I come from a university with our course accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as a “Center of Excellence”, whose passing rates in the board exams are consistently above average, and whose alumni had established high performance standards in the local and international field of health care – thus the pressure on us, fourth year students, to exceptionally be at par or even raise the standards set forth by the past graduates in terms of passing rates and clinical performance.
Let us not forget the pressure to meet the expectations that one may intrinsically be imbibed with as he graduated from the University when he starts to go into employment. There goes the expectation that one must know the whats, hows, and whys of everything in the hospital. I figure that personally, I still have a lot that I do not know and understand by heart as manifested by several educated guesses (No matter how rationally supported it may be, it is still a guess.) during exams, selective aphasia as the clinical instructor asks questions, and episodes of less than two previous semesters’ lessons un-recall. So as early as now, I really try to force onto my neurons to absorb every skill during our clinical exposure, jot down the different lessons in my notebook, and review previous concepts from all the Nursing subjects in preparation for independent future practice and board exams.
In relation to the board exams, let me just say that flunking the board exam may probably be the most terrible thing that could happen after four years of stay in college. With only one or two people failing the licensure exam from our school every year, finding out who they are is far easier than locating the tad too obvious clue in Blue’s Clues. I dread that.
And don’t get me wrong by thinking that simply passing the board exam may be enough because finishing as one top ten scorers is always more highly preferred. For even during as early as our freshmen years, we have been told that aside from being the most compassionate, committed, and competent professionals, we shall also dominate the board exams post graduation – and through unending grace, we always do. There must be a psyche stimulating effect by just saying “I will top the board exams” which works like a mantra you repeatedly recite every day.
releasing the ranks of test takers of professional examinations itself has a detrimental effect on every profession where such a practice occurs and has a corrosive effect on the learning process for professional schools. if the purpose of a test is to sort those who are competent from those who are not, what is the value to the profession in releasing each person's rank? what is it's value to society?
ReplyDeleteThe test themselves can be one of the objective measures of the learning process that has taken place in the university.
ReplyDeleteIt does not corrupt the learning but actually enriches it by pointing who are actually doing well, gearing other schools to have the same standard. This is particularly important to the nursing profession in the Philippines where every university/college continue to offer the Nursing course even if they get a very low passing rate in the board exams every year - the performance of the school can guide the parents in choosing where their children can receive good education, thus preventing the shortchanging of their money's worth.
As for the rank, I would agree that it is not the ultimate purpose for studying but it wouldn't hurt as well if I aim for it. :)
it is one thing to release pass rates for standardized tests and its another to rank those that pass and publicize them. it is the ranking that I think has a corrosive effect as it implies that although two nurses have passed the exam and are competent and fit for the profession, there are better nurses than others. what exactly does rank really tell us? and how do we as a society treat rank in this instance regardless of its lack of probative or relevant information regarding competency (considering that competency and non-competency is a percentile independent of rank). in other words, what does rank really measure? and regardless of what it measures, what do we collectively and subjectively impute to rank? how does this distort or corrode a profession?
ReplyDeleteThe works of advertising has really gone way beyond what material could as its strategies.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I still beg to differ that it corrupts the profession. As the desiderata would put it,"If you compare yourself with others,you may become vain or bitter,for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." - it just depends on the people's viewpoint on the idea of ranking. I agree that rank may not always equate to competency but in job interviews, the score is a far more concrete proof than competency which is more abstract.
OT: It's always a challenge replying to your comments.lol :)
i was thinking about your post again this morning out on the water and i agree that ranking may have a very small positive value for employers looking for those who score best on an exam relative to other test takers. however, the problem is that one never has the option to change that rank if you pass and although its a snap shot of competence at one particular time, it says nothing about the rest of one's career. however, i still regularly encounter people talking about their top-notch status years later when they clearly have just same level of competence as their peers who all know how equal experience.
ReplyDeleteIt is the creating of long-term hierarchical arrangements based upon information that is only absolutely true for an instantaneous moment (or very short-term). there was a time that people didn't take tests to become licensed, they apprenticed for years.
OT: I appreciate your thoughtful responses even more =)