More Licensure Board Exam Statistics!

[Yah-E]

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•••quote:••• Viraj
Senior Member
Member # 11839

posted March 27, 2002 10:24 AM
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Hey I just got this shocking news about Nova. Our dental rep just got the result showing that only 62% of Nova students passed the Florida Board exam last year. This is kinda scary for people going there. Also if you want the credibility of this report, look at the FDA's news article from last month. Nova's dean clearly stated that point, and also said that they will do some revision in the curriculum to get better results. These were the worst results in any dental school. I am not trying to demoralize anyone with this news, but just trying to aware u guys about the school. ••••OK, we all know that Tufts is a great dental school, right? No one can deny that fact, am I right? Check out their statistics on their Licensure Board Exam (NERB) results:

1. 55 of 106 Class of 2001 candidates passed the examination on the first attempt (April 2001), or 52% of the test taking population. 122 members of the Class of 2001 sat for the examination.

2. 18 of 35 re-examination candidates from the class of 2001 passed the examination by the second attempt (August 2001) or 73 or 125 test candidates from the class of 2001 passed the examination in its entirety, 58% of the test taking population. (3 graduates sat for the examination for the first time in August.)

22. In Conclusion
126 Class of 2001 graduates, or 81% of the graduating class of 155 students, sat for the NERB examination. We know 83 graduates have passed the examination in its entirety, or 66% of the class.

For the complete source on Tufts, please visit:

<a href="http://www.tufts.edu/dental/curriculum/nerb.html" target="_blank">http://www.tufts.edu/dental/curriculum/nerb.html</a>

Please do not get the wrong idea here, I dare not mock Tufts' education potential! As matter of fact, I personally strongly believe that Tufts Dental is an AWESOME school! They're strong in the NBDE board scores in both Part I & II, rigorous clinical exposure, and they're well respected nationally! But why do they only have 66% passing rate in their State Licensure Board Exam (the NERB)?

So I guess what I'm trying to say here is maybe State Licensure Board Exams (NERB, WREB, CRDTS, and Florida's own State Licensure Board Exam) are not a good indicator how well a dental school preps you for the real world!

Nova has a 62% passing rate (according to one source) and Tufts has 66% passing rate! Does that mean they're both incompetent schools? I think not! I welcome comments, please!

😎

 

[Regina330]

I seriously hope that no one continues to obsess over pass/failure rates for the boards once they get into dental school. If you go to a school with a 98% passing rate all confident that your school prepares you for them so you aren't worried and don't try your best you will probably fail. It is no one's fault but your own. Wherever you go, STUDY YOUR @SS OFF AND STOP OBSESSING OVER NUMBERS!

 

[Yah-E]

Regina,

That's what I'm trying to say! It's not the school, it's "US", the student, that counts! 😎

 

[Viraj]

Hey Yah-E
Thanx for all the info, I really appreciate what r u doing and everything for all the predents. I really didn't mean to offend u by saying stuff about Nova, its just what I have heard thru people, and thas why I was just conveying the message. Well and you are definately right about, its us who r gonna make the difference in our dental education, and its not a particular school. So no hard feelings, and again I really didn't mean to be so negative about Nova.
Viraj

 

[Yah-E]

Viraj,

No offense taken, I know that you were just trying to inform us about Nova and I was just trying to make a point also. We're all going to succeed so don't worry about me taking the wrong way! Just making a point 🙂 One more question for you, did you ever go to an interview at Nova around mid-March? I remember you saying something about it, did you go, if you did, did you hear back from them? Let me know!

 

[MsPurtell]

I see your point Yah-E, but I have a question about exams like the NERB in general. What is the purpose of the exam? In other words, what does taking the NERB accomplish that taking parts I and II of the NBDE not accomplish?

Margaret

 

[Freddy King]

Yes, some schools are probably better than others at training dentists. But let's not lose perspective. Success in dentistry, and life, is ultimately a function of individual preparation. Practice, practice, practice.

