CRNFA Job Analysis

A job analysis must be conducted periodically as part of the accreditation process for the CRNFA certification. Since NASC became the certifying organization for CRNFA in 2019, two CRNFA job analyses have been conducted: the 2019 job analysis was accomplished by an in-person task force meeting, and the 2024 job analysis was conducted by surveying RNFAs.

A job analysis can be summarized as “a description of what people do and know when completing a job or task.” A CRNFA job analysis is conducted by NASC every five years to provide an updated understanding of the knowledge, skills, and responsibilities required of CRNFAs to ensure the certification remains reflective of contemporary practices. The 2019 and 2024 CRNFA job analyses were conducted by two different methodologies described below.

2019 CRNFA Job Analysis Task Force Meeting

Nine members of the RNFA community met in Denver in September 2019 to serve as Subject Matter Experts on the NASC Job Analysis Committee. They were chosen for their experience and diverse backgrounds, and enjoyed getting to know each other while discussing their day-to-day responsibilities during two full days of meetings. NASC is very grateful to each member of the committee for their hard work and dedication to their profession.

The committee members who participated in the meeting in Denver were (left to right in the above photo): Dawn Whiteside, Michael Sanudo, Sharon Van Wicklin, Andrew Peckham, Amanda Stauble, Charles Ludwig, Karen Knapp, Dawn Tammen, and Sheila Stein. In addition, Barbara Budinsky participated in preliminary planning prior to the meeting.

The final job analysis report identified seven domains of knowledge of the RNFA:
• Preoperative Patient Assessment
• Intraoperative Patient Care Interventions
• Emergency Situations
• Postoperative Patient Care Interventions
• Infection Prevention
• Perioperative Workplace Safety
• Professional Practice

For each domain, the group prepared a comprehensive list of the important knowledge and task statements that qualify a professional to earn the CRNFA certification.

NASC contracted with Dr. Manny Straehle with Assessment, Education & Research Experts (AERE) to provide the psychometric services to prepare the final job analysis report. This report served as a blueprint for developing the CRNFA Professional Portfolio.

2024 CRNFA Job Analysis Survey

In 2024, NASC contracted with Judith Hale of Hale Associates Center to provide the psychometric services to develop and distribute a survey based on the outcomes of the previous job analysis conducted in 2019. The primary objective of the survey was to capture and validate the tasks and competencies essential to the role of a CRNFA to ensure that the CRNFA Professional Portfolio appropriately assesses the skills and knowledge required of a CRNFA.

The survey was structured to gather specific information about respondents’ demographic information and the Task and Knowledge Statements in the seven domains previously identified in 2019. Participants were asked to rate each task and knowledge statement based on importance and frequency.

The survey was distributed by email to RNFAs using available email lists and received responses from participants across a range of practice settings, roles, certifications, and years of experience. Over 500 valid responses were received from a diverse set of RNFAs.

The data gained from the 2024 CRNFA job analysis survey will be analyzed to ensure that the tasks and competencies required for CRNFA practice are aligned with real-world criticality and application frequency. This analysis can identify the need to update the certification requirements and professional portfolio elements to ensure alignment with current practices and evolving competencies within the CRNFA role.