Preparing for the CRA Exam

By Lisa B. Newberry, MS, RDMS, RVT, CBDT

My first AHRA conference was the 2016 Annual Meeting in Nashville. I enrolled in the Basic Management Track, and it was incredible! My brain was a sponge! I was also excited to wear the “Future CRA” badge ribbon and gained the confidence to pursue this respected credential. I immediately bought the textbooks and signed up for the Spring Conference CRA Exam Workshop.

The one-day workshop was an overview of the five pertinent domains with accompanying tasks, skills, and knowledge needed for competency. Test-Taking Tips, Communication and Information Management, and Operations Management were taught by LuAnn Culbreth. She was an excellent speaker with a polished delivery. Her approach to presenting the practice test questions was helpful. She communicated clearly and gave ample time for us to mentally process the information before answering. The ensuing discussions helped cement the information in. She reminded us of material we already knew, which made the exam feel a little less intimidating.

Shelia Sferrella taught Asset Resource Management and Fiscal Management. Wow! I had to put my seat belt on and stay focused; what a wealth of information she shared with supporting tips from her vast experiential knowledge. It helped me to understand complex financial principles, and she broke down ways to calculate metrics that I can use in daily operations. She also taught ways to negotiate and how to present business cases and petition for capital needs.

Terry Bucknall was the fun factor as she presented the domain of Human Resource Management. She engaged the class by using the game “Who wants to be a CRA?” with practice test questions. We all got a turn to play and got an afternoon treat for participating.

AHRA members have ways of getting people out of their comfort zones! All in all the day was productive, and I received the encouragement and valuable information to prepare for the CRA exam. Next conference I want to wear the “CRA” badge ribbon!

Lisa B. Newberry, MS, RDMS, RVT, CBDT is the director of imaging services at Eastside Medical Center in Snellville, GA. She can be reached at Lisa.Newberry@hcahealthcare.com.