Middle Grades Principal Credentialing: A Vanishing Requirement

Limited research explores how school administrators learn the leadership skills, knowledge, and dispositions that will support young adolescents, particularly how administrators are prepared and credentialed to lead middle grades schools. The purpose of this research was to examine which states offered and/or required administrator credentials specific to middle grades and why states do or do not offer or require such credentialing. Analysis of the data indicates that states are moving away from specific credentialing for middle grades school administrators, with only one state still offering such a credential. Although state credentialing officers indicated the value of a specific middle grades principal credential, the need for flexibility for districts and credential candidates was the overarching reason for eliminating or not having a middle grades administrative credential. Moving away from specific middle grades credentialing has a number of implications for students, schools, preparations programs, and advocates of middle grades education

Exploration of the Practices of Credentialing of Nurse Practitioners in Acute Care Hospital Settings

Abstract The nursing shortage, physician shortage, advancing age of the population, and concerns about equalizing access to health care have supported the movement of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) role into the acute care hospital setting (ACHS). Expansion of the role has resulted in efforts by regulatory and accreditation bodies to require standardized processes to ensure that credentialing and privileging supports the role of the NP in the acute care hospital setting. Historically credentialing processes have been developed with the physician role as the template. However, it is not clear that those processes support the role of the NP in the acute care setting. The purpose of the study is to understand and describe the processes by which Nurse Practitioners are credentialed and granted privileges to practice within the acute care hospital setting. A qualitative multi-sited case study approach was used to identify the rules and norms of the credentialing process of Nurse Practitioners. From three acute care hospitals, a purposeful sample of NPs (n=9) and other members of the credentialing bodies (n=3) were interviewed, a demographic survey completed, and documents defining structure collected. Analysis of the data included development of themes across the interviews and cross-case analysis for the three sites. Three major areas were identified that gave rise to specific themes: a) required activities that Nurse Practitioners must complete to receive organizational approval to practice in the advanced role; b) nurse practitioner perceptions of the credentialing process; and c) enhancement of the credentialing process for the Nurse Practitioner. Themes within the area of required activities that Nurse Practitioners must complete to receive organizational approval to practice in the advanced role are: a) required information for acute care credentialing; b) importance of timeliness of completing the process; c) steps for adding and maintaining competencies; d) people involved in the process; and e) common barriers to the credentialing process. Nurse practitioner perceptions of the credentialing process themes are: a) emotional responses of NPs to the credentialing process; b) fit of the credentialing process with the intended role of the NP; and c) involvement of the right people in the credentialing process. Themes within the area of enhancement of the credentialing process for the Nurse Practitioner are: a) reduction of barriers in the NP credentialing process; and b) external factors impacting the NP credentialing process. Cross-case analysis revealed these differences among the sites. Employed NPs and those not employed by the ACHS enter the credentialing process at the same point at two of the study sites. The human resources department is the entry point for employed NPs at the third site, while NPs not employed by the ACHS enter through the medical staff office. The same two sites have implemented a nurse credentialing committee as the first review of the completed application. The third site did not have a nurse credentialing committee at the time of the interviews. The governing body at Site One and Two is the final decision making body for credentialing. Site Three uses the governing body for NPs not employed by the ACHS and the human resources department for approval of employed NPs. The required documents for proof of education, licensure, and competency and other credentialing structures are similar across all three sites. Structure and content of the credentialing process for all three sites were similar. However, variation and barriers were identified by the participants. Findings from this study include opportunities to further standardize and enhance the credentialing process for NPs. Opportunities for standardization and enhancement include: a) communicate needed information about the credentialing process-during the NP educational experience; b) determine consistencies for core competencies and specialty competencies validation across disciplines; c) clearly define methods for obtaining and verifying new psychomotor competencies; d) advocate that the right people, not just functional groups, are involved in the credentialing process within the acute care setting; e) include a contact person for NP credentialing; f) automate and streamline required paperwork, remove confusing language, focus privileging forms on the specialty education of the NP; and g) promote the value of a central verification organization (CVO) to include NP credentialing to the national organizations that represent advance practice nurses. Continued refinement of the credentialing process as well as the implementation of strategies listed above that will enhance the process and may assist in reducing some of the barriers and frustrations identified in this study

