Pre-employment Testing Research Articles

AB064. Two case reports & review of literature: perioperative surgical management of symptomatic large non-functioning pituitary masses in early pregnancy.

Pituitary masses during pregnancy pose many challenges, requiring inputs from multidisciplinary teams. Where surgery is required, such as in cases of impending pituitary apoplexy, timing must be carefully selected. Several case reports have suggested good outcome with surgery in later trimesters or postpartum. However, insufficient data exists on surgical strategies for such patients with severe visual symptoms in early pregnancy. We report two patients with pituitary masses requiring surgical excision. Review of patients' notes and imaging, with literature review. A 35-year-old gravida 2 para 1 female at 9 weeks gestational age (GA) presented with chronic bitemporal hemianopia, with acute left eye blurring of vision, identified during a pre-employment screening test. Imaging revealed a 38 mm × 29 mm × 33 mm sellar mass with compression onto the optic chiasm. She had no significant hormonal imbalances other than hyperprolactinemia and newly diagnosed Hashimoto's thyroiditis. She underwent transsphenoidal resection, with histology showing pituitary adenoma with blood clots. Similarly, our second patient was a 37-year-old gravida 4 para 2 female at 12 weeks GA with worsening bitemporal hemianopia with a 25 mm × 21 mm × 18 mm sellar mass displacing and compressing the optic chiasm. After resection she had marked objective improvement in her vision, but developed diabetes insipidus, and final histology revealed pituicytoma. Preoperative considerations for timing of surgery include pituitary apoplexy or acutely worsening visual field deficit. The pituitary physiologically increases in size during pregnancy, which can compress the optic chiasm and worsen visual deficit. In the case of apoplexy, delayed identification can have devastating consequences. However, major surgery in the first trimester may increase spontaneous miscarriage. The effects of imaging investigations from radiation, or gadolinium contrast administration, are also uncertain. While surgical positioning remains unaffected, other intraoperative considerations include strictly avoiding hypotension and using pregnancy-safe agents. Postoperative considerations include correcting hormonal deficiencies of hypopituitarism, including acute central hypocortisolism, diabetes insipidus and interruption of gonadotrophin production which could negatively affect pregnancy. Fetal heart rate must also be assessed. Determining timing of surgery to ensure well-being of both mother and fetus involves a difficult balance of risks. In our two cases, a thorough discussion with multidisciplinary input was required to achieve good outcomes.

Does prior law enforcement experience affect scores on preemployment psychological testing? An investigation using the MMPI-3.

Most states require that a police candidate's suitability be assessed through preemployment psychological evaluations. Given the psychological stress officers experience in the line of duty, it is possible that experienced candidates would produce scores indicating greater dysfunction on psychological testing relative to inexperienced candidates. No known research has investigated whether police candidates produce different preemployment test scores across experience levels. The present study sought to address this gap in the literature and offer data to guide evaluators' interpretation of test scores for candidates with prior law enforcement (LE) experience. We used a sample of 400 police candidates (18.5% women) evaluated for positions at several LE agencies for whom Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) scores were available. Results showed no practically meaningful differences when comparing MMPI-3 scores of candidates with no prior experience, less than 5 years of experience, and 5 or more years of experience. We also compared frequencies at which the three groups elevated MMPI-3 scales at cutoffs specified in Assessing Police and Other Public Safety Personnel Using the MMPI-3: A Practical Guide (Corey & Ben-Porath, 2022) and found minimal differences. Together, these findings indicate that MMPI-3 scores can be interpreted consistently with published guidelines regardless of a candidate's prior LE experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A Comparison of Truck Driver Pre-Employment Hair and Urine Drug Test Efficacy

Background: To help ensure roadway safety, the federal government mandates trucking companies to conduct pre-employment urine drug tests before allowing drivers to operate a commercial motor vehicle. Unfortunately, urine testing has a short detection window and is easily thwarted, leading some carriers to employ hair testing. Methods: t-tests were utilized to compare hair and urine pre-employment drug test results provided by seven large U.S. trucking companies. Results: results indicate that hair’s positivity rate is statistically greater than urine for each examined drug and across all drugs combined. Conclusions: This paper is the only supply chain work of which we are aware that assesses the statistical differences between hair and urine testing positivity rates. Results support hair testing’s increased ability to prevent lifestyle drug users from operating commercial motor vehicles and should be considered by public policy makers considering whether hair testing results should be allowed into the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

Pre-Employment Testing and Artificial Intelligence

Pre-Employment Testing and Artificial Intelligence

Screening Out Neurodiversity.

