Handrinos Allocation
You need to login for this page
Letter on Clinical Exam Place Allocation
Wednesday, 11 August 2004
14/07/2004
Letter to Dr Nicky Beamish, ANZAPT secretary
Your letter discussed problems with the system of allocating limited places for the clinical examinations and concern for trainees who did not get offered a place in June and for those who may not be offered a place in the October clinicals.As you would know from your discussions with Giorgina Kimber who was present at the most recent Examinations Committee meeting on June 1 in Brisbane, the Committee for Examinations, along with the Fellowships Board and the Executive Officers are all concerned over the issue of delaying trainees progressing through to Fellowship. Clinical examination places have been offered to those who, on completion of the clinical examination, would become eligible to commence advanced training. Places for clinical examinations are limited by what a host city can provide by way of space, and suitably qualified and willing examiners. I can assure you that all attempts have been made, and continue to be made, to maximise the number of places.
In November 2003, there were 254 trainees and exemptions candidates who applied to sit the clinicals. There were 28 trainees and 14 exemptions candidates who had recorded a previous fail in past clinical examinations and who did not get offered a place. All of these applicants have been offered a place for October.
In May 2004, there have been 348 trainees and exemptions candidates who have applied to sit examinations and a further 45 candidates who just failed the June clinical and who are eligible to sit again in October. This amounts to around 50 percent of the trainee pool. Processing this number of applications, especially to reliably determine progress in training, has been a huge and very time consuming task. Finally this processing is now complete. We plan to have 128 clinical examination places available in October. We had hoped for more but our experience in Brisbane precludes any further places becoming available.
This week we have been able to offer places to all trainees and exemptions applicants who fall into the “priority 1†and “priority 2†categories of the priority table except for 27 applicants. This group of 27 comprises the lowest scoring June clinicals candidates and they have the opportunity to be placed on a waitlist to be offered a place after the written results are known. A decision to place this group on the waitlist behind the next cohort of trainees who are about to sit the writtens and may become eligible for a place if they pass the written was taken at a Fellowships Board executive teleconference. The scores of those who may miss out suggests that many of these candidates may require time to address significant deficits identified at the examination. The 18 higher scoring candidates who failed the June clinicals have been offered a place. We anticipate that we will be able to accommodate all candidates who pass the July written and have completed all other basic training requirements. We will not be able to accommodate any trainee who has other aspects of basic training to complete.
Therefore, although not ideal, I would suggest that some progress is being made in this area. The number of trainees and exemptions candidates who miss out is much less than last time and there is more certainty as to who has a place and who has not. We had hoped to have these places offered weeks ago but the unforseen “avalanche†of applicants simply overwhelmed the secretariat.
For the November 2004 applications, we are planning a revision to the by-law in order simplify the system and bring some order and stability into the process of applying for the clinical examination. This matter is being considered by the Fellowships Board and the Board APT representative should be receiving the proposal for comment.
If you have any further queries, please let me know. I am happy for this response to be widely published if you wish.
Yours sincerelyDennis HandrinosChair, Committee for Examinations.