Re: '96 AAHP Exam Results

[rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu (Ron L. Kathren)]

Well put.  Although I hasten to point out that I am not a member of the
American BOARD of Health Physics, I certainly would be pleased to pass along
any comments I receive to the BOARD, which is an independent arm of the
ACADEMY.  My e-mail address is as given and I can be reached by phone at
509-375-5643.

For those who wish the more direct route, the Chairman of the American BOARD
of Health Physics is Tom Buhl at LANL whose e-mail address is

                TBuhl@LANL.gov

(sorry about that, Tom -- I suspect you will be inundated)

George Vargo is the ABHP secretary and he can be reached at 

                gj_vargo@pnl.gov

I certainly will at least informally discuss the concerns that have been
expressed with members of the BOARD.  Again, the BOARD, by intent, is
independent, the thought being that the exam process should be free from any
possible compromise or outside influence to ensure its integrity.

Ron Kathren
President-Elect Designate
American ACADEMY of Health Physics

                        
.  >
>
>  I checked the AAHP's Web page, and here is the rationale behind not
>  posting the results by candidate's ID numbers:
>
>   "However the board is concerned also about the privacy of the
>  candidates, and consequently has decided to delay publishing names of
>  successful candidates on the web until the candidates have had the
>  opportunity to receive written notification. In making this tough
>  decision, the overriding concern was avoiding placing candidates in
>  awkward situations:  e.g. candidate comes into work. His co-worker or
>  employer, who saw the web page the previous evening at home, invites him
>  into his office and shows him the web page listing "sucessful candidate
>  numbers" and says "well, did you pass?" The candidate, who did not happen
>  to have web access at home, is totally surprised and unprepared to
>  respond.
>
>  The board feels that each candidate has the right to learn the results at
>  home before anyone else knows, before having to face coworkers or
>  employers."
>
>
>  If I run into a situation like that, I would simply say "May I borrow the
>  list?" and "Thank you for the info."  As far as the test result is
>  concerned, privacy is never an issues because eventually we all will know
>  who passed and who did not from the Newsletter or the Member Directory.
>
>  Let's assume that the Board's concern is a potential risk to the
>  candidates.  The greatest benefit would be making the results available
>  to the candidates in a much faster fashion by taking the advantage of the
>  new information technology.  Now we have the technology, but we are
>  afraid of the minimum potential risk associated with it.  Isn't it the
>  same thing that public perceives radiation?
>  
>  If you, either as a candidate or as a member of the society, would like
>  to take advantage of the new information technology, you should send a
>  e-mail to the AAHP Webmaster, Mr. Scott Medling (medlines @
>  songs.sce.com), or the President-elected, Mr. Ron Kathren (rkathren @
>  tricity.wsu.edu).  We do appreciate the Board's concerns, but we should
>  let the Board hear what members' opinions are regarding risk and benefit.
>  Just remember, while you might be able to share the good news with
>  families and friends at the turkey time, are you willing to take the risk
>  as the Board suggested?
>
>  Ning Liu
>  SAIC, Las Vegas
>
>