Certification Examination for Trauma Registrars

Certification

The American Trauma Society’s Registrar Certification Board (ATSRCB) endorses the concept of voluntary, periodic certification by examination for all trauma registrars. Certification is one part of a process called credentialing. It focuses specifically on the individual and is an indication of current competence in a specialized area of practice. Board certification in trauma registry is highly valued and provides formal recognition of basic trauma registry knowledge.

Purposes of Certification

TO PROMOTE DELIVERY OF EFFECTIVE PRACTICE THROUGH THE CERTIFICATION OF QUALIFIED TRAUMA REGISTRARS BY:

• Recognizing formally those individuals who meet the eligibility requirements of the American Trauma Society’s Registrar Certification Board and pass the Certification Examination for Trauma Registrars.
  
• Encouraging continued personal and professional growth in the practice of trauma registry.
  
• Establishing and measuring the level of knowledge required for certification in trauma registry practice.
  
• Providing a standard of knowledge requisite for certification; thereby assisting the employer, public, and members of the health professions in the assessment of the trauma registrar.

Eligibility Requirements

• A minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent
  
• At least 2 years of full – time or the equivalent (4,000 hours) experience in trauma registry practice.
  
• Completion and filing of an Application for the Certification Examination for Trauma Registrars.
  
• Payment of required fee

Attainment of Certification

Eligible candidates who pass the Certification Examination for Trauma Registrars are eligible to use the registered designation CSTR after their names and will receive certificates from the ATSRCB. A registry of Certified Specialists in Trauma Registers will be maintained by the ATSRCB and may be reported in it’s publications.

Exam Dates and Application Deadlines

Please click on the link below and search the PSI Regional Testing Center nearest you:

PSI Regional Testing Centers

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:

Content Outline

1. Data Management
   1. Inclusion Criteria
      1. American College of Surgeons Guidelines
      2. N Codes 800-959.9
      3. Local / State Requirements
      4. Department Report logs
   2. Data Abstraction
      1. Identification of Required Data Elements / Points
      2. Data Entry and Verification
   3. Reporting
      1. Essential Components
      2. Presentation
         1. Format
         2. Tables
         3. Graphics
            1. Bar Graphs
            2. Pie Charts
            3. Line Graphs
      3. Interpretation
         1. Volume
         2. Trends
   4. Quality Improvement / Performance Improvement
      1. Filter Standards
         1. American College of Surgeons
         2. Joint commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
      2. Filter Determination and Calculation
      3. Loop Closure
         1. Identification of Issues
         2. Review of Issues
         3. Corrective Action
         4. Result Evaluation
   5. Maintenance of Registry
      1. Installation of Updates
      2. Password Protection
      3. Data Validation
      4. Backup Procedures
      5. Downloads
   6. Statistics
      1. Population Demographics
      2. Sampling
      3. Calculations
         1. Frequencies
         2. Averages
         3. Percentages
         4. Ranges
         5. Ratios
2. Conditions of Injury
   1. Anatomy and Physiology
      1. Head / Neck
      2. Face
      3. Chest
      4. Abdomen
      5. Spine
      6. Extremities
      7. Skin
      8. Whole Area
   2. Testing
      1. Radiology Identification
         1. Plain Films
         2. Ultrasound
         3. CT Scan
         4. MRI
         5. Other
      2. Laboratory
         1. Toxicology
         2. Chemistry
         3. Hematology
         4. Other
   3. Interventions
      1. Airway Management
      2. Fluid Administration
      3. Surgical Procedures Related to Injury
      4. Other
   4. Posttrauma Conditions
      1. Sequelae
      2. Complications
3. Coding and Scoring Concepts
   1. Basic Guidelines
      1. Documentation of Injury
      2. Ethical Considerations
   2. Abbreviated Injury Scale
      1. Concepts and Principles
      2. Derivations of Injury Severity Scores
   3. ICD-9-CM
      1. E Codes
      2. Numeric Codes
      3. V Codes
      4. Procedure Codes
   4. Injury Scoring
      1. Injury Severity Scoring
      2. Revised Trauma Score
      3. Glasgow Coma Scale
      4. Trauma Score
      5. Probability of Survival (TRISS)
   5. Other Scoring Tools
4. Registry Issues
   1. Confidentiality
   2. Trauma Prevention
   3. Studies of Trauma Populations
   4. Registry Operations

To obtain a handbook for candidates and an application for the Certification Examination for Trauma Registrars please contact:

Professional Testing Corporation
1350 Broadway, 17th Floor
New York, New York 10018
212-356-0660
www.ptcny.com

From the PTC Web site:

• Select ATSRCB (American Trauma Society Registrar Certification Board)
• Click on “Download Handbook”

Recertification Guidelines

Qualification Criteria

To apply for recertification through continuing education, 32 contact hours of continuing education (CE) related to Trauma Registry practice must be submitted for consideration. A minimum of 32 contact hours must be in the areas of (I) Data Management, (II) Conditions of Injuries, (III) Coding and Scoring Concepts, and (IV) Registry Issues. All CEs must have been completed during the four years prior to the candidate’s certification renewal date with a minimum of eight (8) CEs completed during the 12 months prior to recertification. These CEs may be accumulated in any combination of the following:

A. Continuing Education Programs: These may include workshops, seminars, professional development offerings, home-study courses, and state or national conferences. The CE provider/sponsor must be identified sufficiently to allow a reviewer to recognize the organization. Use state abbreviations, names of organization, names of hospital or college, etc. The applicant may be requested to show proof of number of hours for each CE completed.

• Academic Courses: Each individual academic credit will be considered as ten (10) CE hours. Courses may be undergraduate or graduate level and a transcript of successful completion may be requested.

All program information must be listed on the Application of Recertification of Certified Specialist in Trauma Registers (CSTR) through Continuing Education and must include date, program title, provider or sponsor, and number of CEs awarded. Candidates will be notified of application evaluation within eight (8) weeks of the deadline date. If criteria are deemed fulfilled, a new four year certificate, effective the renewal date will be issued to the CSTR.

All applications for recertification must be postmarked three (3) months prior to expiration date.

ATS Members $100
ATS Non Members $150

Recertification may be denied for failure to meet criteria of 32 contact hours, falsification or misrepresentation of information, failure to apply before CSTR deadline, or failure to verify information when proper documentation is requested. All applications are subject to potential audit. Applications will be randomly selected for audit. Copies of certificates and/or transcripts will be requested. Selection of applications for audit will be made upon their receipt, and the candidate will receive written notice of the audit at that time.

The Appeals Committee of the American Trauma Society Registrar Certification Board (ATS RCB) provides the appeal mechanism for challenging the denial of recertification. It is the responsibility of the candidate to initiate the process in writing.

If certification lapsed a candidate must meet current eligibility requirements and take the certification examination for Trauma Registers.

Applications for Recertification of CSTR through Continuing Education are available from ATS RCB;

American Trauma Society
201 Park Washington Court 
Falls Church, VA 22046
(800) 556-7890 or Fax: 703-241-5603

Recertification Application Form