First, a little about the CIP...the certification of IRB professionals is part of a credentialing process. The CIP is for people "whose primary job responsibilities include substantial participation in overseeing, administering or performing the daily activities associated with an IRB." (quote from the webinar) After two years of relevant IRB experience (and a bachelor's degree or higher; it's three years without the bachelor's degree), an IRB administrator can sit for the CIP exam. The exam is offered twice a year in a testing center. If an individual passes, they get to promote themselves as a CIP. There is a renewal process every three years in order to maintain the distinction. There are currently ~1360 CIPs out there.
Now, a little about the webinar on May 25...the webinar's purpose is to provide some of that overview information and then some strategies on preparing for the exam. The webinar was hosted by PRIM&R and conducted by Susan Delano, CIP (Chair of CCIP, the organization in charge of the CIP program) and Jaime Arango, EdD, CIP (Asst. Director of education for human subjects protection, CITI program, University of Miami). I met Susan Delano on the elevator at the April PRIM&R SBER Conference in Boston when she asked me about my CIP pin (I was so excited to wear it for the first time!) and from that 5 minute conversation, I can assure you, she is very enthusiastic about the CIP program! She led the discussion about the what, why and how of taking the CIP test. It felt a little bit like a sales pitch at the beginning, but since I got my CIP for all the reasons she mentioned (personal development, confidence, as part of a job qualification and to become part of a community of CIPs), I can't complain. Jaime Arango got on the line to talk about his experience in preparing for and taking the test and to impart some of his wisdom about adult education strategies (note cards, no cramming, studying with a mentor or a group, etc.) Overall, the webinar was well done - the right information from the right people and for the right length of time (60 minutes.)
About the advice they actually gave...I agreed with most of it and wish I'd thought about some of those solutions and references myself!
What I agreed with:
- When reading the questions, don't imagine facts that you aren't given! Just read the question as written and trust that you have all the information you need to answer that question.
- Consider using some online free trainings as part of your study prep. CITI is free for PRIM&R members, and the NIH Bioethics Webcast is free to anyone.
- Give yourself plenty of time to prep. Studying can help you refine your everyday practice as an IRB professional; start studying early and give yourself time to figure out how the concept you are studying can be incorporated into your everyday work. Not only will this help you remember it better, it helps immensely on the scenario questions.
- Know the regs, but also know the other guidance material (like CIOMS, ICH E6, FERPA, PPRA, GINA, etc.)
- Use the power of your peers - join the LinkedIn group, use IRBForum.org, read Ampersand (PRIM&R's blog). They mentioned using the Facebook group and I cannot agree more strongly that this group was helpful in not only giving me knowledge but in helping me feel confident that I could pass this test.
- Use books and journal articles to shore up your knowledge.
- Study other IRB's policies and procedures. Jaimae Arango mentioned that he started by reviewing the OHRP determination letters and then looked at the current policies and procedures for those groups. I know that a lot of my knowledge came not from studying, but from two years of benchmarking different policies in our organization by consulting those very sources.
What I didn't agree so strongly with:
- It's hard to "disagree" with this, but I do personally wonder if the "best practices" style questions are appropriate sometimes. My IRB tends to push towards using the regs for most efficiency - determining exempt status whenever possible, suggesting waivers of documentation to investigators whenever they might qualify, etc. - so our best practices might be a little more aggressive in these areas. It's hard to say that an exam is designed to test at the national or transnational level and that it is not to cater to local norms, but then ask best practice questions. I appreciated hearing about the local item review sessions that help establish the answers to these questions, but I also wonder how someone who is the only IRB professional working with a small group can be expected to know (and agree with) "best practice" at a larger institution. On the other hand, there are 240 questions and even if those are difficult, there is ample opportunity to pass the test.
- I have yet to talk to anyone who took the March 2011 exam who felt the practice exam was worth the extra $50. It might help the really nervous, but since the results don't include specific feedback, it can (and has) made many people more nervous rather than less. I say avoid it and use the free Facebook group to test yourself instead.
- The CIP Handbook for Candidates is a great starting place, but I wouldn't suggest limiting yourself to only those topics. For example, I don't remember seeing anything about GINA in the Handbook I downloaded, but it made up at least 4 questions on the exam. Fortunately, I use that in my everyday job, so it wasn't a problem for me. If there's something you or a study buddy use at work regularly that you don't see on the list, don't just ignore it.
- The recommendation to read the FDA regs didn't resonate with me. I deal primarily with OHRP regs and only a smattering of FDA in my job. I read through the FDA regs years ago when I was working at a commercial IRB, but I felt like the best study prep for this exam was using the Bankert & Amdur book and the study guide, rather than just reading and re-reading the regs themselves.
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