Changes In Certification Requirements Research Articles

The American Society for Clinical Pathology 2022 Vacancy Survey of medical laboratories in the United States.

To determine the extent and distribution of laboratory workforce shortages within the nation's medical laboratories. The Vacancy Survey was conducted through collaboration between the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy in Washington, DC, and the Evaluation, Measurement, and Assessment Department and ASCP Board of Certification in Chicago, IL. Data were collected through an internet survey distributed to individuals who were able to report on staffing and certifications for their laboratories. Results of the ASCP 2022 Vacancy Survey show increased overall vacancy rates for laboratory positions in all departments compared with 2020. Overall retirement rates for laboratory professionals increased across most departments. Current Vacancy Survey data show continued increases in the numbers of laboratory vacancies and retirements as well as changes in certification requirements, with trends amplified during the pandemic continuing into the present. Qualitative analysis results showed that there is an urgent need to focus not only on recruitment but-equally important-on retention of laboratory professionals.

Examining changes in certification/licensure requirements and the international medical graduate examinee pool

Changes in certification requirements and examinee characteristics are likely to influence the validity of the evidence associated with interpretations made based on test data. We examined whether changes in Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification requirements over time were associated with changes in internal medicine (IM) residency program director ratings and certification examination scores. Comparisons were made between physicians who were ECFMG-certified before and after the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) requirement. A multivariate analysis of covariance was conducted to examine the differences in program director ratings based on CSA cohort and whether the examinees emigrated for undergraduate medical education (national vs. international students). A univariate analysis of covariance was conducted to examine differences in scores from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Internal Medicine Certification Examination. For both analyses, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 scores were used as covariates. Results indicate that, of those certified by ECFMG between 1993 and 1997, 17% (n=1,775) left their country of citizenship for undergraduate medical education. In contrast, 38% (n=1,874) of those certified between 1999 and 2003 were international students. After adjustment by covariates, the main effect of cohort membership on the program director ratings was statistically significant (Wilks' λ=0.99, F 5, 15391=19.9, P<0.001). However, the strength of the relationship between cohort group and the ratings was weak (η=0.01). The main effect of migration status was statistically significant and weak (Wilks' λ=0.98, F 5,15391=45.3, P<0.01; η=0.02). Differences in ABIM Internal Medicine Certification Examination scores based on whether or not CSA were required was statistically significant, although the magnitude of the association between these variables was very small. The findings suggest that the implementation of an additional evaluation of skills (e.g., history-taking, physical examination) as a prerequisite to postgraduate medical education (residency) provides some additional, relevant data to those who select ECFMG-certified residents.

APA Ready to Help Members Adapt to Medicine's Future

APA Ready to Help Members Adapt to Medicine's Future

Mentoring: A New Approach to Geography Teacher Preparation

Geography teacher preparation is an ongoing problem for the discipline. Changes in certification requirements and federal and state educational policies have diminished the role of colleges and universities in educating teachers. At the same time, geography education reform efforts have resulted in higher standards and an increased quantity of geography in the curriculum, pre-service programs have failed to produce an adequate supply of highly qualified geography teachers. This paper suggests that geographers implement geography mentoring programs to improve the quality of geography instruction in early-career teachers. A model developed for the National Geographic Society is described. The model uses Teacher Consultants as mentors to assist novice teachers at the stage in their development when they are most ready to improve practice: between years two and five of their career.

Preparation for Teaching Physics in Secondary Schools

College physics instructors may well question whether their traditional lack of attention to the preparation of teachers is not an evasion of responsibility. In particular, they may ask whether they are giving sufficient attention to the achievement by the student of an understanding of science. Recently suggested or proposed changes in certification requirements fail to recognize the essential fact that almost all high school science teachers must teach two or more different sciences, and it appears certain that basic changes in curricula, rather than the prescription of certain traditional courses, are needed if we are to prepare teachers of the tenth through twelfth grades.