ARTP ASSOCIATE AND
PRACTITIONER PROFESSIONAL
EXAMINATIONS
GUIDELINES FOR CANDIDATES
PRACTICAL EXAMINATION
Background
The ARTP Associate and Practitioner examinations are a competency based assessment for
practitioners performing routine lung function testing. Their purpose is to establish that
candidates have achieved a minimum level of competence in the performance and
understanding of respiratory measurements. Exams take place twice a year in specified
examination centre usually within the months of April and October and will as a rule be
performed at the weekend. Candidates will not be assessed in their own workplace.
Before the Examination
It is essential that candidates contact their allocated examination centre prior to their
assessment to arrange a visit to familiarise themselves with the laboratory and check that
the equipment/software is similar to that used in the current workplace. ARTP is not
responsible for arranging this visit.
Candidates must ensure that they bring an original copy of any of the photographic
identification listed below.
1. Driving license
2. Passport
3. NHS identity badge.
Equipment
Candidates are required to indicate on the registration form the type of equipment regularly
used. Equipment manufactured by the following companies are the only systems that will
be available for the examination:


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Care Fusion (formerly Viasys/Jaeger Sensormedics)
NSpire (Formerly Ferraris/Morgan Medical Ltd)
Medisoft
Unfortunately, candidates will be unable to change the equipment selection after the
registration form has been submitted. Candidates are advised to review the completed
registration form with their Work Based Supervisor to ensure the details provided are
correct.
Test Performance
All tests should be performed according to the ARTP/BTS Guidelines for the Measurement
of Respiratory Function (Respiratory Medicine 1994; 88: 165-194). Candidates will be
expected to explain the reasons for any deviations or local policies used that differ from the
published guidelines.
As this is a clinical examination with direct patient contact, candidates must attend the
examination in their normal working attire e.g. tunic, scrubs etc. Failure to do so may result
in a candidate being unable to sit the examination. Drinking/eating and comfort breaks
should be avoided where possible during examinations. Refreshments will not be provided
for candidates and it is therefore advisable that the candidate brings this with them for
consuming before/after the examination.
The practical examination will consist of the following procedures:
 Pre-test procedures (including height and weight measurement, history taking e.g.
smoking, medication)
 Spirometry (including MFVC and peak expiratory flow)
 Lung volumes (and subdivisions)
 Transfer factor using the single breath technique
 Delivery of a bronchodilator by MDI WITHOUT spacer/Volumatic
 Spot check Pulse Oximetry
NB: All candidates will be expected to measure dynamic lung volumes via a maximal flow
volume curve.
A metered dose inhaler (MDI) must be used for the Bronchodilator Response assessment
unless, after coaching, the patient cannot demonstrate the correct technique. At this point
an alternative device should be selected.
The actual response to the drug will not be measured. The selected delivery device will
contain a placebo inhalant unless administration of a specific bronchodilator is indicated by:
 The patient.
 The assessor.
Candidates must ensure that they have familiarised themselves with the use of and delivery
of an MDI prior to the examination.
Health and safety
All tests should be carried out within the context of the local policies for Health and Safety,
Infection Control, and the care and well being of the patient. Penalties will be incurred if the
tests are at variance with these policies.
The examiners will not ask questions whilst the candidate is performing the measurements.
However, the examiners reserve the right to intervene during the assessment where, in
their professional opinion, the well being of the patient may be compromised.
Test subject selection
The subjects performing the tests during the assessments will be selected by the designated
centres and will have prior experience of performing lung function tests. Reserve subjects
will be arranged in case of illness. Subjects with severe respiratory dysfunction will not be
chosen.
All subjects will be advised prior to testing that an assessment of the candidate will be
taking place during the measurements and that this will involve extra people being present
in the testing room.
Examination Format
The lung function investigations are performed consecutively, without a break for questions.
Following completion of all testing sections a technical viva will take place, focusing on the
technical / practicalities of the test. The candidate will have 90 minutes to complete the lung
function investigations and the technical viva, with 30 minutes allocated for the technical
viva. For candidates undertaking the Associate level qualification, this will be the end of
their examination.
Practitioner Level Qualification
Following the technical viva, the candidates will have 30 minutes to manually calculate a
standard set of lung function test results. It is recommended that candidates practice
manual calculation of results for all sections prior to their examination.
The final part of the examination is a clinical viva of approximately 45 minutes. During this
section, candidates must demonstrate knowledge of the calculation procedures and
understand derivation of reference values. The questioning will generally focus on how the
tests were performed, background theory to the measurements, the principles of the
equipment utilised for the measurements, physiology and pathophysiology, results obtained
and the expected changes in disease. It will also include technical questions if required.
Deferral or cancellation
Where, due to extenuating circumstances, a candidate cannot attend their examination, it is
the responsibility of the candidate to contact ARTP to complete a deferral request
(Appendix 1). Deferral requests within 2 weeks of the examination will be subject to a £30
administration fee.
STANDARDS REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE A PASS
General Rules
Candidates must achieve a mark of >60% in ALL sections of the practical examination to
achieve a pass.
Candidates achieving <60% in one or more of the practical sections will be required to re-sit
the practical examination. Feedback will be provided, indicating where errors were made in
the initial performance.
Candidates that fail the calculation section only, but achieve a >60% in all other sections of
the examination, will be offered a re-sit of this section only.
Re-sits
Where candidates are unsuccessful in their practical examination registration for a resit can
be made subject to a resit fee. Where possible, the re-sit examiners will differ from those in
the original examination. Candidates that require a re-sit of the calculation section only will
be required to attend their nearest examination centre on the next available exam date.
Results
Candidates will not be informed of the outcome on the day of their examination. All results
must be moderated at the ARTP Examination Board meeting and the results will only be
released AFTER this date when they will be made available via the student portal of the
ARTP website. ARTP Administration is unable to release results prior to this date and is not
able to give individual results over the telephone or by email.
Successful candidates that are ARTP members will receive ARTP certificates of achievement
at the ARTP Annual Conference.
There is an appeals procedure for any candidates that feel they may have been unfairly
marked and all appeals should be made to ARTP Administration within two weeks of
receiving confirmation of results.
Please contact Administration should you require any further information or have any
queries regarding the assessment
Philip Baker
ARTP Administrator
Admin@artp.org.uk