Set to Assess Disputed Medical Examinations

Graduates of Medicine outside the EU or the EEA need to take a special medical examination in order to get a permit for the practice of medicine in Norway. This spring 47 candidates, i.e. 85 per cent of the doctors, failed. The examination created an uprising.

Following a Universitas story of last spring, a commission of examiners has revoked 14 decisions and consequently passed the candidates in question. This Monday, the central Board of Examiners at UiO considered the issue without any amendments.

On the basis of a high failure rate and many inquiries, the Ministry of Health and Care Services will now look into whether this examination is too difficult.

«In the event of a conclusion indicating that the examination is not trying the candidates according to standards, it will be possible to change it,» State Secretary Jan Otto Risebakken (representing Høyre) informs Universitas.

«Too difficult»

Sharif Hasam from Sudan, who failed for the second time, is disappointed since the Board of Examiners does not wish to reconsider last spring’s examination.

«This is very negative. The examination was too difficult and we think that it should be declared invalid. I am very uncertain as to how I will manage to pass next time around,» he says.

The examination has also met criticism from a professional committee comprised of three professors of Medicine appointed by the Board of Examiners.

«By and large, the exam questions were not too difficult. However, the manner of questioning was in many cases too complicated,» Christian F. Borchgrevink, member of the committee and Professor of Medicine, holds.

«The medical examination is a multiple choice- test. That many questions can be answered through a combination of alternatives may have caused an added time pressure during the exam,» he states.

«For some of the questions, it is unreasonable to expect foreign doctors to know the answers to. Furthermore, a couple of questions include a wording that would possibly be difficult for Eastern European doctors to comprehend,» Borchgrevink thinks.

«Discrimination»

The Faculty of Medicine at UiO is responsible for arranging these medical examinations. The Faculty has also put final-year students of Medicine up to the task. 41 per cent of the Oslo students failed.

«Here, it is required that foreign doctors employ a higher level of Medicine than its own students. This is incomprehensible. It is almost impossible to fathom that this is real life. This is a manner of discrimination,» Hans Johan Breidablik says. He filed a complaint against the examination on behalf of his wife and 43 other candidates.

Support from Den norske lægeforening

In a letter to the Faculty early July this year Den norske lægeforening (the national union of doctors) recommends that the Faculty reconsider its current examination, and that the examination be subject to quality assessment carried out by a selection of Norwegian doctors.

Professional director Hans Jørgen Holm in Den norske lægeforening holds that the current examination is not up to code in terms of its purpose.

«Quite a few of the questions are irrelevant. It is largely aimed at knowledge one should be able to look up but not know by heart. What is missing is a test of conceptual and reflective abilities,» Holm says, and adds that he would be likely to fail the examination himself.

This is the first time the union acts in response to the examination.

«It is just this year that there have been lots of complaints and commotion concerning this examination,» Holm says, and underlines that the examination should be subject to quality assessment carried out by a selection of medical doctors because the intention is to measure broad knowledge.

Dean at the Faculty of Medicine, Stein Evensen, informs that the Faculty will consider changing examination procedures. He does not wish to speculate in whether the medical examination is too difficult.