Role Delineation Study of the Infusion Nurse

The purpose of this role delineation study, also known as a practice analysis or job analysis, was to identify the necessary knowledge and tasks involved in infusion nursing practice as a first step in the continuing development of a job-related certification examination. The Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation (INCC) requested the services of PSI Services to design and conduct a study that would provide the support necessary to develop specifications upon which content valid certification examination could be built for infusion nurses.

INCC appointed a Role Delineation Advisory Committee (RDAC) to conduct the activities necessary to identify responsibilities of practitioners and develop examination specifications. The diversity of this group was reflective of the practice of infusion nursing throughout the United States, and all RDAC members had demonstrated expertise in their respective areas of specialization.

The study involved development of a web-based role delineation survey, distribution of the survey to target practitioners, and an analysis of their responses. Examination Specifications were derived from the data gathered using the role delineation survey. The Examination Specifications can be described as including a Detailed Content Outline of knowledge and associated tasks, along with requirements related to the number of items to be included on the new certified registered nurse infusion (CRNI®) examination. The RDAC met in February 2019 to initiate the following six tasks:

1. Develop a sampling plan
2. Identify topics and tasks for the survey instrument
3. Identify content categories
4. Determine the rating scales
5. Determine the relevant demographic variables of interest

Decision rules were adopted by the RDAC and used to determine which knowledge and tasks were appropriate for assessment and therefore for inclusion in the final Detailed Content Outline (DCO). Decision rules were established to ensure that the resulting content was:

• Part of practice
• Important to practice
• Important throughout the United States
• Important regardless of educational preparation, and
• Important for entry-level practitioners

It was determined that a total of 120 multiple-choice items would be sufficient to assess the knowledge and tasks that are important to infusion nursing practice. The number of items specified for each content category was determined by the RDAC based upon consideration of the breadth and depth of content, using the survey respondents’ judgments regarding the percentage of a CRNI® examination that should be included in each area.]

To ensure that the role of the infusion nurse is adequately represented in the CRNI® exam, it is necessary that an RDS be conducted on a routine basis (typically every 4 – 5 years).