PACB Announces Fall 2021 Cohort of BCPAs (Board Certified Patient Advocates)
The Patient Advocate Certification Board is pleased to welcome another 69 individuals to the growing number of board certified patient advocates-bringing the total number to just shy of 1000 in all. We are particularly happy to note that 20% of our new BCPAs are self-identified minority candidates. While this is the largest such number so far, we recognize the need for more of their valued voices to join the community of professional advocates.
We have come a long way indeed since a small group of visionaries set out to create the credentialing process. Following their blueprint and based on data gathered over the course of the first six cycles, important refinements have been achieved. First, pre-requisites for taking the exam were instituted this year. The PACB also published a practice exam based on actual retired questions that is made available to all fully registered candidates. With continued refinement in the quality of the exam itself, we are proud to report a Reliability Score of 0.91, considered excellent and at the best level of standardized tests.
We continue the work of moving toward a standard passing score consistent with the more industry-wide practice. With a growing item bank, no two exam forms are identical in content or difficulty, which means the actual definitive cut score (passing score) will vary within a range determined by a group of Subject Matter Experts through the modified Angoff process. (Please see our Candidate Handbook for more details about the Angoff/Hofstee methodology.) Another major improvement of the credentialing experience has been the move to complete remote testing. While the process is not without some challenges, it has enabled the Exam Commission to review, analyze, and process results in a much more timely fashion allowing candidates to be informed of their results within just three days of the end of the exam cycle.
Furthermore, in accordance with the requirements set out by the Institute of Credentialing Excellence, a formal Job Task Analysis was conducted and is now in the final stages of being evaluated. We would like to thank all who participated once again for your time and invaluable contributions to the field. A panel of Subject Matter Experts will again be tasked with reviewing and verifying the content and applicability of the results, which in turn will inform the content of the exam. On the first review, we are pleased to find that the current domains seem to cover the skills and tasks deemed most important for the practice of professional patient advocates. Any and all findings from the official review will be published in the next calendar year and made widely available.
PACB will be issuing a call for volunteers to serve on standing PACB committees, including the Exam Committee. Please reach out to our Executive Director, Danielle Marshall at execdirector@pacboard.org if you are interested or would like to apply or nominate a colleague to serve.
The nonprofit PACB was organized in 2012 to establish ethical standards, professional competencies, and best practices for professionals who work in the emerging field of patient advocacy. PACB works with Prolydian/Examity for a fully integrated registration, exam delivery, and certification management platform. Patient Advocates who earn the BCPA credential must be recertified every three years. Certified advocates are listed on the PACB website. The exam is available two times a year. The next testing period is scheduled for spring 2022 with testing beginning on March 5th and concluding on April 2nd. Contact help@pacboard.org to be notified when registration becomes available. Learn more at https://pacboard.org/getcertified/ or download the Candidate Handbook and apply for the upcoming cycle. The site also hosts news and developments about the organization and information related to exam registration and credential maintenance.
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Patient Advocate Certification Board, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on the development and maintenance of certification for the profession of patient advocacy.