| Janet Ciuccio | APA’s Examination in Psychopharmacology: Project Nearing Completion
In August 1997 APA’s Council of Representatives authorized the College of Professional Psychology to develop an examination in psychopharmacology intended for use by state licensing boards in awarding prescriptive authority to psychologists. The project is nearing completion and the examination will be ready for use in early 2000. The last two years have involved extensive and systematic work on the part of the College’s Expert Working Group in Psychopharmacology and its exam contractor, Professional Examination Services (PES). The products of this work are several. In addition to two forms of an examination comprised of 150 multiple-choice items each, the content areas and associated knowledge statements comprise a valid and defensible statement of the knowledge required for the safe and effective practice of psychology when psychotropic medications are involved. The ten content areas to be tested are presented below. The relative emphasis on the examination is represented parenthetically. A list of the 114 associated knowledge statements can be obtained by contacting the College (see end of article for contact information). Ten Content Areas to be Tested
Exam Development Methodology All procedures used to develop the examination are consistent with the technical guidelines described in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA/APA/NCME, 1985), relevant sections of the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (EEOC, Civil Service Commission, U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Justice, 1978) and the PES Guidelines for the Development, Use, and Evaluation of Licensure and Certification Programs (PES, 1995). Briefly, these standards require that the exam be a valid measure of the important activities of a job and the associated knowledge needed to perform those activities in a safe and effective manner (content validity). To ensure compliance, the Board of Governors of the College contracted with PES to guide the development of the examination. PES has worked with credentialing organizations for more than 50 years and counts among its clients such organizations as Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards, and American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology. To develop valid test specifications based on the above-described content-and-knowledge-based delineation, PES worked with an expert panel of 17, comprised of psychologists, physicians, an advanced practice nurse, and a pharmacologist. All of the experts were selected for their particular expertise in psychopharmacology. The psychologists carried additional training, i.e., medical degree, doctoral degree in pharmacology and postdoctoral fellowships in clinical or research psychopharmacology. Seven of the ten graduates of the DoD Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project participated. Over 100 additional subject-matter experts provided review and comment. A representative from ASPPB, which develops the examination used to license psychologists (EPPP), participated throughout the project. Concurrent with the content-and-knowledge-based delineation, a process-based delineation was also developed. This delineation can be considered a valid statement of the tasks underlying the practice of psychology in both clinical and research settings when psychotropic medications are involved. PES conducted a large-scale survey involving approximately 600 psychologists, as well as a small number of psychiatrists, to validate the content areas, knowledge statements, and tasks. Finally, PES worked with members of the expert panel and additional subject-matter experts to develop examination items, construct two forms of the examination, and set a recommended passing score. The exam will be administered via computer at specially designated computer-based testing (CBT) centers. Commitment to Maintaining the Quality and Defensibility of the Examination The College is committed to a long-term responsibility for maintaining the examination’s quality and defensibility for use by licensing entities. This means that item performance will be monitored by PES on a continuing basis; experts will meet periodically to review item performance statistics, edit items, write new items, update the exam forms, develop additional exam forms, if needed, as well as monitor and revise the content-and-process-based delineation as the field changes and knowledge increases.
Janet Ciuccio is Executive Administrator of the College of Professional Psychology. For further information, contact her or the College at 202-336-6100 or E-mail apacollege@apa.org. Her direct phone number is 202-336-5879. |
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