Only universities that grant the medical profession will have access to the foundation exam results of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Costa Rica.
The decision was made unanimously between the universities and the college, confirmed the president of that institution, Mauricio Guardia.
The data, which will undoubtedly shed more light on the quality of education these professionals receive, will be managed exclusively by each of the eight schools (one of them, the University of Costa Rica) that teach this degree in the country.
For the first time, the College of Physicians will conduct an exam to incorporate new professionals and allow them to practice in the country, after several years of trying to create an exam to integrate new doctors into their professional practice,
The regulations were approved on August 6, in the General Assembly. Guardia explained, to remain in effect, you must go to the Ministry of Health, which will publish it as a decree.
Below is a summary of the interview with the president of that college.
What are the foundation requirements before passing the exam?
Graduates of national universities had to complete their academic years in addition to rotating training. Once the periodic training period ended, the universities issued certificates and notes, the certificates were submitted to the college, and all foundation procedures were carried out, prior to submitting a social service application.
Many years ago, social service was mandatory. With the increase in places for doctors working in Caja (Costa Rican Social Security), social service is not a mandatory requirement. Attendance is mandatory at the raffle, but not to do so.
“Two years ago, we set up a structure to implement changes to the college statute where the incorporation exam is held, but the law was rejected. With the new (legislative) assembly, the same medical representatives helped us make specific changes, including incorporation.”
[ Egresados de Medicina deberán aprobar examen de conocimientos para ejercer en el país ]
– Why is this test important?
– It is a way of assuring Costa Ricans that the doctor we list has the minimum basic knowledge to practice his profession. It’s a way to protect Costa Ricans, and it’s a principle of the College of Physicians.
– What will the exam consist of?
– We will not evaluate basic knowledge of biochemistry and anatomy… No! The exam will target clinical cases. You will become a doctor who must learn about the different manifestations of one disease or another.
– Will graduates have multiple chances to win the test if they miss it the first time?
It is not a curious test. It’s like the ones that aliens do, who can do it as many times as they want until they go through it. The body that evaluates these regulations is a mixed body that includes representatives from public and private universities and representatives from the college. Other regulations, such as those in Mexico or Chile, were evaluated and we leveled. They helped us a lot at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico).
– What are the other characteristics of the test?
The exam is held at least twice a year, but it all depends on the number of graduates. Part of the exam includes alternating areas (internal medicine, community medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, among others) along with ethics.
It will be a written exam. One way to assess it is by using tablets. The exam will be captive. You will belong to the college, with the possibility to submit claims. We enter the stage of developing questions with the support of experts so that there is no doubt. We do not want to put obstacles in front of anyone, but rather to see that they have the minimum basic knowledge to practice.”
– It will also be another candidate to measure the quality of training.
– As we speak with universities, they will not give “X” university grades. In private, each one will be told about the errors of the student body, separately, no one will know the grades of each university.
– Did universities ask for it?
– Here what matters to us is to improve the quality of the professional that comes out. A test like IFOM (to choose a place for alternating internships) has helped a lot to improve the quality of training in different universities. We will not get into discussions and say which is better or not. I care that the graduate they train is a good doctor. What we will show are the areas where there are shortcomings. Not necessarily in a university, but in everything.
– This decision not to communicate the results by the universities, was the college done alone or under pressure from the universities?
In coordination with public and private universities. A well-trained graduate will pass the exam perfectly. You can be in the best universities, but if you are a bad student you will go wrong.
Explain in more detail the concept of captive testing and how the operational part of the test will be developed.
The captive exam means that it will not be given to students. They will not have the right to walk with the exam. We are evaluating whether it is cheaper to buy tablets than to buy them on paper. It will consist of approximately 180 questions, which must be developed in four hours, with an average of two minutes per item.
The examination committee will determine the number of questions to be entered in each area. Approximately 50% (of the questions) will be for internal medicine, and 15% of the 180 questions for surgery, community medicine, obstetrics and gynecology… At the moment, we consider this exam to have a minimum of 180 questions.”
– Is every test session different?
– In every call there will be a file Swimming pool From the questions that will differ. The idea is to do a different test.
– Is this the first professional union in Costa Rica to establish this exam, and what is the situation in Costa Rica in the regional context?
– the law school Foundation exam for a long time. They helped us a lot, at first, with the logistics. Since I took over the college presidency, one of my goals has been the foundation exam. Mexico, Chile and Peru are one of the countries that have this test. We are not the first, but in Latin America the two main hubs are Mexico and Chile, and now in Central America, Costa Rica.
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