This appeared last week:
Breaking: RACGP's at-home fellowship exam derailed by tech failure
The KFP exam is being delayed because registrars have been unable to log on
9th October 2020
By Paul Smith
Update 3.15pm: The RACGP says it has cancelled today's KFP exam due to a "major technical outage" at its external exam provider.
"Cancellation was the last resort and was not a decision taken lightly," it said.
"We know that candidates are stressed, fatigued, and may have other responsibilities preventing them from sitting a significantly delayed exam [today]. There is therefore no alternative."
It said candidates struggling emotionally can access the GP Support program or The Black Dog Institute's Essential Network for Health Professionals.
However, it said the AKT would proceed tomorrow as planned.
The RACGP’s experiment with at-home fellowship exams is in jeopardy after the KFP exam was disrupted this morning because of a technical outage.
The college currently has a statement on its website saying the start time has been put back as a result.
More here:
https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/breaking-racgps-athome-fellowship-exam-derailed-tech-failure
Here is the College Announcement:
RACGP – Important Bulletin
We regret to confirm that we have had to
postpone both the Key Feature Problem exam and Applied Knowledge Test exams due
to a major outage experienced by our external exam provider. We have been
working with our provider to urgently restore services, but in fairness to all
candidates we have decided to postpone both exams. We do not yet know the new
dates for the KFP and AKT, but will share an update with you next week.
Cancellation of the exams is a last resort and was not a decision taken lightly.
We know that you probably feel stressed, angry, fatigued and disappointed, and
we deeply regret the impact of this, particularly after a COVID-enforced delay
to sit these exams. We accept there is probably very little we can say at this
point to make you feel better.
The decision to cancel the AKT exam as well is to make absolutely certain the
outage affecting our external exam provider will be resolved. Despite working
with this provider for close to a decade, we weren’t confident the technical issues
would be fully resolved by the time the first candidates were expected to
commence the AKT at 10am AEDT on Saturday.
If you are struggling with the implications of this cancellation, there are a
range of services that can support you, including:
- The GP Support Program, giving you free, confidential, 24/7 access to crisis counselling, and scheduled access to face-to-face or telephone counselling.
- Drs4Drs, a service especially for doctors including a 24/7 helpline staffed by senior GPs and experienced counsellors trained in doctors’ health
- The Black Dog Institute’s Essential Network for Health Professionals
- We have launched a forensic assessment to understand what went wrong today with our provider. We want to assure you we are doing all in our power to both investigate and mitigate against future harm.
Here is the site:
https://www.racgp.org.au/kfp-and-akt-exam-day-information
The note makes it clear just how much distress they know they have caused!
There was also coverage here pointing out that the RACGP are not the only ones to stuff up College exams.
RACGP exam cancelled after system outage
Posted by Francine Crimmins
A number of GP trainees who tried to attempt their Key Feature Problem exam today were met with a technical failure, causing delays and uncertainty as to when, or even whether, the test would resume.
The RACGP has now confirmed today’s KFP exam has been cancelled, after they were unable to resolve the system outage with their external provider.
“We have been working with our provider to urgently restore services, but in fairness to all candidates we have decided to postpone the exam,” the RACGP said in a letter on its website.
“Cancellation was the last resort and was not a decision taken lightly.
“We know that candidates are stressed, fatigued, and may have other responsibilities preventing them from sitting a significantly delayed exam. There is therefore no alternative.”
The college has confirmed they expect the exam service will be restored overnight, and that any candidate registered for the test on Saturday 10 October should expect it to go ahead as planned.
More here:
http://medicalrepublic.com.au/racgp-exam-cancelled-after-system-outage/35504
Really this is not just OK and heads should roll. Having sat 3 postgraduate fellowship exams I can assure you they are just about the worst and most terrifying experience in any medical career. There are few clinical situations that come close for stress and anxiety.
The exam systems should be stressed and tested to an inch of their life and then tested again! As I said relevant heads should roll!
David.
Just happens far to frequently to far to many organisations. There is something very odd going on.
ReplyDelete"Sorry-sever-isshu" says it all!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a disgrace.
How can the College put itself forward as being credible in anything to do with Information Technology / Digital Health.
http://medicalrepublic.com.au/soory-sever-isshu-racgp-was-warned-about-exam-problems/35702?utm_source=website&utm_medium=related-sidebar&utm_campaign=35504
It's never a technical problem, it's always a human problem. The RACGP is incapable of acquiring a system that meets their own needs. Does anyone really believe their advice and opinion on eHealth is worth a brass razoo?
ReplyDeleteWho are these people? These are people who make life and death decisions and stuff up really simple ones. Did they think it through? Did they have no back-up plan? Did they test it out first?
ReplyDeleteI agree with David's assessment. When reports say things like this, heads should roll:
"We know that candidates are stressed, fatigued, and may have other responsibilities preventing them from sitting a significantly delayed exam [today]. There is therefore no alternative."
"It said candidates struggling emotionally can access the GP Support program or The Black Dog Institute's Essential Network for Health Professionals."
And how stupid is this? It's an experiment, an experiment with people's lives and health....
"The RACGP’s experiment with at-home fellowship exams is in jeopardy after the KFP exam was disrupted this morning because of a technical outage."
There's something really wrong in health care and technology isn't going to fix it, just make it worse and more risky. And to blame it on a "technical outage" is the coward's way out.
Health care is far too important to leave to doctors (and bureaucrats and administrators and politicians)
They naively believed the software providers sales spiel "Yes, we can do that and will have it ready to use in 6 weeks in time for the exams."
ReplyDeleteAs for governance and asking perceptive questions while overseeing this critical software devopment to move the exam software to the cloud the College abdicated its responsibilities leaving everything to the developer!
This says a lot about the competence of the College's expert eHealth committee.
ReplyDeleteIt's what happens when people start making pronouncements outside their areas of expertise. A bit like the Department of Health and the ADHA.
ReplyDeleteThe College's expert in Digital Health, Nathan Pinskier, should illuminate why this 'stuff-up' was allowed to happen.
ReplyDeleteWhy? This is not digital health online exams are a different field.
ReplyDeletehttp://medicalrepublic.com.au/will-the-real-racgp-leadership-please-speak-up/35826?utm_source=TMR%20List&utm_campaign=f9c550081f-Newsletter_October_17_10_20&utm_medium=email&utm_source=TMR+List&utm_campaign=f9c550081f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_10_16_05_44&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_620ca5063b-f9c550081f-45307971&mc_cid=f9c550081f&mc_eid=8a701fff8a
ReplyDeleteWhy? Because he seems to have made himself the high profile face and talking head on all things IT affecting doctors.
ReplyDeleteWell the efforts to solve Digital health skills and training that are said to be more important than ever, are in safe hands then - not.
ReplyDelete