National Examining Panel Membership
Eligibility | Nomination process
National Examining Panel (NEP) members are senior examiners for the Divisional Clinical Examination for Adult Medicine and Paediatrics & Child Health in Australia.
Nominations to the NEP are proposed by a current NEP member or are identified by the Divisional Clinical Examination Committee(s) and/or College staff based on examiner feedback received. Feedback relates to the:
- examiner’s calibration of the Criteria for Assessment of Performance
- suitability of questions posed to candidates
- ability to empathise with candidates
- ability to work as part of a team including unfamiliar examiners.
Appointment of NEP members is approved by the relevant Clinical Examination Committee (CExC). Membership decisions made by the Committee are informed by considerations like:
- suitable distribution of NEP members amongst training sites
- specific needs of each hospital, region, and state
- desirability of a balanced representation of gender, subspecialties, and other sub-groups within the College
- equity and diversity of NEP members at a national level.
To maintain examination credibility, the selection of examiners should be rigorous, open and well defined. Consistency in evaluation has been shown to be crucial and prior assessment of this ability improves the selection of appropriate examiners.
NEPs are not only required to be experienced examiners but also represent cultural diversity and an appropriate distribution of specialties.
Eligibility
- Nominees must be formally supported by at least 2 colleagues, one who must be a current examiner.
- Nominees must also:
- hold FRACP or equivalent postgraduate qualification
- have examined as a local examiner for at least 3 years and received positive assessments by co-examining NEP members
- be clinically active in Adult Medicine or Paediatrics & Child Health
- participate in the formal training and education of Basic Trainees
- be involved in trainee preparation for the exam including taking cases
- attend calibration and demonstrate the ability to judge performance that correlates with other examiners
- demonstrate the ability to receive and act on feedback
- possess examiner attributes.
| Desirable attributes |
| Professional |
- appropriately qualified with respect to degree requirements, level and length of Adult Medicine or Paediatrics & Child Health experience, professional credentials, revalidation and accreditation
- clinically active
- involved with junior staff training to be conversant with the standard expected of them
|
| Interpersonal |
- possess effective interpersonal skills
- be an effective member of the examination team
|
| Examiner specific |
- knowledge of the principles and practicalities of the examination
- familiar with the requirements and standards of RACP conducted examinations
- awareness of timing and insight into logistical considerations of the examination process
- dedicated to respect, fairness and courtesy towards candidates while maintaining an appropriate level of enquiry
- able to manage the diversity of candidates’ behaviours and abilities
- able to use defined techniques to elicit the best performance from candidates
- objective in analysing and comparing a candidate’s performance against defined levels of competence
- able to make and justify pass/fail decisions and develop the skill of marking candidates using the full marking spectrum
- willing to accept feedback from co-examiners
|
| Expectations |
NEP members must be:
- available for the exam period including National Calibration Day
- actively involved in the preparation of candidates for the exam
- available to travel interstate during the exam period
- familiar with exam documentation prior to exam day
Attendance at National Calibration Day is preferred.
Members can take a break from examining for a maximum of 2 consecutive years. |
Nomination process
- At the end of exam day, NEP members complete an examiner feedback form assessing each local and provisional co-examiner. If a local examiner has demonstrated a high level of performance and is at the standard of a NEP member, or has the potential to be in the future, the member will tick the NEP Potential box on the feedback form and indicate this in their comments.
- At the end of the examination cycle, staff collect and group feedback for nominated members by state and hospital. Staff also provide current NEP numbers for each state, identifying hospital and gender.
- Feedback is presented to the relevant CExC State Coordinators, who review the information and consider current requirements for NEPs at each hospital site and region.
- State Coordinators discuss feedback with nominating NEP members and prepare a shortlist of nominations for the CExC to consider.
- Nominations are presented for consideration at the next CExC meeting following completion of the exam cycle. The CExC review current membership numbers by state, region, and hospital to determine ongoing NEP requirements.
- A letter of nomination is sent to successful nominees requesting they accept or decline the invitation to join the NEP.
Feedback
As part of the overall quality assurance processes for the Divisional Clinical Examination, NEP members provide verbal feedback to all local co-examiners on the day, and provide a formal assessment to the CExC. NEP members receive feedback from Chief Examiners at their exam sites over the course of the exam day.
Feedback is designed to support the performance of local examiners, improve the running of the exam, and identify potential future members.