At the same time, this thread reminds me of property tax referendums. When the time nears for a vote, the school districtt reminds voters the average ACT score for their HS is X. What they don't say is only 70% of students take the exam. Could something similar be happening here? Sometimes it's hard to compare numbers without full disclosure.

 

[Yah-E]

Hello Margaret,

I'm only going to presume that the State licensure board exams (NERB, WREB, CRDTS, etc.) are there to test and insure your competency as a dental practioner so your peers can trust you to practice among them?! The National Board Dental Examinations (NBDE) Part I and II are there to test if we learned in schools?!

NERB, WREB, etc. = professional level testing

NBDE I and II = educational level testing

Anyone else have any ideas or thoughts on Margaret's question? 😕

 

[Viraj]

Hey Yah-E
I really liked Tufts, therefore, I opted to not go for the interview at Nova. I just wanted to get out of Fl, as I have been living here for so long now. I loved Boston, and I think it would be really cool city to live in. Also that I am coming back to Tallahassee for practicing so that gives me a chance to get out of FL for atleast 4 years.
Viraj

 

[gryffindor]

In response to Ms Putrell's question, you have to pass NBDE I & II in order to get a DDS/DMD from your dental school. But having a DDS does you no good if you don't have a license. That's where the NERB/CRDTS/WREB/SRTA exams come in. For example, in New York, you have to pass the NERB in order to apply for a license to practice dentistry. Having a DDS isn't enough, you must pass the NERB as well.

However, if you enter a residency or specialty program before you pass the NERB, it's temporarily ok. You are covered under that hospital or school's license until you finish the program. After you finish, you need the pass on the NERB in order to obtain a license and practice in a NERB state. (So you could have retaken it while you were in the post-grad program).

Freddy King is on the right track. Every student who graduates dental school will take a licensing exam somewhere. However, the testing agencies (NERB is notorious for this) have a way of reporting their statistics so it sounds like a great pass rate, but when you examine the numbers closely, you see that they aren't just a report of how many students tested for the first time and passed everything on their first shot. They include many other stats than just that to tweak the numbers and make them look good.

ASDA is working hard to bring some reform to this crazy licensing procedure and increase mobility for dentists. Read about what is going on in NY on their site, <a href="http://www.asdanet.org." target="_blank">www.asdanet.org.</a>

 

[gryffindor]

A comment about high failure rates and low pass rates (like the example YahE gives about Tufts). When we began dental school, the high failure rate on the NERB the previous year was a hot topic of discussion around Buffalo. It turns out that the students were very competent. What caused all the failures is the three-unit provisional bridge you are required to make. Students made decent and good bridges during the exams, however, the bridges were not graded right away. They were shipped to Washington DC and graded months later by the NERB examiners. The material provisional bridges are made of on the exam has a very high rate of shrinkage and shrank or broke during the travel and storage time. Hence, why so many students "failed."

Now you can see why the pass/fail rate can be so artificial. The numbers don't always mean the students are incompetent or the schools aren't doing their job. It may have to do with the test conditions itself.

Also with the NERB, not only is there the clinical part which involves exam procedures on live patients and typodonts, there is also a written part of the exam. NERB is the only regional exam with a written portion. This is separate and different from the NBDE II, but from what seniors tell me, the material covered on both exams is very similar. But you have to pass the written to pass the NERB.

 

[JonR]

Margaret
Interesting for those of us going to UConn, the class of 2001 had the following stats for first time NERB takers:

86% pass rate on simulated exercises
97% pass rate on the other three sections
(stats are on the website in the newsletter)

While these numbers may not directly correlate with how well a school prepares dentists, it sure makes me feel more confident that I will be ready to actually practice dentistry when I finish dental school. 🙂

Jon

 

[MsPurtell]

Griffin: Thanks for clearing up the purpose of the NERB!

Jon: The NERB pass rate at UConn was one item my interviewers bragged about when I was at the school. The NERB pass rate and the NBDE scores at UConn were a big part of what really sold me on the school. I think we'll be in great hands there!
😀
Margaret