Exam Development Process
The FDHRC™ uses various staff, committees, and working groups formed by dental hygiene subject matter experts (SMEs) who have current knowledge of curricula in Canadian dental hygiene education, various clinical settings, community health, and administrative settings from all regions across Canada.
They perform the following exam development functions:
- Item Writing: The FDHRC™ owns a large bank of examination items that has to be refreshed constantly. FDHRC™ Item Writers are responsible to develop new items for the NDHCE® Item Bank. This is done through face-to-face item-writing training sessions facilitated by a representative from the FDHRC™ Testing Agency and staff. Participants learn how to develop multiple-choice items using secure online item writing software. The items produced then undergo a series of review steps before they appear on an examination.
- Group Reviews: All items newly written undergo a group review before they can be sent for item appraisal. These group reviews are also facilitated by a representative from the contracted Testing Agency, and they are either done face-to-face or virtually.
- NDHCE® Panel: This senior FDHRC™ operational committee is responsible for the final review of all examination items. Through the help of the contracted Testing Agency, the committee is responsible for DH competency-based blueprint development, exam monitoring, and standard setting for the exam.
- French Focus Group: This group of bilingual SMEs is responsible to review and validate the translation from English to French of the examination; this translation having first been conducted by the FDHRC™ official translator.
How can I get involved?
Anyone interested can submit their name and expression of interest to the FDHRC™ providing they meet all of the following criteria:
- Registered/licensed in good standing with a Canadian dental hygiene regulatory authority.
- Already holding the NDHCE® Certificate.
- A minimum of 5 years current experience.
- Current knowledge of the curriculum in dental hygiene education is an asset.
What Competencies Does the NDHCE® Evaluate?
The examination is developed to measure an explicitly defined content area, which consists of the competencies in dental hygiene practice (Dental Hygiene Process (DHP)): Assessment & Diagnosis, DHP: Planning, DHP: Implementation, and DHP: Evaluation). These competencies, and the guidelines and specifications that outline the way they should be measured on the examination, are presented in the NDHCE® Blueprint.
The examination passes through several steps to ensure it reflects current dental hygiene practice, and is professionally and psychometrically sound. Dental hygienists working in the different dental hygiene environments provide the content expertise. Professional consultants facilitate the development process and provide measurement expertise.