J Educ Eval Health Prof.  2016;13:5. 10.3352/jeehp.2016.13.5.

Varying levels of difficulty index of skills-test items randomly selected by examinees on the Korean emergency medical technician licensing examination

Affiliations
  • 1Dongnam Health University, Suwon, Korea. emtko@dongnam.ac.kr
  • 2Sunlin University, Pohang, Korea.
  • 3Korea National University of Transportation, Chungju, Korea.
  • 4Kongju National University, Gongju, Korea.
  • 5Gwangju Health University, Gwangju, Korea.
  • 6Yangpyeong Fire Station, Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
  • 7Korea Coast Guard Academy, Jeollanam-do, Korea.
  • 8Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
The goal of this study was to characterize the difficulty index of the items in the skills test components of the class I and II Korean emergency medical technician licensing examination (KEMTLE), which requires examinees to select items randomly.
METHODS
The results of 1,309 class I KEMTLE examinations and 1,801 class II KEMTLE examinations in 2013 were subjected to analysis. Items from the basic and advanced skills test sections of the KEMTLE were compared to determine whether some were significantly more difficult than others.
RESULTS
In the class I KEMTLE, all 4 of the items on the basic skills test showed significant variation in difficulty index (P<0.01), as well as 4 of the 5 items on the advanced skills test (P<0.05). In the class II KEMTLE, 4 of the 5 items on the basic skills test showed significantly different difficulty index (P<0.01), as well as all 3 of the advanced skills test items (P<0.01).
CONCLUSION
In the skills test components of the class I and II KEMTLE, the procedure in which examinees randomly select questions should be revised to require examinees to respond to a set of fixed items in order to improve the reliability of the national licensing examination.

Keyword

Emergency medical technicians, Item; Korea, Licensure; Reliability

MeSH Terms

Emergencies*
Emergency Medical Technicians*
Humans
Licensure*

Reference

References

1. Yoou SK, Choi ES, Sin DM, Jo JM, Lee JE, Uhm TH, Roh SG, Kim YS. Proposal of a new emergency medical technician national practical examination. Korean J Emerg Med Serv. 2012; 16:45–62.
2. National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Paramedic national registry skills test [Internet]. Ohio (USA): NREMT;2015. [cited 2015 September 1]. Available from: https://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/reg_para_history.asp.
3. National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board. EMT practical examination notice [Internet]. Seoul (KR): National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board;2015. [cited 2015 September 1]. Available from: http://www.kuksiwon.or.kr/index.aspx.
4. Tavares W, LeBlanc VR, Mausz J, Sun V, Eva KW. Simulation-based assessment of paramedics and performance in real clinical contexts. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2013; 18:116–122. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/10903127.2013.818178.
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