Assuring Competence, Inspiring Growth: A Leader’s View of NBRC Maintenance

At this year’s AARC Summer Forum, a discussion led by Robert Shaw, PhD, RRT, FAARC, Monica Raich, BS, RRT, RRT-ACCS, RRT-NPS, AE-C, and Matthew McNally, MBA, RRT, LSSBB explored topics related to the NBRC’s Credential Maintenance Program (CMP). Topics included the NBRC’s Most Missed Concepts, CMP participation, and opportunities to integrate CMP information into local quality improvement programs.

Since July 2002, newly credentialed practitioners have been subject to the CMP. NBRC credentialed practitioners have options to maintain earned credentials: 1) by participating in longitudinal assessments and/or documenting 30 hours of continuing education, 2) successfully passing the same credentialing exam, or 3) earning another NBRC credential. Successful completion of any of these pathways restarts the five-year credential maintenance cycle.

While participation in longitudinal assessments is not required, we highly encourage participation. These assessments focus on content for tasks that are changing rapidly and those situations that put patients at risk when performed improperly.  Some items consistently showed knowledge gaps among tested RTs. Each year, these are published in a “Most Missed Concepts” article. Understanding these knowledge gaps can help practitioners round out their skill set and operate more effectively in clinical environments. For more information on missed concepts, see here.

Using the CMP to round out common knowledge gaps helps support public trust, safety and competency in the general RT population. The most missed concepts can be incorporated into skills fairs (APEX award), educational programs, and inservices with incentives for learning and expanding RT competencies. Quarterly assessment participation can provide even more opportunities for learning and discussion.

To learn more, you can see the whole CMP presentation here, or you can visit our Document Library to see the list of the Most Missed Concepts.