Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Too Early To Judge Licensing Test Results For Canadian Nurses: Regulatory Group

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 22 Sep, 2015 12:42 PM
    HALIFAX — It's too soon to know what lower pass rates might say about a new U.S.-based licensing test for Canadian nurses, but they don't mean it's too Americanized, says the national group that oversees the exam.
     
    The president of the Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators said figures released earlier this month for the National Council Licensure Examination are for the first half of 2015.
     
    But Anne Coghlan said critics are measuring those numbers against the annual results for a previous written test for nursing graduates that was administered by the Canadian Nurses Association.
     
    "I think it's very important to stress this is preliminary data," said Coghlan. "This data represents the first six months of the year and in some jurisdictions it represents a small number of writers."
     
    The national pass rate from January to June stands at 70.6 per cent, with six of 10 provinces and territories registering pass rates below the national average. The figures do not include Quebec and Yukon, whose graduates do not write the test.
     
    The U.S. pass rate for the test in the same period is higher at 78.3 per cent, prompting some to question its validity in measuring the competency of Canadian registered nursing graduates. Figures for the previous test show the national pass rate was 86 per cent in 2014 and 81 per cent in 2013.
     
    Kirsten Woodend, president of the Canadian Association of Nursing Schools, believes the test is the wrong exam for Canadians, saying there is a "huge mismatch" when the American-based test plan is compared to existing entry requirements for competency in Canada.
     
    Woodend worries that Canadian nursing programs will teach to the test, instead of concentrating on training nurses who enter a very different health system than in the U.S.
     
    "We can train them (graduates) to death and get them to have higher pass rates, but I think the implications are much larger because of these mismatches," said Woodend.
     
    But Coghlan defends the new test, saying it measures the applicants' ability to perform safely in critical areas, such as conducting patient assessments, performing the calculations required to administer medication and in ensuring they understand how to protect client and patient privacy and confidentiality.
     
    "It's not American content and it's not Canadian content," she said. "It is nursing content and that is not different between Canada and the United States."
     
    Coghlan also said a trend is developing that suggests Canadian writers are passing the exam on their second attempt at a higher rate than American graduates, although hard data isn't available yet.
     
    The variability in pass rates across the country is something that will be examined once a full year of statistics is available for in-depth analysis, she said.
     
    Kathleen Valentine, the dean of nursing at the University of New Brunswick, is also taking a cautious approach to her province's pass rate, which at only 54.3 per cent is the lowest in the country.
     
    Valentine doesn't believe the results are reflective of the quality of the school's program and adds the statistics can change rapidly in a smaller province as more people take the test.
     
    The test represents a change and there will be an opportunity to address the potential implications for schools across Canada once more information is available, she said.
     
    "What needs to be done ... needs to be thoughtful and not reactive," said Valentine.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Surrey RCMP Too Slow To Respond, Says Indo-Canadian Activist Meera Gill

    Surrey RCMP Too Slow To Respond, Says Indo-Canadian Activist Meera Gill
    Activist Meera Gill was speaking in connection with the three shootings in one week in Surrey recently, including the shooting between two groups outside an elementary school.

    Surrey RCMP Too Slow To Respond, Says Indo-Canadian Activist Meera Gill

    Winnipeg New Democrat Incumbent Pat Martin Apologizes For Salty Language

    Winnipeg New Democrat Incumbent Pat Martin Apologizes For Salty Language
    NDP incumbent Pat Martin has apologized for salty language on the campaign trail, although it's unclear which of his many recent remarks he is referencing.

    Winnipeg New Democrat Incumbent Pat Martin Apologizes For Salty Language

    University Of Windsor Tries To Set Record For Most Sexually Transmitted Infection Tests In One Day

    University Of Windsor Tries To Set Record For Most Sexually Transmitted Infection Tests In One Day
    The University of Windsor says its Ts 4 Pee event is aimed at educating people about STIs and reducing the stigma of testing for them.

    University Of Windsor Tries To Set Record For Most Sexually Transmitted Infection Tests In One Day

    Federal Government Should Invest $3.3Billion Into Health Care For Seniors: Report

    Federal Government Should Invest $3.3Billion Into Health Care For Seniors: Report
    In the next five years, the price would jump to $17.5 billion as boomers put an ever-increasing strain on the Canadian health-care system.

    Federal Government Should Invest $3.3Billion Into Health Care For Seniors: Report

    Syrian Refugee Says There's 'no Hope' For Families Who Want To Reunite In Canada

    Syrian Refugee Says There's 'no Hope' For Families Who Want To Reunite In Canada
    VANCOUVER — Majd Agha wasn't sure what he would say to a crowd of reporters gathered outside a newcomer centre under construction in Vancouver.

    Syrian Refugee Says There's 'no Hope' For Families Who Want To Reunite In Canada

    Study On B.C. First Nations Stone Tools Finds Glacier Brought Mountain To Man

    Study On B.C. First Nations Stone Tools Finds Glacier Brought Mountain To Man
    First Nations in British Columbia were once believed to have travelled long distances to find prized volcanic rock for tools, but a new study of an ancient village suggests the mountain actually came to them.

    Study On B.C. First Nations Stone Tools Finds Glacier Brought Mountain To Man