Becoming an Asthma
Educator ( AE-C )
An Exciting Opportunity for Respiratory
Care Practitioners to Build on their Talents
Mary Cataletto M.D., F.A.A.P., F.C.C.P
Winthrop University Hospital
Mineola, N.Y.
Disclosures
Past Member, Board of Directors, NAECB
Past Co chair, Examination Committee NAECB
Current member, Examination Committee NAECB
What is a Certified
Asthma Educator ?
An expert in teaching, educating and
counseling individuals with asthma
and their families in the knowledge
and skills necessary to minimize the
impact on their quality of life.
Identifying the Need for
Asthma Education
* Improve Health Literacy
* Improve Patient Provider Partnerships
* Decrease the Burden of Asthma
History of NAECB
January 1999
September 2000
September 2002
Stakeholders meeting
First BOD elected
Officers elected
Bylaw approved
First examination
Founding Stakeholders
Asthma & Allergy Network/ Mothers of Asthmatics
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Physicians Assistants
American Association for Respiratory Care
American Association of Health Plans
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses
American Association of Retired Persons
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Founding Stakeholders
* American College of Chest Physicians
* American Lung Association
* American Medical Association
* American Public Health Association
* American School Health Association
* American Nurses Association
* American Pharmacist Association
* American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
* Association of Asthma Educators
* Association of State and Territorial Directors of Health
Promotion & Public Health Education
Founding Stakeholders
* Association for the Advancement of Health
Education
* Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America
* National Association of School Nurses
* National Association of Social Workers
* National Black Nurses’ Association
* National Medical Association
* Society for Public Health Education
The National Asthma Educator
Certification Board (NAECB)
Followed the successful models & standards of:
• The Canadian Network for Asthma Care
• The National Certification Board of Certified
Diabetes Educators
• The National Commission for Certifying
Agencies
• Standards for Certification Programs
• The National Organization for Competence
Assurance
The U.S. Experience
Who we are?
How did we get here?
Where do we work?
What do we do?
Who are we ?
Practice Setting
Percent
Primary care outpatient office/clinic
23.7
Specialty care outpatient office/clinic
59.3
Health department, Military, Government
8.5
Hospital inpatient
40.7
School
11.9
Residential care
1.7
Primary Job Responsibilities
Focus on:
* Asthma Action plan
* Asthma Programming
* Asthma Services
* Diagnosis & Management of Asthma
* Spirometry
Does the AE-C
Taskforce reflect the
patient population
they serve ?
Is there a Disparity ?
Is our Work
Important ?
Evaluating Outcomes
* Personal
* Professional
* Patient Focused
* Family Focused
* Community Focused
* National Outcomes
Is the AE-C Credential Important ?
Established credential to insure standard of
excellence; used as benchmark
Promotes confidence, credibility, personal
satisfaction
Maintains up to date knowledge, professional
expertise
Job requirement
Helps to procure reimbursement for services
The Road
to Becoming
An AE-C
Licensed or credentialed HCP
NAECB Candidate Handbook 2012
Physicians ( MD, DO)
Physician’s Assistants (PA-C)
Nurse Practitioners (NP)
Nurses (RN,LPN)
Respiratory Therapists (RRT, CRT)
Pulmonary Function Technologists (CPFT, RPFT)
Pharmacists (RPh)
Social Workers (CSW)
Health Educators (CHES)
Physical Therapists (PT)
Occupational Therapists (OT)
Examination:
● Applied Measurement Professionals Inc
.
● Application on Paper or by Computer
http://www.naecb.org
● By appointment only
● Accomodations for Candidates with
Disabilities
Examination:
Timed exam: 3.5 hours
175 Questions: 150 scored;
25 pretest
Examination:
4 Major Content Areas
•
•
•
•
The Asthma Condition
Patient & Family Assessment
Asthma Management
Organizational Issues
20 %
26 %
43 %
11 %
Examination:
Cognitive levels
• Recall
ability to recall or recognize specific information
• Application
ability to comprehend, relate or apply knowledge
to new or changing situations
• Analysis
ability to analyze d synthesize information,
determine solutions and/or to evaluate the
usefulness of a solution
1. The Asthma Condition
Cognitive
Levels
Recall
Application
Analysis
Totals
Asthma Condition
9
20
1
30
Pathophysiology
4
6
0
10
RECALL Question: example
The nebulizer cup for a home Pari nebulizer®
should be replaced every:
a) One Month
b) Two Months
c) Four Months
d) Six Months
Pass Rate
All Candidates (n= 6281 candidates through 5-31-12)
First time: 68.3 %
Overall: 66.4 %
Respiratory Therapists ( n=3129 candidates through
5-31-12 ):
First time pass rate: 64.4 %
Overall pass rate for RRT/CPFT: 62.3 %
Relevance to Practice
Survey of 988 examination candidates
Accurately reflected the role of AE-C 72 %
Would recommend the examination
88 %
Code of Conduct
The AE-C will
* Conduct themselves in a professional manner
• Provide asthma coordination, counseling &
education
** in a manner that will be in furtherance
to the mission of the NAECB and
** will in no way be harmful to the public
* NOT engage in inappropriate or unethical behavior
• NOT provide asthma coordination, counseling
or education while experiencing any impairment
to their performance
Code of Conduct
The AE-C will
* Hold confidential information regarding the
examination that could assist another candidate
seeking certification
* Adopt the designation of AE-C and utilize it as
part of their professional activities
HELP !
I HAVE EXAM PHOBIA
NAECB Self Assessment Examination
* Use as a diagnostic tool
* Available online
* 75 multiple choice practice questions
* Includes rationale statements
2012 Examination Fees
New Candidate
Repeat Candidate
Recertification Fee
$ 295.00
$ 195.00
$ 245.00
No Funding ?
Apply for the
Linda B. Ford Scholarship
Partial Award Given:
• Annually
• 2 Candidates
Amount: $ 200.00 each
Information &
Application available
on www.naecb.org