Autistic adults suffer from an alarmingly high and increasing unemployment rate. Many companies use pre-employment personality screening tests. These filters likely have disparate impacts on neurodivergent individuals, exacerbating this social problem. This situation gives rise to a bind. On the one hand, the tests disproportionately harm a vulnerable group in society. On the other, employers think that personality test scores are predictors of job performance and have a right to use personality traits in their decisions. It is difficult to say whether these negative disparate impacts are a case of wrongful discrimination. Nevertheless, we will show that pre-employment personality tests prey on several features of autism in an unfair way, and for this reason, we suggest the contours of some regulation that we deem necessary.

Exploring the use of an under-desk leg swing device during employee aptitude testing and implications on work performance and productivity.

As modern occupations become more sedentary, desk-bound workers are more at risk of chronic diseases. Active workstations have gained popularity in the workplace, but there remain concerns about their impact on cognitive function. This study investigated the use of a novel under-desk leg swing device on cognitive ability in the workplace compared to sitting. Cognitive ability was measured using a pre-employment aptitude test (CCAT), and perceived outcomes were analyzed via self-report questionnaires. Using a randomized, repeated measures crossover design, 18 undergraduate students undertook the CCAT while using the under-desk leg swing device and while sitting only (Experiment 1). 9 students returned two to three weeks later to repeat testing (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, CCAT scores did not differ significantly between the under-desk leg swing device and sitting (mean difference (MD) = -1.056, standard error (SE) = 1.302,p = 0.429, d = -0.16). Effect sizes of 0.554 were observed for perceived alertness, 0.446 for attention, 0.446 for focus, and 0.564 for enjoyment, but there were no significant differences between the two conditions. CCAT scores were significantly higher in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1 (MD = 8.444, SE = 2.410,p = 0.008, d = 1.64). Based on Experiment 1, the findings suggest that the use of the under-desk leg swing device promotes movement without detriment to neither workflow nor cognitive ability relevant to employee aptitude compared to sitting.

Review: Brewing a Boycott: How a Grassroots Coalition Fought Coors and Remade American Consumer Activism, by Allyson P. Brantley

Review: <i>Brewing a Boycott: How a Grassroots Coalition Fought Coors and Remade American Consumer Activism</i>, by Allyson P. Brantley

Pre-employment testing practices in the hospitality industry in the U.S. and Australia

Research shows utilizing pre-employment tests leads to improved job performance and satisfaction, and decreased turnover in hospitality industry. However, employers have been slow to embrace pre-employment testing due to concerns regarding validity, potential for discrimination, and heavy administration costs. Using focus groups, this study examined hospitality hiring managers’ perceptions of pre-employment testing’s value, barriers to adoption, and the relationship between testing, organizational commitment, and job performance in both the United States and Australia. Results showed opposing viewpoints between participants. Research results may enable hiring managers to justify the implementation of pre-employment testing, select which tests to use, and revise current assessment practices.

Pre-Employment Integrity Testing Using the Critical Hire-Screen and Step One Survey II

ABSTRACT Violence in the workplace, unethical conduct, illegal behavior, and employees with poor integrity are problematic for any industry. When it comes to working in community-based corrections (CBC), however, poor integrity can cause serious threats to the safety of the employee, their peers, their clients, and the community they serve. The Critical Hire-Screen (CH-S) and Step One Survey II (SOS II) are two pre-employment integrity assessments used in various CBC agencies. The present study explored the degree to which the CH-S and SOS II correlated with and predicted supervisor ratings of correctional officer job performance. Disparate impact analyses were also conducted exploring the degree to which each tool’s scale scores differed based on applicant age, gender and racial/ethnic status. Results revealed that only CH-S scale scores correlated with, and significantly differentiated between, supervisor ratings of job performance. Results also revealed that the CH-S and SOS II did not generate scale scores that significantly differed based on age, gender, or racial/ethnic status. Implications for correctional agencies are provided in this study.

Disparate Impact Analysis of the Critical Hire-Personality Assessment

Pre-employment personality testing has become widely used across a variety of work settings. A relatively new area where pre-employment personality testing is being implemented is in the field of community-based corrections (CBCs). One instrument being used in CBCs for this purpose is the Critical Hire-Personality Assessment (CH-PA). Federal laws and hiring guidelines have been enacted that impact the use of pre-employment personality assessments such as the CH-PA. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, for example, prohibit employment discrimination based on gender, age, and racial/ethnic status. The present study examines if the CH-PA complies with federal laws and guidelines regarding employee selections by examining the degree to which the CH-PA scale and subscale scores differ based on CBC officer gender, age, and racial/ethnic status. Results revealed that the CH-PA scales and subscales do not differ in a manner that would significantly contribute to a disparate or adverse impact based on CBC officer applicant gender, age, and racial/ethnic status. Implications of these findings for CBC agencies are discussed.

Pre-Employment physical capacity testing as a predictor of musculoskeletal injury in Victorian paramedics.

