Certification Examination for Trauma Registrars

Eligibility Requirements
Exam Dates and Deadlines
Testing Centers Available
Exam Content Outline
Receive CSTR Information
Recertification Policy

<Back to Certification Exam for Trauma Registrars Index
<Back to Trauma Registrar Council Home

Exam Content Outline

CONTENT OF EXAMINATION

1. The Certification Examination for Trauma Registrars is a written examination composed of a maximum of 250 multiple-choice objective questions with a total testing time of four (4) hours.
2. The content for the examination is described in the Content Outline below
3. The questions for the examination are obtained from individuals with expertise in trauma registry and are reviewed for construction, accuracy, and appropriateness by the ATSRCB.
4. The ATSRCB, with the advice and assistance of the Professional Testing Corporation, prepares the examination.
5. The Certification Examination for Trauma Registrars will be weighted in approximately the following manner:

I. DATA MANAGEMENT 40%
II. CONDITIONS OF INJUYR 25%
III. CODING AND SCORING CONCEPTS 30%
IV. REGISTRY ISSUES 5%

CONTENT OUTLINE

I. Data Management

A. Inclusion Criteria

1. American College of Surgeons Guidelines
2. N Codes 800-959.9
3. Local / State Requirements
4. Department Report logs
B. Data Abstraction

1. Identification of Required Data Elements / Points
2. Data Entry and Verification
C. Reporting
1. Essential Components
2. Presentation

a. Format
b. Tables
c. Graphics
1. Bar Graphs
2. Pie Charts
3. Line Graphs
3. Interpretation

a. Volume
b. Trends
D. Quality Improvement / Performance Improvement

1. Filter Standards

a. American College of Surgeons
b. Joint commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
2. Filter Determination and Calculation
3. Loop Closure

a. Identification of Issues
b. Review of Issues
c. Corrective Action
d. Result Evaluation
E. Maintenance of Registry

1. Installation of Updates
2. Password Protection
3. Data Validation
4. Backup Procedures
5. Downloads
F. Statistics

1. Population Demographics
2. Sampling
3. Calculations

a. Frequencies
b. Averages
c. Percentages
d. Ranges
e. Ratios

II. Conditions of Injury

A. Anatomy and Physiology

1. Head / Neck
2. Face
3. Chest
4. Abdomen
5. Spine
6. Extremities
7. Skin
8. Whole Area
B. Testing

1. Radiology Identification

a. Plain Films
b. Ultrasound
c. CT Scan
d. MRI
e. Other
2. Laboratory

a. Toxicology
b. Chemistry
c. Hematology
d. Other
C. Interventions

1. Airway Management
2. Fluid Administration
3. Surgical Procedures Related to Injury
4. Other
D. Posttrauma Conditions

1. Sequelae
2. Complications

III. Coding and Scoring Concepts

A. Basic Guidelines

1. Documentation of Injury
2. Ethical Considerations
B. Abbreviated Injury Scale

1. Concepts and Principles
2. Derivations of Injury Severity Scores
C. ICD-9-CM

1. E Codes
2. Numeric Codes
3. V Codes
4. Procedure Codes
D. Injury Scoring

1. Injury Severity Scoring
2. Revised Trauma Score
3. Glascow Coma Scale
4. Trauma Score
5. Probability of Survival (TRISS)
E. Other Scoring Tools

IV. Registry Issues

A. Confidentiality
B. Trauma Prevention
C. Studies of Trauma Populations
D. Registry Operations