Conflicts Credentialing: Hospitals and the Use of Financial Considerations to Make Medical Staffing Decisions

The emerging practice of conflicts credentialing represents a significant change in the economic and professional interests of physicians and in the relationship between medical staffs and hospitals. In this article, the authors explain the interrelationship between the authority of hospitals and medical staffs to manage their respective affairs and the legal developments that have led toward conflicts credentialing. The authors next discuss the medical community’s reaction to conflicts credentialing and the legal challenges facing the use of economic factors in physician credentialing

Linking Bad Credentials to Safety Issues

This study assesses (1) the effectiveness of the Kentucky Automated Truck Screening (KATS) system, (2) the relationship between credential and vehicle safety violations, (3) the relationship between credential and driver safety violations, and (4) the relationship between credential violations and crashes. The KATS system, which is installed at weigh stations throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is highly effective at detecting KYU, IFTA, and UCR violations with sensitivities of 80.54, 87.56, and 88.28 percent, respectively. However, the system is less effective at detecting IRP violations (sensitivity = 20.83 percent). There is a statistically significant relationship between credentialing and vehicle safety violations, and the same is true for credentialing violations and driver safety violations. Carriers with at least one KYU, IFTA, UCR, or IRP violation were 111.16 percent more likely to receive a citation for a vehicle safety violation than motor carriers without credentialing violations. Compared to carriers without credentialing violations, carriers with at least one credentialing violation were 112.50 percent more likely to receive a citation related to driver safety. In terms of the relationship between Kentucky-based credentialing violations and nationwide crashes (major crashes only), carriers with at least one credentialing violation were 35.43 percent more likely to be involved in a serious crash than carriers without credentialing violations

Global trends in training and credentialing guidelines for gastrointestinal endoscopy: a systematic review

Background and study aims Credentialing, the process through which an institution assesses and validates an endoscopist’s qualifications to independently perform a procedure, can vary by region and country. Little is known about these inter-societal and geographic differences. We aimed to systematically characterize credentialing recommendations and requirements worldwide. Methods We conducted a systematic review of credentialing practices among gastrointestinal and endoscopy societies worldwide. An electronic search as well as hand-search of World Endoscopy Organization members’ websites was performed for credentialing documents. Abstracts were screened in duplicate and independently. Data were collected on procedures included in each document (e. g. colonoscopy, ERCP) and types of credentialing statements (procedural volume, key performance indicators (KPIs), and competency assessments). The primary objective was to qualitatively describe and compare the available credentialing recommendations and requirements from the included studies. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data when appropriate. Results We screened 653 records and included 20 credentialing documents from 12 societies. Guidelines most commonly included credentialing statements for colonoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), and ERCP. For colonoscopy, minimum procedural volumes ranged from 150 to 275 and adenoma detection rate (ADR) from 20 % to 30%. For EGD, minimum procedural volumes ranged from 130 to 1000, and duodenal intubation rate of 95 % to 100%. For ERCP, minimum procedural volumes ranged from 100 to 300 with selective duct cannulation success rate of 80 % to 90 %. Guidelines also reported on flexible sigmoidoscopy, capsule endoscopy, and endoscopic ultrasound. Conclusions While some metrics such as ADR were relatively consistent among societies, there was substantial variation among societies with respect to procedural volume and KPI statements

Mental health and addiction credential in primary care

This report is an evaluation of a demonstration coordinated by Health Workforce New Zealand. The credential aims to recognise and boost the skills and knowledge of registered nurses who work with patients with mental health and addiction needs. This evaluation report finds credentialing: improves the competence and confidence of primary care nurses working with patients with mental health and addiction issues aids understanding of the integration of physical and mental health encourages closer collaboration with secondary care and community practitioners. Barriers for wider implementation include: limited understanding of the value credentialing can add to staff competency difficulty obtaining release time for nurses to attend education and training lack of available education resources

Scope of Practice for Rehabilitation Counseling

[Excerpt] The Scope of Practice Statement identifies knowledge and skills required for the provision of effective rehabilitation counseling services to persons with physical, mental, developmental, cognitive, and emotional disabilities as embodied in the standards of the profession\u27s credentialing organizations

Convergence or Divergence of Values? A Comparison Case Study of Teacher Credentialing Programs

