All Fisdap test items now adhere to 2015 CPR & ECC Guidelines
We are pleased to announce that all Fisdap test items now adhere to 2015 Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. As of Aug 24, 2016, students will be tested on the new guidelines.
Since the release of the new CPR & ECC Guidelines, our team of subject matter experts (SME) has been busy carefully reviewing and editing all items that might have been affected. Over 2,000 test items were reviewed to ensure compliance with the new guidelines. After the edits were made, they went through the same rigorous validation process that all of our items undergo.
The content of the NREMT exam is expected to reflect the new guidelines as of Sept 1, 2016. In preparation for this, we have ensured that all affected items reflect the current best practices for CPR and ECC as determined by the AHA. Most items required minor edits, while some required complete rewrites. We also added several test items to prepare students for new material that might arise as a result of the updates.
Throughout April and May, 67 test items were either edited or rewritten. In June, these were reviewed by SMEs and a board certified Emergency Medicine physician. The items were then pilot tested throughout June and July. Table 1 (below) shows a breakdown of the number of items pilot tested at both certification levels. All test items met or exceeded thresholds for difficulty and point biserial values, thereby passing the review process.
Fisdap includes the EMS community in all phases of item creation and exam validation and we are actively looking for new SMEs. Participating in Fisdap pilot testing and exam validation processes will help individuals to earn reward points to use for discounts on Fisdap Testing accounts. Please contact Mike Bowen if you have students willing to participate in the pilot testing process or you would like to participate in the exam development process.