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Cheating on Medical Exams
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Medpagetoday.com REPORTS HERE that "In response to radiology residents "systematically" sharing answers on their certification exams, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) is implementing a new testing procedure that relies less on memorization of facts and more on testing concrete skills."

"A CNN investigation revealed to the public what appears to be a well-known fact in the radiology community: Residents preparing for their board certification exams often get a leg up by studying past questions, which come from a repository contributed to by past test-takers."

"The board recognizes that, in the past, resident examinees have systematically shared exam questions with more junior trainees. Questions and answers have been memorized, sometimes verbatim, and contributed to extensive archives of old ABR test materials that become the prized possession of many residency programs."

Studying from the bank of past questions, or relying on the "recalls," is "inappropriate, unnecessary, intolerable, and illegal," the report said.

"But that's all about to change … because the ABR is cracking down on the "recalls," which it considers cheating, and is changing the testing system."

"These new tests will assess the doctors' abilities to actually interpret imaging studies and perform image-guided procedures rather than just memorize facts."

"In addition, the test will no longer include an oral exam, which has been criticized in the past for being too subjective. The entire test will be computerized, which seems to be a trend among a number of other boards of medicine."

"… the practice of sharing notes for exams is likely not limited just to radiology."

"Dermatology residents who are applying for board certification through the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) call the practice sharing "airplane notes" -- as in the resident boards an airplane after the exam and jots down as many questions as he or she can remember and then passes them along to more junior residents."

"… it is unclear which specialities have the greatest problems with cheating on exams, but that it's something most boards likely worry about."

 
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