Madam, – What is going on? The points system and the CAO process had the great advantage of being fair, and being seen to be fair. Now we have suddenly introduced an additional test (for medicine only) which is hailed in Dr Muiris Houston’s article (“Welcome for more men doing medicine”, August 18th) as responsible for “improving gender balance” in medical school entry.
We all know that there is a problem about hardworking and bright women, who achieve high points and take up the majority of places at undergraduate medical school. What’s the problem? The problem is that they drop out or only work part-time and so the State’s money is “wasted” on their medical education. So the dropping of female numbers at entry is “warmly welcomed” , and this new aptitude test is credited with achieving it.
Surely this is an extraordinarily blinkered way of approaching the problem.
Why don’t the medical profession and the State apply their minds to establishing a system whereby men and women who have family responsibilities can make their way as doctors through the system without being forced to withdraw or take insecure part-time work? That’s where the problem lies, not in the success of brilliant young women who wish to be doctors. It is a bad day when the heads of medical schools and distinguished professors are welcoming the exclusion of clever young women.
Will the next area for manipulation be the entry to teacher-training which is predominantly female? Or is it a money-driven business, because the education of doctors is so expensive? I wonder if this new Health Professionals Admission Test (HPat) will be challenged by young people who followed what the State told them to do, sat for the exams, got their points and now are told – “sorry, we have this new additional hurdle for you to jump?” I am extremely disappointed. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – It is terrific that we have got around to gender balance, as, worryingly, women were recently outnumbering men entrants to medical degree courses.
So we can now move to “adjust” entry criteria for other professions and careers to end up with a 50:50 balance across the board. Alleluia! – Yours, etc,