Karni K R, Lofsness K G
Division of Medical Technology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
J Allied Health. 1985 Nov;14(4):415-26.
In the field of clinical laboratory science, certification may be obtained by passing the National Certification Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel (NCA) examination. This multiple-choice test is competence-based and criterion-referenced, and uses a modified Angoff procedure to establish the passing score. For this study, the NCA examination scores of 1,868 certification applicants (mostly new graduates) and 111 selected laboratory practitioners were compared. Although the NCA examination is designed to define the level of minimum competence, the failure rate of practitioners identified by their supervisors as minimally competent was almost four times greater that that of the certification applicants. Even the most competent group of practitioners scored well below the applicants for certification. These findings suggest that the examination cut-off point may not really define minimal competence and that the method used to determine the passing score might not be appropriate for certification examinations.
在临床检验科学领域，通过国家医学检验人员认证机构（NCA）考试可获得认证。这项多项选择题考试基于能力且参照标准，采用改进的安格夫程序来确定及格分数。在本研究中，比较了1868名认证申请人（大多为应届毕业生）和111名选定的实验室从业人员的NCA考试成绩。尽管NCA考试旨在界定最低能力水平，但被其主管认定为最低能力水平的从业人员的不及格率几乎是认证申请人的四倍。即使是最有能力的从业人员群体，其得分也远低于认证申请人。这些发现表明，考试及格点可能并未真正界定最低能力水平，且用于确定及格分数的方法可能不适用于认证考试。
