It has been a long time since I posted anything on this topic. Even so, I have been thinking about the issue and even working on it in some limited way. And now this year, which began with such promise as the legislation moved to unanimous approval in the Assembly and immediate signature by the Governor, comes to disappointing close. Only one test will have been administered this entire year, and then for only 250 candidates out of a pool of 3,000. I am not happy about the situation and I intend to do something about it.
I have already contacted the Centro Legal de la Raza in the Bay Area and they refered me to two large law firms here in San Francisco. I am writing a synopsis of the current status of the law and the Dental Board of California's (DBC) implementation of the law so that I can better solicit assistance from a law firm and/or members of the State Legislature. I also have begun contacting members of the State Legislature, including outgoing Senator John Burton. I don't know how others percieve the situation, but my own perception is that since the overwhelming majority of foreign trained dentists who qualified to sit for the bench test are members of ethnic minorities, the Dental Board of California's behaviour is nothing short of racism. I hope that whichever law firm provides assistance will perform the task "pro bono", but I have no assurance of that.
The best outcome would be that pressure is brought to bear upon the DBC so that they conduct more tests each of the few remaining years of the life of this law. Right now I would like some feedback on some of my own ideas about what relief we should seek from the DBC. So here is what I think we should push for:
1. No less than 4 tests conducted each of the remaining years of the bench test legislation. Really the goal should enough tests get conducted so that all potential candidates get all of their legislatively mandated chances to pass the exam, and that would number more like 5 or 6 tests per year depending upon the passage rate.
2. An open, fair and transparent candidate selection process for those who will sit for each test. And the candidate selection process should ocurr no less than 90 days prior to each examination so that candidates have adequate time to prepare and practice for the exam. Really I myself would prefer that candidates are choosen 6 months to a year in advance so that each candidate can better plan their future.
3. Raise the cost of the examination fee so that all costs of additional examinations are fully covered by the examination fees. I don't know how some of you feel, but I think that an examination fee of $2,500 or all the way up to $5,000 is acceptable. I know that some of you will disagree. But think for a moment of the faster opportunity to earn a decent living as dentists versus waiting for 2 or more years in some depressing state of not knowing what to do or where your life is headed. I am willing to pay a premium to see a brighter future for my wife and family. Furthermore, the higher the examination fee, the more likely that the DBC will cooperate rather than obstruct. Perhaps a multi-tier fee schedule could be implemented for people taking the exam for a second or third time.
I look forward to the input of any interested party. You can post your opinions here so that we can conduct a healthy public debate. If you prefer to contact me directly, you can e-mail me at
[email protected] I look forward to any suggestions that any of you may have.
Scott Clark
