[RESIDENCY EXAMINATIONS IN THE COURSE OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS: THE EFFORTS OF THE ISRAELI SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL TO EXECUTE THE FINAL BOARD ORAL EXAMINATIONS DURING A LOCAL AND A WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC].

INTRODUCTION

The Israeli Scientific Council is responsible for the physician's training process and the residency exams. These are performed in two phases: Stage A (written examination) and Stage B (the final Board oral examination). The COVID-19 pandemic started in Israel a few weeks before the scheduled spring 2020 Stage B exams and had a major impact, not only on the health and economic systems in Israel, but also on the residency exams.

AIMS

To describe the efforts of the Israeli Scientific Council to execute the spring 2020 Stage B exams during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to the worldwide data, and to deduce the appropriate management during potential future crises.

METHODS

We present a description of the activity of the Israeli Scientific Council since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic according to documents and other sources, An internet search was conducted on the destiny of residency examinations throughout the world, and a comparison between them.

RESULTS

Due to rapid worsening in the restrictions enforced in Israel, the spring 2020 oral board exams were cancelled. However, a decision was made to execute them in the summer. This new schedule dictated a delay in the schedule of other residency examinations and forced condensation of 5 periods into 10 months instead of 14. The examination team prepared the new summer exams period under the assumption that heavy restrictions will still be implemented. Indeed, COVID-19 was still around and the restrictions were still enforced. Despite that, all oral Board examinations were perfectly executed. This contrasts with the rest of the world, in which most residency exams were cancelled, even without a solution or an alternative date.

CONCLUSIONS

Recruitment of all involved and preparation for the worst-case scenario enabled the perfect execution of the previously cancelled exams, and will enable the execution of future residency exams under conditions of potential health or war crises.

DISCUSSION

To the best of our knowledge, the Israeli Scientific Council is the only communal body in the world which organized an alternative period for the cancelled oral exams, only 4 months after the cancelled dates. Due to an enormous effort and rigorous preparations, Israel is also the only place in which oral exams were successfully executed, physically, under an active disease and very heavy restrictions.