We want to hear from you – Consultation open on National exam guidelines

27 Apr 2021

The Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia’s (the Board) public consultation on revised National exam guidelines opens today and the Board is encouraging profession and community responses.

The profession’s national exam is based on the Professional capabilities for medical radiation practice (the professional capabilities) and assesses a candidate’s (someone who is attempting the exam) ability to apply knowledge, solve problems and critically analyse scenarios to give assurance that they can meet the minimum requirements for safe practice in the medical radiation profession.

The Board first published National exam guidelines in December 2015 and is reviewing them to ensure they are updated, contemporary and reflect developments in the profession.  While the exam is working well, the guidelines need to be updated to align with the revised professional capabilities, which were launched last year.

The draft revised National exam guidelines describe obligations, the exam rules, eligibility requirements and the pass mark. The Board has also created a National exam manual, an additional resource for candidates, which is its also seeking feedback on.

Board Chair Mark Marcenko encouraged people to consider the revised guidelines and supporting material and to provide those views. Mr Marcenko believes that consultation is an opportunity for all stakeholders to support and contribute to regulation that reflects community and practitioner expectations of medical radiation practice in 2021.

‘Since 2015, there have been developments in exam platform technology and changes in the professional capabilities for medical radiation practice. These developments need to be reflected in the operation of the national exam and  the guidance provided to exam candidates. We have also taken the opportunity to consider the exam pass mark and the permissible number of attempts, while creating new resources to support candidates,’ he said.

Changes to the guidelines include:

• aligning the guidelines to the structure of the professional capabilities
• increasing the pass mark from an average of 77 per cent to a minimum of 75 per cent, in both Part A and Part B of the exam
• limiting attempts to three, and
• supporting the use of online proctored exams.

‘We are keen to hear from all our stakeholders about the proposed changes to the national exam guidelines. Public consultation will occur from now till 25 June 2021 and hearing from individual practitioners, education providers, professional associations and other health professionals is really important,’ Mr Marcenko added.

The consultation paper is available under Consultations and the Board invites feedback from practitioners, stakeholders and the community.

You can provide a written submissions by email, marked: ‘Consultation on draft revised National exam guidelines’ to medicalradiationconsultation@ahpra.gov.au.

Feedback must be received by 12pm (AEST) 25 June 2021.

Submissions sent by post should be addressed to the Executive Officer, Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne VIC 3001.

Submissions to this consultation may be published on the Board’s website. There may be circumstances under which submissions may not be published. Published submissions will include the names of individuals and/or organisations that made the submission unless confidentiality is requested.

For more information 

• Lodge an online enquiry form.

• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 03 9275 9009 (overseas callers).

• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200.