Repeat Attempt Policy

Respiratory therapy is a vital profession within the healthcare community; therefore, we continually strive to elevate not only the profession but the therapists who have worked hard to earn our credentials. To help safeguard the integrity and value of NBRC credentials, a new policy will be implemented in January 2020 which will include waiting period requirements and attempt limits for our credentialing examinations. Currently, there is no limit on the number of attempts a candidate may take; neither is a waiting period imposed.

Our repeat attempt policy mirrors what many healthcare credentialing and certifying organizations already have in place including, physicians, nurses, and emergency medical technicians, to name just a few. We feel this is an important step to ensuring a candidate does not pass one of our exams simply because the questions have become familiar, but because of their knowledge, application of knowledge, and skills set.

As indicated in the table below, candidates may attempt the Therapist Multiple-Choice and Clinical Simulation Examinations three times, after which the candidate will be required to wait a minimum of 120 days between any subsequent attempt. For the specialty credentialing examinations, including Pulmonary Function Technology, Neonatal/Pediatric Specialty, Sleep Disorders Specialty, and Adult Critical Care Specialty Examinations, candidates may attempt the exam two times, after which the candidate will be required to wait at least 180 days before sitting for the exam again.

 

Examination	Initial Attempts Without Waiting	Days Between Each Subsequent Attempt
Therapist Multiple-Choice	3	120
Clinical Simulation	3	120
Pulmonary Function Technology	2	180
Neonatal/Pediatric Specialty	2	180
Sleep Disorders Specialty	2	180
Adult Critical Care Specialty	2	180

 

As the respiratory profession continues to grow and flourish, we feel this is an important and necessary policy to implement in order to ensure caregiver competency and patient safety for years to come.