I don't want to talk more on this, but I can give you some specifics.
2 years ago on the OSCE exams of year 2, ALL 5 international Asian students failed the exam. I don't know the rate for last year (I don't have all the results for all classes and for all years) but I heard 3 international students failed last year, yr-2 OSCE. 2 yrs ago, that rate was 100% for Asians. Meanwhile, the rate for failing that exam that year among White Americans was 0%, and among OZ also 0%. Among the unfortunates were: 1 Philippino American, 1 Chinese American, 1 Vietnamese American, 1 Korean American, 1 Hongkong Canadian. Some of them are suing now.
All those people were either born in the US and/or already graduated from a US / Canadian university. Some had multiple degrees in biomedical sciences. Their biggest mistake, I think, was they were Asian. In the US they can't get admission, in Aus they can't graduate.
The year before that, 3 American students failed year-3 OSCE and failed the year. All 3 of them sued, and 2 were settled out of court for unspecified amount of money. Last year, again, ALL people that failed year-3 OSCE were international Asians. Over the year, ALL people that failed OSCE from year 1 through year 3 (year 4 doesn't have OSCE) were international students, among them were Asians, Indians, White Americans. One White American was failed the year because she didn't attend group discussions often enough. Surely she sued, and the school settled out of court. The school had to pass her, probably paid her and her lawyer too, but she withdrew and transferred to another school.
Last year, horror of all horrors, a Jewish American was failed year 2 because of what he did--or didn't do thereof--during the rural week attachment. I think he informed the US Dept of Edu about that, and the Dept is investigating. If substantiated, it will take away Title IV from Flinders, stopping Stafford Loans. Jewish communities are very powerful in the AMA, even the AMA President, Dr. Cohen, is Jewish. Anyway, during that week, all students were forced to go to a rural area, some hundreds of miles away from civilization, to do a "research" (usually a bogus one that violates all research criteria), then write 2 papers, about 5 pages each. I don't know what sort of faux pas he did, but bottom line was he was failed the entire year and would have to repeat--and most importantly, PAY-- everything including all the coursework he had already passed. It was just cruel. Why wasn't he allowed to re-do the week? I heard he was devastated and is taking this year off. So, he will graduate at least 2 years later than his former classmates, if ever at all. Even if he may graduate, so what, what's his chance to get a residency? Who would care to hear him explain the bogus nature of the "research week" in which he was failed for?
There hasn't been a year passing by, that I know of, since it started to take international students that Flinders school of medicine doesn't get sued. There also hasn't been a lawsuit that Flinders hasn't settled at its own expense. Only 3 groups of international students have graduated from Flinders, most of them don't care to keep in touch with the school, most don't care to talk about their horrible experiences there. Ask someone who was raped if she/he wants to talk about it often, to strangers. I don't either, and this is likely my very last post. About 60 international students are now stuck in that school, many emailed me that there hadn't been a day passing by that they didn't think about transferring the h*ll out, but they'd have to get the Dean's letter for that, and they knew the Dean might not write a letter to support them, and the school might crack down on them afterward. Flinders is almost like a cult that people can't get out even if they wished.
Most Flinders exams are not even about medicine. They are about interaction with p/t, about attitude toward medicine. The first criterion is very problematic: students are graded NOT on their medical knowlege, but on their attitude, on how the p/t and the consultants view him/her as a suitable future doctor. For example, the written exam questions could be: "How to advise a 17-yr old pregnant woman that is upset and wants to have an abortion?" Now, how do you write a "good" answer to that? Should you ask about her regilion? About if her parents know, or should know, how would they feel? About if her pregnancy was planned, or if her boyfriend knows, etc., etc., In such an open-ended situation, you can easily make a "faux pas" in your answers, and BBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM, you step on a mine field that damages your career forever. There are no "correct" answers to such ambiguous question, but questions like that are all over Flinders exams. That opens the doors wide open for easy discrimination, racism, anti-Americanism, anti-Asianism, anti-Indianism, to prosper. Face it, aren't there people you just hate their guts upon seeing or hearing about them? Plus, your take on their life, character, talents, may be just honestly inaccurate. OZs pass OZs, and are leery about foreigners. Understandable. Now, what if you have absolute immunity and absolute power on people? If you had a relative that died on 9/11 attacks, would you feel comfortable to let a young Arab-looking guy asking you very personal medical questions? Sooner or later, you'd abuse your absolute power. I would. That's where the LAWS must be in place to restrain people. That's where social intelligence comes into place. At Flinders there is neither. Imagine how many lawsuits the ECFMG would have if it lets only White Male doctors grading students on CSA, essay-typed USMLEs, without any hard copies, tapes.
What about on OSCE (p/t history taking, examination)? Again, there are times when you talk and find p/t with major depression, panic attacks, schizophrenia, etc,. Now, that's easy, but how would you ADVISE the p/t? On the American CSA, there are tapes, and there are write-ups with which you can challenge the results. But at Flinders, there are no such things. You are graded within 30 seconds after you left, without any evidence, criteria, on how the grades are given. The p/t, after you left, may say she /he is upset with your 'advice' so she / he gives you 1 out of 6, and you're in trouble right away. The consultant may jump on board and gives you 1 out of 14 to finish you off. You can be the best psychiatrist in the world and still fail that station. That's why some years ALL international Asian students failed, because the p/t and/or the consultants just didn't like their guts, didn't want them around. Some p/t may cringe, their abdomen tenses up, hurts more, their heart beats up, at having their body examined by an Asian, an Indian, a Yank, thus the student's diagnosis may be truthfully wrong.
That's it, folks. I am gone now. Good luck to you all. Bye.