Paramedic work has periods of intermittent high physical demand, a risk of workplace injury, may be confounded by inherent fitness of the paramedic. This study aimed to identify the nature of workplace musculoskeletal injury, and determine if there was a relationship between pre-employment physical capacity testing (PEPCT) scores and risk of workplace musculoskeletal injury within the paramedic industry. A retrospective case review using PEPCT scores and workplace injury (WI) manual handling data collected from 2008 to 2015 by an Australian pre-hospital emergency care provider (Ambulance Victoria), enabled comparison and analysis of two distinct data sets. A total of 538 paramedics were included for analysis with 34 paramedics reporting a workplace musculoskeletal injury from manual handling. The mean time to injury from commencement of employment was 395.4 days (SD 516.2). Female paramedics represented 53.0%and male paramedics represented 47%of the sample. Mean total PEPCT score for the entire sample was 19.1 (SD 2.9) with a range from 16.2-22, while for those reporting injuries it was 18.3 (SD 2.6) with a range from 15.7-20.9. Musculoskeletal injury amongst Victorian paramedics is more prevalent where the paramedic is female, and/or within three years of commencement of employment. The PEPCT score did not differentiate those at risk of subsequent injury.

Assessment of Infection Control Measures at Primary Health Care Facilities in Egypt

BACKGROUND: Primary care facilities (primary health cares [PHCs]) in Egypt are public sector facilities and the issue of infection control (IC) in public sector facilities is important because public sector facilities are the only option available to most low-income groups, who constitute most of Egypt’s population. AIM: The aim of the study is to the assessment of IC measures in PHC by national and international assessment tools. STUDY DESIGN: Health system operation research, observational study. METHODOLOGY: Sample: 3 Egyptian PHCs, all health care providers (HCPs) in each facility were interviewed with a total number (55 doctors and 34 nurses). using a national assessment tool, interview questionnaire derived from the international assessment tool, and hand hygiene observation checklist. RESULTS: Although the availability of supplies, presence of administrative activities, and good infrastructure, items related to manpower practice (cleaning activities and procedures) had the lowest percent score (57.9% and 68.5%, respectively). Almost all doctors and nurses did not have a pre-employment tuberculin skin test. Hand hygiene compliance was very low among HCPs during the observation time (1.6% for doctors and 10% for nurses). CONCLUSION: The national IC assessment tool of PHC facilities in Egypt is well structured, but defective in the assessment of employee health activities related to IC. Tuberculin skin test as screening of tuberculosis for the HCPs is neither done pre-employment nor periodically. Despite the availability of supplies for hand hygiene practice and good IC knowledge, the compliance was very low during the observation time.

Is it necessary to perform occupational audiometric testing at 6-months of employment?

IntroductionCurrent Brazilian legislation requires that all workers exposed to noise are to be given an audiogram upon hiring, after 6 months of employment (first periodic test), and annually after the first periodic test. In other countries, the regulations of hearing conservation programs do not include the requirement for audiometric testing at 6 months of employment, but only annually. There is no evidence that the periodicity adopted by Brazilian legislation is the most appropriate. ObjectiveThe present study aimed to evaluate the first 3 occupational audiometric tests of workers exposed to noise. MethodsHistorical cohort study with cross-sectional analysis. Participants were all male metallurgy workers aged up to 40 years. The first 3 audiograms of each worker were analyzed: pre-employment audiometric test, periodic audiometric test 1, and periodic audiometric test 2. For each worker, mean frequency thresholds were calculated at 3, 4, and 6 kHz in the left and right ears for each test. Statistical analysis was performed using the nonparametric Wilcoxon test. ResultsA total of 988 workers were included. There was a significant difference in auditory thresholds between the pre-employment test and the 2 subsequent periodic tests for the right and left ears. There was no significant difference between Test1 and Test2 in either ear. ConclusionGiven the lack of difference between the first 2 periodic tests, we believe that they could be merged into a single test, i.e., first periodic audiometric testing could be performed at 12 months of employment without compromising workers’ health.

Marijuana in the Workplace: A Survival Guide for California Employers

California’s regulations regarding marijuana use have significantly changed in recent years and it is evident that it will continue to change as we move ahead. With the evolution of legislation surrounding the use of marijuana, California employers must be knowledgeable about the drug and understand its implications on the work environment. The legalization of marijuana in California has compelled employers to pilot through a reasonable balance between an individual’s right to use marijuana and an employers’ right to maintain a safe and drug-free workplace. This article presents a brief history of California regulations related to marijuana use and provides a comprehensive guide to employers by analyzing the effects of marijuana and discussing the issues associated with the legalization of substance use in California and its relations to workplaces. As these regulations evolve, employers must ensure that appropriate policies and processes are in place to address situations that arise from pre-employment testing and workplace conduct related to marijuana use.

