Asthma EducatorTest Guide

By Erin Hasinger, Tests.com

Health care professionals who work with asthma patients can demonstrate their particular knowledge and skills in asthma care by pursuing certification. The National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) administers a testing program that leads to Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C) certification, a credential which can be used to negotiate job offers, promotions or even salary increases.

The Certified Asthma Educator exam is open to licensed or credentialed health care professionals, including:

• Health educators (CHES)
• Nurse practitioners (NP)
• Nurses (RN, LPN)
• Occupational therapists (OT)
• Pharmacists (RPh)
• Physical therapists (PT)
• Physician assistants (PA-C)
• Physicians (MD, DO)
• Pulmonary function technologists (CPFT, RPFT)
• Respiratory therapists (RRT, CRT)
• Social workers (CSW)

The exam is also open to anyone who works in professional asthma counseling and education who has a minimum of 1,000 documented hours of experience.

The exam includes 175 questions and candidates have three-and-a-half hours to complete the test. Twenty-five of the questions are not scored, though these questions are not identified. Questions are multiple-choice and will require test takers to demonstrate their ability to recall information, apply concepts and make analyses.

Exam content is drawn from the following subject areas:

• Asthma management (43% of the exam)
  • Medications and delivery devices
  • Behavioral and environmental modifications
  • Development, implementation and evaluation of an asthma management plan
• Patient and family assessment (26% of the exam) 
  • History
  • Physical examination
  • Objective measures
  • Educational needs
• The asthma condition  (20% of the exam)
  • Pathophysiology
  • Factors contributing to acute and chronic asthma
• Organizational issues (11% of the exam)
  • Program outcomes
  • Referral and professional networking

Test registrations are accepted year-round. Test candidates can register for the exam online at www.naecb.org. Applicants can also register via mail by sending a completed application from the candidate handbook to Applied Measurement Professionals Inc., 18000 W. 105^th Street, Olathe, Kansas 66061.

Exam fees are due upon registration. $295 is assessed for the first examination. Those who wish to retake the exam must pay a $195 fee. Certificants must be recertified every seven years for a fee of $245. Exam fees are payable by credit card, money order or cashier’s check. Personal checks and cash are not accepted. Two $200 scholarships are offered each spring; application details are made available in the spring at www.naecb.org.

This exam is offered at AMP Assessment Centers, which have 110 locations throughout the US and in Puerto Rico. Test takers must schedule an appointment for the exam between 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

NAECB offers a very detailed exam content outline on its website that test candidates can use to prepare for the exam. The outline is available in the candidate handbook and specifically lists all of the content areas that will be covered on the exam. It is an excellent starting point for any test taker who wishes to study for the exam.

Score reports are available from the exam proctor immediately following the exam. Scores are reported as pass or fail. The AE-C certificate will be mailed to the test taker’s home approximately one month following the exam.

For those who fail the exam, a retest is available. Test takers must wait 90 days after their first exam to retake, and only three attempts can be made within a one-year period.

For more information about asthma educator certification or to find preparation materials for the exam, visit the NAECB Test Directory.