When creating the task inventory during the practice analysis, we have the opportunity to do two things: ask about job responsibilities that should inform our test design and ask about the state of the discipline. Both topics are fundamentally important. Topics that inform our test design help keep the examination valid and relevant to practice. Topics that inform our understanding of the discipline provide vital information that allows us to monitor trends in the industry so that we can better advocate for technologists.
The task inventory survey gathers information about the previously mentioned topics through two sections: "tasks" and "demographics." The tasks section primarily focuses on making sure our exams are valid and relevant to practice by updating the knowledge, skills, and abilities the new technologist will need to have prior to beginning work in their new discipline.
Demographics is our section for information about respondents' work environment, other job duties, and questions that inform our analysis of the tasks. We try to see if something interesting is happening that will impact the discipline in ways that just looking at task item responses alone can miss. For example, when the COVID pandemic hit, we tried to see the impact on staffing, number of procedures performed, and number of patients seen. We also looked at how demographic questions interacted with task questions to impact the work of technologists (e.g., size of facility and tasks performed). By gathering information about tasks and demographics, ARRT can give insight to the discipline and its members to prepare for their education, examination, and career.
