Media8

Endorsement 9 di))erences in rules )or

a((lying to test and retest )rom state to
state
O((ortunities

En%ance security 1it% com(uteri;ed

NNAA$ J MACE )orms, roust item an:

Eaceoo:A*1itter, etcK

Become t%e sole (ro"ider o) NNAA$ J

MACEK

to continue to )urt%er our mission in
$rotecting t%e $ulic&
Conclusion

NCSBN 1ill continue to ensures roust

examinations to (rotect t%e (ulic

NCSBN 1ill continue to ex(and its nurse

aide and medication aide clients to ensure
consistency in (ractice and ecome t%e
"oice )or long9term care in order to continue
to )urt%er its mission in (rotecting t%e (ulic
Examinations Social Media

Ga"e your students:

NNAA$ J MACE Examinations on Eaceoo:

NCLE'9>N J NCLE'9$N Examinations on

Eaceoo:

NCLE'+n)o on *1itter

Examinations in)ormation at t%eir )ingerti(s&

Ans1ers to t%eir Fuestions&

QUES!"NS#