Predictive value of non-specific bronchial challenge testing for respiratory symptoms and lung function in aluminium smelter workers

ObjectiveTo assess the predictive value of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) for the subsequent development of respiratory symptoms, airflow limitation and decline in lung function among aluminium smelter workers.MethodsAn inception cohort study...

A prospective study of pre-employment psychological testing amongst police recruits.

Pre-employment psychological screening to detect psychological vulnerability is common amongst emergency service organizations worldwide, yet the evidence for its ability to predict poor mental health outcomes is limited with published studies looking at post-recruitment research data rather than data collected by the organizations themselves. The present study sought to investigate the ability of pre-employment screening to predict later psychological injury-related absenteeism amongst police officers. A nested case-control study using prospective data was conducted. One hundred and fifty police officers with a liability-accepted psychological injury were matched to a control group of 150 psychologically healthy officers. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine associations between Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) scales measuring factors research has shown to predict psychological injury (Neuroticism, Psychoticism, Introversion, Disconstraint and Aggressiveness) and psychopathology (Depression, Anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) with subsequent psychological injury. Contrary to expectations, we were unable to demonstrate any association between validated pre-employment measures of personality and psychopathology with mental health outcomes amongst newly recruited police officers over a 7-year follow-up. Other measures may be better able to predict future mental health problems in police recruits.

The Challenges With Pre-Employment Testing and Potential Hiring Bias

The hiring process for some organizations includes pre-employment personality testing. The testing screens for desirable personality traits and are designed to meet a business need for cultural fit when filling a specific job. Creating algorithms that filter for certain traits may create new forms of bias. The changing demographics in the United States presents the need for a more culturally representative leadership team that is less homogenous. There are legal implications for the use of pre-employment personality trait testing. Understanding whether diversity and inclusion is in alignment with pre-employment personality trait testing hinges on interpretation and validation. The hiring process for some organizations includes pre-employment personality testing. The testing screens for desirable personality traits and are designed to meet a business need for cultural fit when filling a specific job. Creating algorithms that filter for certain traits may create new forms of bias. The changing demographics in the United States presents the need for a more culturally representative leadership team that is less homogenous. There are legal implications for the use of pre-employment personality trait testing. Understanding whether diversity and inclusion is in alignment with pre-employment personality trait testing hinges on interpretation and validation. Richard C. Scepura, DNP(c), MBA/MHA, RN, NEA-BC, CDN, is at Clarion and Edinboro University Schools of Nursing in Pennsylvania. He can be reached at [email protected]

Predicting Correctional Officer Job Performance Using the Critical Hire-Screen and Personality Assessment Inventory: An Analysis of Incremental Validity

This article measured the degree to which the Critical Hire-Screen (CH-S), a pre-employment test of integrity, and Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), a test of psychopathology, correlated with and predicted supervisor ratings of correctional officer job performance. Results revealed that the CH-S provided the strongest correlation with, and prediction of, job performance. Although PAI subscales contributed to the prediction model, relatively few subscales were ultimately selected, resulting in the CH-S explaining the majority of the variance. Implications for correctional agencies and pre-employment evaluators are discussed, and recommendations for the practical application of these results to pre-employment testing process are provided.

A Conceptual Exploration of the Use of Locus of Control for Pre-Employment Testing

A Conceptual Exploration of the Use of Locus of Control for Pre-Employment Testing

Evaluating Novel Markers for Specimen Validity Testing.

Synthetic urine products are commercially marketed for the purpose of specimen substitution for urine drug screens. These products are widely popular because they yield negative drug screen results, meet criteria for specimen validity testing, and are easily accessible and affordable. Current specimen validity criteria are ineffective for detecting these synthetic products, and new markers of specimen validity are required. To develop and evaluate a multicomponent liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay for urine specimen validity testing. A quantitative LC-MS/MS assay was developed for caffeine, cotinine, theobromine, and urobilin in urine. The assay was applied to known synthetic urine products (n = 10) as well as human specimens received for pre-employment testing (n = 500), for-cause workplace testing (n = 100), and medical pain management monitoring (n = 200). Specimens devoid of all 4 validity markers were subjected to follow-up testing that involved microscopic urinalysis and comprehensive gas chromatography mass spectrometry for drugs, pharmaceuticals, hormones, and lipids. Of the experimental groups, 10 of 10 synthetic urine products (100%), 12 of 500 pre-employment specimens (2.4%), and 4 of 200 pain management specimens (2.0%) failed the experimental LC-MS/MS assay. Follow-up testing indicated that each of the failed specimens was nonphysiologic in nature. Simultaneous application of the 4 experimental validity markers appeared to be a robust method for detecting nonphysiologic specimens. New markers of specimen validity must be developed in order to identify commercially available synthetic urine products.