Examining equality – a survey of royal college examinations
May 2006
The BMA resolved at its 2003 annual representative meeting (ARM) to further investigate equality and diversity in postgraduate professional exams. In particular, the BMA is concerned by the widespread perception that these postgraduate professional examinations are unintentionally discriminatory. The intention of this report is to gather information on how the medical royal colleges monitor and evaluate policies and procedures in order to share good practice around equality and diversity, and identify inconsistencies and practices which may detract from effective equal opportunities monitoring.
In accordance with the BMA’s equal opportunities policy statement, we seek to ensure that doctors are not subject to any form of discrimination throughout their medical career. Royal college examinations are a key part of a doctor’s career progression, throughout which there may be many different barriers. The aim of this report is to investigate equality considerations in relation to royal college examinations, focusing specifically on the equal opportunities monitoring of examination candidates and examiners, and on the equality and diversity training provided to examiners by individual royal colleges. It provides guidance on legislative responsibilities and good practice, and concludes with a series of recommendations for improving equality and diversity in royal college examinations.
BMA members can read online the examining equality report in full.