May 2005    USCIS IMPLEMENTS H-1B VISA REFORM ACT OF 2004   Washington, DC: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has forwarded to the Federal Register new regulations implementing sections of the H-1B Visa Reform Act of 2004.  The regulations make available 20,000 new H-1B visas, only for foreign workers with a minimum master’s level degree from a U.S. academic institution, in addition to the Congressionally mandated annual cap of 65,000 H-1B visas.   The H-1B visa program is utilized by some U.S. businesses to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in a specialized field, such as scientists, engineers, or computer programmers.   As part of the H-1B program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires U.S. employers to meet specific labor conditions to ensure that American workers are not adversely impacted, while the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division safeguards the treatment and compensation of H-1B workers.   USCIS has determined that it is a reasonable interpretation of the Act of 2004 to reopen the filing period for FY 2005 on Thursday, May 12, 2005 and make available 20,000 new H-1B numbers limited solely to those aliens who have received a master’s or higher degree from a U.S. institution of higher education.   Please contact our office at 603-228-1277 for more information!     NABP Launches Pharmacist Self-Assessment Mechanism (PSAM), Non-Punitive, Knowledge Evaluation Tool for Pharmacists   May 2, 2005: The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) announced, that the Pharmacist Self-Assessment Mechanism (PSAM) is now available. The PSAM is an evaluation tool intended to assist pharmacists in obtaining objective, non-punitive feedback on their knowledge base and is available on the Association’s Web site at www.nabp.net.   “Today’s escalating complexities of health care delivery systems and the evolving role of the pharmacist as the patients’ medication expert make it increasingly important for pharmacists to participate in a formal lifelong learning program,” explains NABP President Donna M. Horn. “The PSAM will greatly aid pharmacists as they endeavor to better serve their patients because it provides objective feedback on their knowledge base – an outcome that is often difficult for pharmacists attempting to evaluate themselves.”   The PSAM, which is applicable to general pharmacy practitioners in all practice settings, consists of 100 multiple choice questions and is divided into three sections of equal length. Each section can be completed in as little as one hour, but a maximum of three hours per section is allowed. Pharmacists may take all three sections in one sitting, or complete one section at a time, but once a section is begun it must be completed in its entirety. All three sections must be completed within 30 days of when pharmacists begin the first section. The fee for the PSAM is $75.   To benefit pharmacists and serve as a learning tool, the end of each section offers a feedback loop, which displays each question, the answer selected, the correct answer, a brief rationale, and a reference where more information relating to the topic may be obtained. Upon completion of the PSAM, pharmacists receive a Record of Completion indicating their name and date of completion.   As a non-punitive learning tool, the PSAM does not report scores to any person or group other than the pharmacist utilizing the PSAM. Once they have completed the mechanism, pharmacists will receive a confidential Achievement Report indicating the percentage of questions answered correctly in each of the five content areas as well as the overall percentage of questions answered correctly. The Achievement Report is separate from the Record of Completion and has no identifiers of the test taker.   The PSAM is one part of NABP’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, a cyclical process that includes five components: reflecting upon one’s practice, conducting a learning needs assessment, developing a learning plan, implementing the learning plan, and evaluating the learning plan outcomes. As a component of CPD, the PSAM facilitates the general pharmacy practitioner’s ability to conduct a needs assessment and develop a learning plan.     Increase In CGFNS Qualifying Exam Test Questions   The number of questions on the CGFNS examination will increase beginning in July 2005.   Five additional questions will be added to the afternoon portion of the exam - bringing the total number of questions to 121 for each applicant. This will allow CGFNS to offer applicants the opportunity to have alternate item types included in their tests.   The amount of time allowed for part 2 of the CGFNS examination also will increase by five minutes. The total time allotted for the afternoon session will be 2 hours and one minute (121 minutes).   The number of test questions in the morning portion of the examination will remain the same - 150 test items. However, applicants may now see alternate item types (pictures, multiple correct answer questions, charts and graphs) and part 2 of the CGFNS Qualifying Examination.   Did you know?   INFOPASS is a free, easy and convenient Internet-based system that allows the public to make an appointment to speak with an Immigration Information Officer.   HOW DO I ACCESS INFOPASS TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?   http://infopass.uscis.gov   WHAT DOCUMENTS SHOULD I BRING TO MY APPOINTMENT?             A printout of the appointment notice confirmation;           Government-issued identification.   WHAT IF I NEED TO RESCHEDULE MY APPOINTMENT?   InfoPass allows you to cancel or reschedule appointments using the identification numbers at the bottom of your appointment confirmation notice.   WHAT IF I JUST HAVE A ROUTINE INQUIRY?   Call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283 to see if NCSC can answer your questions over the phone! For more information about the PSAM, contact NABP’s Customer Service Department at 847/391-4406 or via e-mail at custserv@nabp.net, or visit the Association’s Web site at www.nabp.net.   For more information about INFOPASS please visit: http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/factsheets/InfoPassFS020304.pdf If you have any comments on our newsletter, any topics you would like to see reviewed or if you have news, events or other items of interest that you would like to share - please forward your comments and suggestions to abouley@goffandwilson.com. Copyright 2004 Goff and Wilson Professional Association - www.goffandwilson.com - unsubscribe One Capitol St., PO Box 347, Concord, NH 03302-0347 v: 603.228.1277    f: 603.226.0791    info@goffandwilson.com