Dear RDH:
Taking the board examination probably brings closure to the nightmare that has haunted you for your entire student experience. The nightmare, which I can speak about from experience, probably included several examiners and one head examiner. They all are subhuman creatures with three eyes and three fingers on each hand.
As the nightmare starts, the examiners, prior to the exam, are being coached by the head examiner on how to be tough and rigid in regards to not giving the students the benefit of the doubt in any testing section. As this exercise is taking place, all the subhuman examiners are enjoying sourballs, jawbreakers, and sour punch. The head examiner is making sure that each examiner`s consumption of the horrible menu is the same to ensure student failure. The examiners are told that, in order to prove that they are qualified for their assigned duties, they would each be responsbile for the failing of 10 percent of the number of candidates.
As you awake from such a nightmare, I am sure that you are screaming, sweating, and panting, because you believe that it was an omen and that you will be in the 10 percent of the "must-fail" category.
Well, for future restful nights for those of us who fear the unknown, I would like to tame the montser myth concerning board examiners. I recently had the privilege of being an observer during the Central Regional Dental Testing conducted on May 17-18 at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. I call it a privilege because of the myth of this event being such a mystery to all except the board examiners. During my "fly-on-the-wall" duty, I honestly must state that I saw no exercises as described in the nightmare.
I can, however, convey what I did experience. I had the opportunity to see team players that took the board examination very serious, but with much compassion. They displayed to me that they understood how the candidates truly felt as they had to conquer one of the biggest giants in their lives - the board examination. I saw a group of individuals who were using fair judgment when grading the candidates. I experienced a group of real people with real lives and real feelings.
As people, we tend to create a negative scenario to any situation that is unknown to us. We must learn to face every situation in our lives, whether good or bad, as a method of making us the person we need to be for the next changes that life will bring us. My experiences with the board examiners has helped me to face the possibility of taking another board examination with a better outlook.
Marilyn Williams, RDH, BS
East St. Louis, Illinois