Educational commentators have long debated whether or not public school teaching is a profession. The definition of a profession is commonly anchored in Andrew Abbott\u27s criteria, which include knowledge (specialized and academic), jurisdiction (diagnosis, treatment, professional inference), and control (ethics, professional organizations, licensure). Teachers in most states need to complete credentialing programs to be licensed. The purpose of this study was to explore what teacher credentialing programs at three diverse universities are doing to build teaching as a profession. The guiding research questions were: (1) What is the relationship between teacher credentialing programs and the professionalization of teaching? (2) What types of knowledge, skills, and dispositions are teacher credentialing programs instructing candidate teachers and do they promote the professionalization of teaching? (3) What are the factors that support or challenge the professionalization of teacher candidates in contemporary teacher credentialing programs? (4) In what ways are teacher credentialing programs convergent or divergent in the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are perceived necessary for the preparation of teacher candidates? Methods used in this study included interviews with teacher credentialing program faculty members and a document analysis of university published materials. The research findings show that the three universities converge in their values but diverge in the language they use to describe those values. Credentialing programs provide licenses and formal schooling but lack established cultural norms; this compromises teaching as a profession. Additionally, there is a divergence of values and knowledge between the credentialing programs and school districts where teachers go to teach. Finally, at all three universities there is an absence of training teachers to conduct research to further the empirical knowledge of education as a profession. Based on Abbott\u27s criteria, the findings suggest teaching is a semi-profession in growth. If teaching is to become a recognized profession, credentialing programs will need to establish cultural norms. Teachers will need to conduct research that informs practice in the classroom and contribute to education\u27s body of knowledge. Future research includes studying how effective traditional and non-traditional credentialing programs are in advancing teaching as a profession how they compare to each other

Hambatan dan Harapan Sistem Kredensial Dokter: Studi Kualitatif di Empat Rumah Sakit Indonesia

Background : The accountability of the physicians serving inhealth care is a crucial factor to establish the patient safety.The credentialing system, a process to grant clinical privilege,aims to ensure the accountability. Credentialing processes varyin different Indonesian Institutions, and frequently areinadequately performed. Information about obstacles andexpectations on current credentialing process is needed todesign a strategy to develop credentialing system.Methods: A qualitative study using Focus Group Discussions(FGD) were conducted in four hospitals in Indonesia withdifferent characteristics. Every FGD was attended by 10-20participants, consisted of physicians and hospital management.The results of the FGDs were analyzed with qualitativeapproach.Results: The obstacles of the establishment of ideal credentialsystem rooted in the inappropriate perception that credential isthe same as physicians recruitment as hospital employees.The expectations of the participants are the needs of monitoringprocess, sound relationship between credential team andhospital management, standardization of policy and credentialinstruments, existence of objective credential team, and goodrelationships among colleagues.Conclusions: Indonesia needs a credentialing system that isable to establish the patient safety. The expectations ofparticipants are in line with the recommended credentialsystem, which is based on the concept of professionalism.Keywords: physicians credentialing system, professionalism,patient safet

Digital Forensics, A Need for Credentials and Standards

The purpose of the conducted study was to explore the credentialing of digital forensic investigators, drawing from applicable literature. A qualitative, descriptive research design was adopted which entailed searching across Google Scholar and ProQuest databases for peer reviewed articles on the subject matter. The resulting scholarship was vetted for timeliness and relevance prior to identification of key ideas on credentialing. The findings of the study indicated that though credentialing was a major issue in digital forensics with an attentive audience of stakeholders, it had been largely overshadowed by the fundamental curricula problems in the discipline. A large portion of research and efforts were directed towards designing a clear and standardized framework for teaching digital forensics. While contending with an apparent scarcity of literature, it was apparent that state and federal governments were relatively passive in offering credentials to digital forensic investigators. This had been mostly left to private companies such as Mile2, EC-Council and ISC2, with the government providing some guidelines through the Department of Justice (DoJ) and affiliates like NIST, OSAC and NAS. The involvement of private credentialing in some cases had led to mis-trials and thus there has been a need to have a unified framework for collection, reporting, and submission of digital forensic evidence. It would be recommended that more efforts be directed towards credentialing including advocacy, funding and research and a national framework for teaching digital forensics to be developed together with a standard credentialing system. Additionally, the state and federal governments would need to step up and take active roles in the credentialing process