Nurse trainee expelled for involvement in exam malpractice

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A final year nursing trainee has been dismissed from the programme for involvement in examination malpractice.

Helen Mukakarisa Kataratambi, the Executive Secretary of Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examination Board (UNMEB), disclosed that the implicated is a male nursing trainee from Kampala International University, and has been undertaking a certificate in Comprehensive Nursing programme.

Mukakarisa says that, based on the findings, the student was found unfit to become a nurse adding that what he did cannot be excused. Mukakarisa told URN on the sidelines of the event that was held to release the results of the nurses and midwives December 2022 examinations, on Friday, that this is the first time such a decision has been taken.

Mukakarisa noted that the board found that the learner forged the nurse’s logbook. She notes that even after noticing the forgery, the learner refused to come clean which act was found inexcusable by the board.

Nurse trainees are required to keep logbooks to record their clinical experiences and learning activities, including patient encounters, procedures performed, medications administered, and other essential information. This serves as a record of their progress and helps their mentors and tutors to assess their competency and proficiency in different nursing skills and tasks among other uses.

The executive secretary added that the learner’s refusal to acknowledge his mistake when called by the board also raised concerns that, as a future nurse, he may fail to notify doctors in the event of an error while dispensing medication, potentially resulting in loss of life.

Mukakarisa noted that the cancellation and nullification of the candidate’s results for the entire programme, as well as the recommendation for dismissal or discontinuation from the programme, were intended to serve as a lesson to future individuals who may consider participating in such malpractice.

Beside the candidate that has been dismissed from the course, two other diploma candidates have been found to have engaged in examination malpractice. One of the candidates is from Butabika School of Psychiatric Nursing, undertaking a Diploma in Mental Health Nursing Programme and the other is from Kyetume School of Nursing and Midwifery, undertaking a Certificate in Nursing. The two were found with unauthorized materials in the examination room.

In their case, UNMEB recommended that the affected papers of these candidates be nullified, requiring them to retake the examination during the next sitting.

Peter Ogwang, the Sports Minister, read a speech on behalf of the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, in which she denounced malpractice and its opposition to the principles of the nursing profession and the education sector.

The minister stressed the importance of upholding standards and strict compliance with examination regulations. She approved of UNMEB’s decision to withhold, cancel, and nullify the results of those involved in malpractice.

In the 2019 national examinations, UNMEB reported their first examination malpractice cases involving 13 students and two teachers. At that time, the most common forms of malpractice were candidates writing on examination cards fraudulently, smuggling unauthorized material in the examination room and plagiarism of reports. Since them, the practice has been growing and each of the subsequent releases have been having cases of malpractice.

Meanwhile, UNMEB reported a slight improvement in the performance of both final year and continuing nursing students. In the December 2022 final semester examinations, 9,518 candidates, which accounted for 92 percent, passed the Certificate programmes, compared to 846 candidates, or 89 percent, in December 2021. A total of 10,351 candidates sat the 2022 examinations.

At the diploma level, 428 out of 484 candidates, or 88.4 percent, passed the December 2022 examinations, compared to 111 candidates, or 76 percent, in December 2021. However, it should be noted that only a few candidates obtained distinctions at the diploma level, with only seven achieving this level of performance.

The release statement further revealed that out of 42,705 continuing candidates who took the exams, 38,814 passed and will proceed to the next semester. However, 3,544 of the continuing candidates were ungraded and will have to retake the failed papers when they are next offered. Candidates who failed three papers and those who were absent will be required to repeat the entire semester.

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URN