Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
The predictors of success on the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®) were investigated by analyzing OT students' graduate-level course grades and their Occupational Therapy Knowledge Exam (OTKE) scores. The researchers found that pedagogy styles and success in foundational courses had no significant indication of overall first-time pass rates on the NBCOT. The best predictor of success on the NBCOT continues to be the OTKE.
Primary Author and Speaker: Rebekah Wilson
Additional Authors and Speakers: Hawii Mekonnen, Alexis Gaatz, Elizabeth Holmgren
Contributing Authors: Kathy Lemley, Reivian Berrios Barillas
PURPOSE: Occupational Therapy academic programs want to formulate the best curriculum plans to assist students in success on passing the Occupational Therapy licensing exam. The Occupational Therapy Knowledge Exam (OTKE) may be a predictor of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam success (Higgins et al., 2010; Hollman, Rindflesch, Youdas, Krause, Hellyer, & Kinlaw, 2008; Pitt, Powis, Levett-Jones, & Hunter, 2012). However, it is unknown which courses in particular cohort groups (face-to-face, online and blended) can predict first time passing of the licensing exam. The purpose of this study was to extensively explore what predicts passing the NBCOT exam. Information on the predictors of success may assist OT programs in creating effective and efficient curricula to best prepare students for passing the NBCOT exam.
DESIGN: This level II observational study reviews the various predictors of success on the NBCOT exam. The following were the inclusion criteria: students who were accepted and enrolled in the MOT program, completed all required MOT coursework successfully, completed the OTKE and NBCOT exam.
METHOD: Numerous OT student academic outcomes were analyzed retrospectively. This study was non-randomized and consisted of three cohort groups (online, face-to-face traditional, and blended) in a Masters of Occupational Therapy program. The academic performance of 151 OT students were investigated in the following courses: anatomy grades, kinesiology grades, neuroscience grade, orthopedic grade, OTKE scores and first time pass rates on the NBCOT. There were 82 students in Group A (traditional face-to-face learning), 30 students in Group B (blended format of face-to-face and online learning, 39 students in Group C (online with minimal face-to-face interaction). SPSS 25 statistical software was used to complete a linear regression model to analyze scores among groups individually and as a whole.
RESULTS: When all the results of the cohorts were combined, the OTKE was the only resource to significantly predict success on the NBCOT (p = 0.023). This was the only measure that was statistically significant. Separately, the three cohorts’ academic measures did not show statistical significance for any academic performance measures predicting success on the NBCOT exam.
CONCLUSION: Pedagogy delivery and other academic performance measures may not influence the licensing exam success rates. The best predictor for success on the NBCOT continues to be the OTKE. The use of the OTKE is beneficial in predicting first-time pass rates on the NBCOT exam. Many OT programs may see this study as motivation for restructuring their curriculums to improve students’ chances in passing the NBCOT exam. Face to face, blended, and online pedagogical formats may be irrelevant in deciding the best format for students when considering the NBCOT exam first-time pass rate.
References
Higgins, R., Moser, S., Dereczyk, A., Canales, R., Stewart, G., Schierholtz, C., . . . Arbuckle, S. (2010). Admission variables as predictors of PANCE scores in physician assistant programs: A comparison study across universities. Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 21(1), 7-18. http://doi.org/10.1097/01367895-201021010-00002
Hollman, J. H., Rindflesch, A. B., Youdas, J. W., Krause, D. A., Hellyer, N. J., & Kinlaw, D. (2008). Retrospective analysis of the behavioral interview and other preadmission variables to predict licensure examination outcomes in physical therapy. Journal of Allied Health, 37(2), 97–104. PMID: 18630785
Pitt, V., Powis, D., Levett-Jones, T., & Hunter, S. (2012). Factors influencing nursing students’ academic and clinical performance and attrition: An integrative literature review. Nurse Education Today, 32(8), 903- 913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2012.04.011
