PES Announces Five Recipients of 2000 Grant Awards

New York, NY, February 2001 - Professional Examination Service (PES) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2000 Grant Awards. Established in 1994, the Grant Awards program makes available grant awards to support credentialing stakeholders in educational or scientific activities that contribute significantly to the development, use, evaluation, and enhancement of professional credentials.

The program funds activities in three main categories: educational meetings that bring together a variety of credentialing stakeholders; non-commercial publications on credentialing policy intended for a broad spectrum of credentialing stakeholders; and research studies that explore the meaning and value of professional credentials to key stakeholder groups. Five grants were awarded for 2000:

American Association of Dental Examiners — in support of an interagency committee to develop best practice guidelines on scoring mechanisms and post-examination analyses for use by regional and state testing agencies offering licensure examinations in dentistry and dental hygiene.

American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification, Inc. — in support of an invitational meeting with representatives of healthcare administration, accreditation, and third-party payors to discuss how this nursing specialty certification can play a part in influencing quality of care delivery to patients and their families.

American Medical Directors Certification Programs — in support of a research study to explore the meaning and value of the AMDCP credential of Certified Medical Director in Long Term Care (CMD). The results of the study will be used to develop an educational campaign aimed at acquainting nursing facility administrators with the value of employing a CMD as medical director.

American Physical Therapy Association — in support of a research study to explore the value and meaning of the "physical therapy certified clinical specialist" program. The proposed study will survey employers to determine whether they recognize the role and value of certified physical therapy specialists in such specialty areas as Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Clinical Electrophysiologic, Geriatric, Neurologic, Orthopaedic, Pediatric, and Sports.

Certification Board Perioperative Nursing — for a study investigating whether holding the credentials of CNOR and CRNFA is associated with positive, observable outcomes. A questionnaire will be developed to assess the value of the credentials from the point of view of various constituent groups including credentialed nurses, employers, professional colleagues, and the public.

Applications for the 2000 Grant Awards Program were reviewed by David Swankin, JD, Executive Director of the Citizen Advocacy Center, and PES Board members J. David Seay, JD, and Mary E. Kellogg, RN, MS, CNOR.

Professional Examination Service is a nonprofit testing organization whose mission is to promote the understanding and use of sound credentialing practices. PES achieves its mission by providing comprehensive services and making contributions to credentialing stakeholders in the areas of assessment practice, educational activities, scientific research, and policy development.

The Grant Awards Program is one of several annual PES award programs. For more information about PES's awards programs and other public service activities, please contact Sandra Greenberg, Ph.D., Vice President for Research & Development and Public Service, Professional Examination Service, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115-0089, (212) 367-4271, fax: (212) 367-4266, e-mail: mission@proexam.org.