Page 11 - Manpower_Report2021_200524_eng
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Hong Kong should adopt the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials to
                     RECOMMENDATION 5
                                               streamline examination application and medical registration procedures
                  Against the backdrop of the growing international mobility of doctors, streamlining the process of validating medical credentials
                  gained from the place of training to the place of practice has been at the forefront of facilitating applications. Medical regulatory
                  bodies internationally have incorporated technology to enhance the verification processes of non-locally trained doctors applying
                  from abroad.
                  Various medical regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK and the Singapore Medical Council
                  (SMC) have incorporated the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC) for the verification of credentials on a virtual
                  integrated platform. With reference to these examples, we recommend relevant authorities in Hong Kong to consider the
                  adoption of widely accepted and commonly used technology platforms, such as EPIC, to improve application processing times
                  and enhance overall application experiences of doctors.


                     RECOMMENDATION 6          Hong Kong should conduct a review of the Medical Council of Hong Kong Licensing
                                               Examination to uphold fair assessment standards

                  Reference should be made to jurisdictions that enforce measures to ensure that the local licensing examination taken by non-
                  locally trained doctors is a fair assessment of doctors’ competency. For example, Australia and the UK are known to provide
                  comprehensive revision material and achieve standardisation between examinations administered to locally- and non-locally
                  trained doctors through calibration and/or provision of an identical examination.
                  In view of this, we recommend the MCHK to optimise the investment made towards administrating the Licensing Examination
                  on a bi-annual basis. Sufficient examination and administrative support should be in place, including the need for the MCHK to
                  uphold transparency of the scope examined in the Licensing Examination. This can be supplemented by the dissemination of
                  comprehensive revision materials that include reference materials, full versions of past examination papers, and an exhaustive
                  syllabus.  Furthermore,  to  ensure  a  fair  assessment  of  doctors’  competency,  the  MCHK  should  lift  potentially  discouraging
                  assessment practices, such as the negative marking mechanism. Another example is to allow candidates to retain passes for
                  respective subjects in Part III of the Licensing Examination for the next two scheduled sittings instead of requiring a candidate who
                  fails more than one out of four subjects in one sitting to re-sit all subjects. To further enforce fairness in examination standards,
                  we recommend the MCHK to mandate regular benchmarking of the Licensing Examination to ensure content validity and fairness
                  towards candidates. Consideration should also be given to setting up an independent examination authority staffed and governed
                  with international medical experts to carry out standardised professional examinations for all doctors. To optimise the assessment
                  of competencies and with reference to other jurisdictions like Australia, the MCHK should consider making available alternative
                  assessment methods for doctors, such as options to engage in workplace-based assessment and alternative measurements to
                  fulfil the medical English proficiency requirement in place of Part II of the Licensing Examination.

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