The FSRH eKA – The Gateway to FSRH Qualifications
Date: 13 Jul 2016
Type: FSRH News and Information
Author: FSRH
The FSRH eKA is the knowledge assessment that allows clinicians to progress on to gaining the FSRH Diploma and Letters of Competence. A recent update now allows a candidate to take the assessment up to 28 days after making payment. (The time limit was formerly 7 days.)
The FSRH eKA has been live for the past three years with over 3,000 candidates taking the assessment as they work towards gaining the FSRH Diploma and Letters of Competence.
Behind the scenes, there is a group of FSRH members who are constantly reviewing the questions and adding new questions. This means that the eKA remains up-to-date and reflects that latest guidance on best practice issued by the FSRH.
The addition of each new question to the question bank is quite an undertaking. The process starts with an analysis of all the questions and deciding which topics need additional questions. A group of authors are then commissioned to write the single best answer questions for specific topics. The new questions are then reviewed by two experienced FSRH members to check that are compliant with FSRH guidance and that there is no ambiguity with the answer. Finally each question is assessed for difficulty by 10 FSRH question writers trained in the Angoff method of standard setting. Once all the steps have been finished, the question is added to the question bank.
The FSRH has had some feedback from candidates asking for more flexibility of the time available to take the eKA after making a payment. In the past, the eKA had to be attempted within 7 days of payment. This has now been increased to 28 days. The FSRH hopes that candidates will find this additional flexibility helpful.
The interest in the eKA is increasing both in the UK and internationally. Although the prime purpose is the initial knowledge assessment for FSRH qualifications, other organisations are interested in their staff being able to take the eKA as a way of checking their understanding of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare good practice.
If you are working to a career with greater involvement in Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare then gaining the FSRH Diploma and Letters of Competence will be of huge assistance. The eKA is the gateway to these qualifications and further information can be found on our Careers and Training webpages.