Exams

Both our fellows failed their exams this week. There was doom and gloom and anger  in the Unit (as you might expect), although they both came to terms with it pretty quickly.Both are from overseas. I think  if they had been from Oz that the anger and disbelief may have lingered a bit longer. 

Australians don't really know how to fail any more (or at least not cheerfully and often as we seemed to).

 Entry to medical school is now based on psychological testing and an interview rather than scores. At medical school nearly everything is a non graded pass.In specialist training assessments are a mishmash of politically correct tickboxing ; robust comments are discouraged; sensitive interviews for the "trainee in difficulties" (usually an overt psychopath) are the recommended course of action (and mostly geared toward reducing the College's liability).

Failure in the primary exam is often the first obstacle that these  people have ever encountered although since most regard the subject matter as immaterial it doesn't have the same devastating impact as failure in the Finals. Failure in a superspeciality exam even more so.

There's another PC subject for med school "How to be a Failure'- maybe you could only pass if you have failed something thus ensuring that nobody has a perfect academic transcript.Fairness rules.