The Job Responsibilities Scale: invariance in a longitudinal prospective study.

The purpose of the present analysis was to determine the degree of invariance of the Job Responsibilities Scale from 1993 to 1995. Factor analyses were conducted on both year's data and nearly identical factor patterns were found. Rasch rating scale analyses were conducted and nearly identical pairs of item estimates were found. These results suggest that even though the overall frequency of performance on some medical technology laboratory tasks increased from 1993 to 1995, the relationships among the tasks themselves remained the same (invariant). This conclusion allows for a description of what it means to increase in level of personal job responsibility from year-to-year. In addition, these results suggest that at the conclusion of this prospective study it may be possible to objectively define the typical career mobility pattern of entry level medical technologists.