EXAMINATIONS REPORT

Dr Peter Bennett, Chief Examiner

As you are all aware 2021 has not been the return to a more normal situation that was hoped for earlier in the year. For everyone the year continues to throw repeated and new challenges at us all. I would like to congratulate the successful candidates at Membership and Fellowship. The work of all the volunteers who assisted the Board in providing examinations in difficult circumstances reflects their goodwill and support of the College, ably supported by the staff in the College office. There have been changes in the membership of the Board with Drs Sharanne Raidal, Kath Briscoe, Petra Muellner and Dave Collins stepping down from their roles. The Board has been appreciative of the time and effort they have invested in supporting the examination process of the College. Dr Yenny Indrawirawan joined as a temporary member to cover Dr Muellner who had external commitments, has now become a fulltime member. We have three new members joining us, Drs Liz Tee, Jana Leshinsky and Rena MacFarlane. It seems a very short time since the 2021 examination period ended and the Board is now beginning the planning and implementation of the examination process for 2022. The office and Board have learnt a lot over the past two examination periods that will be used to develop further the processes for 2022. We are all reviewing the areas that had the most problems or impact and are discussing steps to reduce the risk of a recurrence, or to minimise their effects. With the support of Council, the College and Board are planning to administer the examinations in a COVID-safe manner for all involved in 2022. While the examinations are a major focus of the Board, the other tasks of the Board continue with review of Fellowship training programs, annual reports, and credentials, not forgetting the task of reviewing subject guidelines across Membership and Fellowship. I would like to thank the Council for their support of the Board, the continued hard work of the staff in the office and the members of the Board. I would like to note that Dr Jen Carter has stepped into the role of Assistant Chief Examiner – Examinations and Dr Linda Abraham into the role of Assistant Chief Examiner – Training and credentials.