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Leaked 2016 Nurses State Finals…Integrity of nurses may be dependent on exam re-sit – Minister Cummings
A re-sit of the breached 2016 Professional Nurses State Final Examination could shortly be
Junior Minister of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings
on the cards. This move, according to Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, may be warranted if the students of the affected batch are to be assured their integrity as nursing professionals.
The State Finals was conducted in October of last year with a total of 250 nursing students participating. However, soon after the word had reached the Public Health Ministry that the examination was leaked before it was conducted, thus compromising the process. Ministry officials, after conducting an initial investigation, found that the situation required intervention from the Police Force. The outcome of an investigation into the matter is still pending, Minister Cummings disclosed yesterday.
While it is expected that those found directly culpable will have to face the legal system, the Junior Minister of Public Health asserted that “we need to know that our nurses know their onions.”
For this reason, she said that a re-sit of the general examination will most likely be required in order to ensure that only the most proficient of the students are allowed to practice in the public health system. This, she noted, will also ensure that the nurses who pass will be able to boast of passing the examination without controversy overshadowing their respective performance.
“It is not nice what happened, so most likely there will have to be a re-sit.”
Former Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton had last year disclosed that although a police investigation into the breached examination was incomplete, even at the end of last year there was forthcoming information that had not been too flattering to the Guyana Nursing Council.
The Council is responsible for setting the State Final Examination, which is taken by students of all of the country’s nursing schools: Georgetown School of Nursing, the Charles Roza School of Nursing, the New Amsterdam School of Nursing and the privately-operated St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
Dr. Norton had claimed to be privy to information that among those involved in the criminal act, are individuals closely linked to the authority that is responsible for setting the examination.
At a press conference in November last, he also revealed that thousands of dollars might have been earned from the illegality. He had disclosed then too that he was hopeful that few persons were found culpable, since they could be charged and brought before the court for judgement if the outcome of a police investigation found them guilty of leaking the examination.
Dr. Norton had even expressed hope that while those found culpable should be treated with accordingly, those who legitimately pass the examination should be allowed to maintain their results.
According to Minister Cummings, she recently met with the affected nurses and assured them that “we are working on this issue…to bring some closure”. In fact, she optimistically disclosed that in another week the matter should be brought to an end.
Dr. Cummings shared too that recently appointed Senior Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, has also been meeting with the Guyana Nursing Council to deliberate on the matter.
The breached examination situation has also impacted another challenge that the Ministry is faced with. Minister Cummings disclosed yesterday that although the public health system is affected by a constant shortage of nurses, the prevailing situation has limited its capacity to incorporate new nurses into the system.
“We hope that by February, the latest, this situation will be fixed. We hope that by then we will be able to say with certainty who passed the exam,” the Minister stated.
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