A national job analysis of certified diabetes educators by the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators.

Abstract

The job analysis described in this report was conducted by the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE) to (1) provide a basis for documenting the continuing validity of the certified diabetes educator examination (CDE), (2) define areas that should be assessed in future certification examinations, and (3) ensure that the content of certification examinations is job related. A diabetes educator job task list was developed and used to create a job analysis survey. The survey was distributed randomly to 1079 CDEs throughout the United States. Of the 1079 surveys that were distributed, 327 were suitable for analysis, with relevant demographic subgroups adequately represented. An examination matrix and detailed content outline were constructed from the survey data that will be used by the NCBDE to assemble future test forms. Specifications for the CDE examination were developed that were directly related to the important activities that diabetes educators perform. Future forms of the CDE examination will be matched to job-related, criterion-referenced test specifications and will have strong evidence of content validity. Future forms of the exam will contain 200 items at specified cognitive levels with a representative sampling of tasks within 4 core areas from the detailed content outline.