One detail-oriented person can recognize another. Thank you for submitting your observations of spelling and typographical errors on the Certification Exam for Structural Integration as well as your suggestions of how the exam could be improved.

I would like to share a story that I feel puts this into a relevant context. Many years ago when I was working as a cardio-thoracic surgical nurse at the University of Rochester Medical Center, the lead nurse practitioner wrote a “Patient Handbook” which included things such as “What to expect before surgery,” “Post operative care instructions,” etc. She had at least a dozen people, including other nurse practitioners, staff nurses and cardiac surgeons review and edit her booklet before publication. Not one person noticed that the biggest (full sized) picture of lungs was upside down. To this we thanked the patient who pointed out the error, and made the correction on the next edition.

The moral to the story is this: All professional people practiced in publishing have their work edited. Despite the best intentions, occasionally something slips by. In the case of the CESI, there may have been a misspelling or a typographical error that was not noticed, and we thank you for bringing it the attention of Tom Myers, and through him, to me. If your comments were also written in the margins of your exam booklet, directly to CBSI using the Candidate Feedback Form or through direct e-mail, the persons in charge of those responsibilities received them.

To end, thank you again for being “that person” who noticed.

Because you clearly have an eye for detail I invite you to participate as a CBSI committee member on one of two projects that come to mind.

The first is to submit exam questions for consideration in the next version of the CESI that will be administered later in 2010. The deadline for such submissions is February 1, 2010. All information for this process can be found on the CBSI website – click on the Getting Involved section http://www.siexam.org/?q=involved. The process would look something like this: Lets say someone, Tom Myers for example, submitted 10 questions and of those, 4 were accepted to be used on the exam or become part of the test bank. The questions as he wrote them may not be recognized as such as they go through a stringent process including changing a question from a “Correct Answer Item” to a “Best Answer Item” as well as language and gender control. One reason for this is that the exam has been designed to test differently than other forms of bodywork and therefore should not be compared to massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, etc. CBSI item writing has also been designed so that CBSI could continue the steps necessary for the CESI to be taken through the accreditation process as set forth by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE).

This brings me to the second opportunity for you to participate in this challenging and rewarding process. This year, one of my personal projects is to write the application for ICE. It is a lengthy, detailed and important step. I would consider you an asset to work with on the Accreditation Committee should you like to come on board.

Thank you again for the care you have shown by writing in to share your thoughts, your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Carrie Gaynor, RN, BSN, KMI, BCSI
CBSI Secretary / Treasurer
Chair: Finance Committee
Co-chair: Exam Communications Committee

Before continuing in my response, I would like to take a moment to remind everyone of the confidentiality statement that is in place regarding exam content. As a CBSI board member, and specifically as one of the Co-Chairs of the Exam Communications Committee, I make the following statements to provide a clear set of boundaries for the scope of these conversations.

Each person who writes in to provide feedback on the Certification Exam for Structural Integrators (CESI ) has taken the exam. Before the exam begins, each candidate reads (along with the proctor’s spoken words) the Confidentiality Statement, which I have provided below. This is also part of the application process, and can be found on-line as it is part of the application form. http://www.siexam.org/sites/default/files/CBSIexamApp.pdf

CERTIFICATION BOARD FOR STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT
“By taking this certification examination for structural integrators, I agree that I will neither copy nor retain examination questions or other confidential examination materials in any form or by any means and that I will not transmit examination questions or other confidential examination materials in any form or by any means to any other person or organization.”
__________________________________________ Signature
__________________________________________ Name (Please Print)
__________________________________________ Date

CBSI works from the highest of ethical standards and that will be upheld in this and all forms of communication.

Thank you for your future acknowledgement of these standards.

I would like to mention that while this environment lends itself to a broad accessibility, the following measures are already in place for the SI community to communicate directly with CBSI, on any relevant topic.
o Upon completion of the CESI, a candidate feedback form is provided to
each person with directions for communicating directly with CBSI
specifically for the purpose of evaluating their experience.
o Secondly, as part of the examination directions, each proctor reads
verbatim “You may write in your examination booklet.” It is not unusual
for people to record their thoughts, which allows the booklet to also
serve as a communication tool between the candidate and CBSI.
o Thirdly, the CBSI website (http://www.siexam.org/) has a ‘contact us’
button with ‘ready made’ communication channels for your convenience.
http://www.siexam.org/?q=contact

Kind Regards,

Carrie Gaynor, RN, BSN, KMI, BCSI
CBSI Secretary / Treasurer
Chair: Finance Committee
Co-chair: Exam Communications Committee

Dated: 04 Jan 10

On balance, I think start nowish.
Tom Myers