Guest guest Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 My apologies if the following has already been chewed to the bone by this group and I missed it. Most schools' focus (at least in CA) is to maximize pass rates on licensing exams. The pass rate is what sells their product. One key aspect of improving the quality of our education is to overhaul the board tests. In particular, they should reflect the scope of practice (at the time I attended there was NO education on lab tests). If licensing questions are overhauled to reflect more relevant material and higher standards, the curriculum and quality of teaching will follow faster than a school administrator chasing a dollar on a windy day. Alon, your story about the MI scenario sounds familiar. A few years ago my friend called several LAc.s in southern OR and described very clearly a severe TB situation. One person said it was allergies and that it could be treated with NAET. Another said it was lung yin deficiency with heat and would take several months of regular treatments and herbs to fix. Practitioners, perhaps in part d/t training that completely separates and backburners WM, fail to look outside the CM lens. This just doesn't (and shouldn't) fly. Does anyone know where the CA state board and NCCAOM get their questions; how can the fine folks of this group participate in this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 In a message dated 1/24/2006 3:57:10 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, gravypro writes: Most schools' focus (at least in CA) is to maximize pass rates on licensing exams. The pass rate is what sells their product. One key aspect of improving the quality of our education is to overhaul the board tests. In particular, they should reflect the scope of practice (at the time I attended there was NO education on lab tests). The USMLE is done in 3 tests, maybe to do just what you suggested. But the schools end up teaching the test. Maybe what we need is a 2-7 year residency program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Subject matter experts. A few years ago a memo went out requesting CA practitioners could write exam questions for the CALE. I am not sure of who writes for NCCAOM but think that might be similar. Mike W. Bowser, L Ac > " gravypro " <gravypro >Chinese Medicine >Chinese Medicine > Change the Tests! >Tue, 24 Jan 2006 06:22:28 -0000 > >My apologies if the following has already been chewed to the bone by >this group and I missed it. > >Most schools' focus (at least in CA) is to maximize pass rates on >licensing exams. The pass rate is what sells their product. One >key aspect of improving the quality of our education is to overhaul >the board tests. In particular, they should reflect the scope of >practice (at the time I attended there was NO education on lab >tests). > >If licensing questions are overhauled to reflect more relevant >material and higher standards, the curriculum and quality of >teaching will follow faster than a school administrator chasing a >dollar on a windy day. > >Alon, your story about the MI scenario sounds familiar. A few years >ago my friend called several LAc.s in southern OR and described very >clearly a severe TB situation. One person said it was allergies and >that it could be treated with NAET. Another said it was lung yin >deficiency with heat and would take several months of regular >treatments and herbs to fix. Practitioners, perhaps in part d/t >training that completely separates and backburners WM, fail to look >outside the CM lens. This just doesn't (and shouldn't) fly. > >Does anyone know where the CA state board and NCCAOM get their >questions; how can the fine folks of this group participate in >this? > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 This has been a concern for some time. Do the schools really care about education or just prepping one to take a license exam, or both? I would hope for both. I know lots of instructors that care about students. Mike W. Bowser, L Ac >KarateStan >Chinese Medicine >Chinese Medicine >Re: Change the Tests! >Tue, 24 Jan 2006 10:20:27 EST > > >In a message dated 1/24/2006 3:57:10 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, >gravypro writes: > >Most schools' focus (at least in CA) is to maximize pass rates on >licensing exams. The pass rate is what sells their product. One >key aspect of improving the quality of our education is to overhaul >the board tests. In particular, they should reflect the scope of >practice (at the time I attended there was NO education on lab >tests). > > >The USMLE is done in 3 tests, maybe to do just what you suggested. >But the schools end up teaching the test. > > >Maybe what we need is a 2-7 year residency program. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 I don't know about the NCCAOM, but the California Acupuncture Board regularly hires " professional test question writers " from among the pool of California licensed acupuncturists. They work as a team, sort of, and this group generates test questions. You can contact the Board for more information. gravypro <gravypro wrote: My apologies if the following has already been chewed to the bone by this group and I missed it. Most schools' focus (at least in CA) is to maximize pass rates on licensing exams. The pass rate is what sells their product. One key aspect of improving the quality of our education is to overhaul the board tests. In particular, they should reflect the scope of practice (at the time I attended there was NO education on lab tests). If licensing questions are overhauled to reflect more relevant material and higher standards, the curriculum and quality of teaching will follow faster than a school administrator chasing a dollar on a windy day. Alon, your story about the MI scenario sounds familiar. A few years ago my friend called several LAc.s in southern OR and described very clearly a severe TB situation. One person said it was allergies and that it could be treated with NAET. Another said it was lung yin deficiency with heat and would take several months of regular treatments and herbs to fix. Practitioners, perhaps in part d/t training that completely separates and backburners WM, fail to look outside the CM lens. This just doesn't (and shouldn't) fly. Does anyone know where the CA state board and NCCAOM get their questions; how can the fine folks of this group participate in this? Download the all new TCM Forum Toolbar, click, http://toolbar.thebizplace.com/LandingPage.aspx/CT145145 and adjust accordingly. Please consider the environment and only print this message if absolutely necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Amen. I found the NCCAOM exams to be inconsistent and of poor design. I studied 5 E acu overseas, which put me at a disadvantage to start because, while NCCAOM thinks they include 5 E questions, really this is a TCM test, w/5 E questions from the TCM view. This is not the same thing, trust me. So I had to learn to speak enough TCM to pass the test, which has its own ironies. I had to take the ac practical exam twice - that's the learning to speak TCM part. The background theory is pretty much the same for both paradigms. The first time, the exam itself was badly designed, I thought. Even the TCM students couldn't tell if we'd just taken the theory or the practical exam. The second time was a much better designed exam, but when TCM students came out saying 'I'd never pick those pt combos', I was in despair. Perhaps I did better that time (passed) because I had to analyze so much more in order to implement what I barely grasped. None of this evaluated how I am with my patients, whether I can establish appropriate and therapeutic rapport, whether I could defend a diagnosis that might differ from what was offered on paper - or generally whether I was safe to unleash on the public. One testee I spoke w/had first qualified in British Columbia. Her testing included a 6 hour written exam (once you're in the room you don't leave til it's finished), and then several hours w/a real patient who had to be assessed, diagnosed and a treatment proposed - that the testee could explain/defend - w/an examiner in the room observing, and while being videotaped for other examiners to review. Now, this sounds brutal to me, and BC apparently tests only a limited number of people/year, and the state pays for it. BUT, I think they get a much better idea of all the skills practitioners need to safely practice this medicine. Karen > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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