I wholeheartedly agree with the findings of Dr. Richard Ranney and colleagues in their August JADA article, "The Relationship Between Performance in a Dental School and Performance on a Dental Examination for Licensure: A Nine-Year Study." Their conclusion was that the North East Regional Board, or NERB, "failed to be a good measure for detecting the quality of those graduates as determined by the dental school’s faculty."
I graduated first in my class in 2000, yet failed my first attempt at the Southern Regional Testing Agency, or SRTA, an exam much like the NERB. I did pass on my second attempt, but I experienced mental anguish, as well as financial difficulties, due to my inability to begin practicing.
How can one be unfit to practice dentistry one month, but a few months later be more than acceptable? My colleague, also top in our class, failed, only to pass on her second attempt with a perfect score!
I feel the onus should be on the dental schools to assess the abilities of the students, and to determine which students are competent to treat the public, since the professors have the ability to make multiple observations. No student’s ability should be evaluated based on a single restoration or treatment rendered. If such regional testing were eliminated, perhaps the dental schools would feel more responsible in their choices of whom they allow to graduate and become practicing dentists.
When several students at my school expressed concern over one senior student’s lack of skill, a professor stated, "Don’t worry, SRTA will get him." SRTA did not.
