Students who wrote the Trinidad and Tobago Nursing Council's exam last October 23rd and 24th intend to take legal action against the Nursing Council as pass marks they initially were given were downgraded by a second marker contrary to the laws of the Nursing Council.
Lecturer David Murphy who was the first marker in the matter is speaking exclusively with TV6'S Elizabeth Williams.
00:00I put together all of these examinations, questions. Not only did I put together those exams and those questions, I also had put together the keys for all of these questions, every last one of them. Having done that, I happen to have been the first marker.
00:20Mr. Murphy has been serving on the Nursing Council Board for over 20 years. He has three bachelor's degrees, a master's, is at this time pursuing his doctorate, and is also the coordinator of all psychiatric nurses. Eight nursing students sat the exam, but a second marker reviewed their grades, only allowing two students to pass.
00:44Mr. Murphy said the second marker acted contrary to the Nursing Council Guidelines, page 20, where the marking of scripts is detailed.
00:53I marked the paper. There was only one candidate who may have failed one area only by four marks. What did they do? They went and they gave, I don't want to call a name, but they gave another person the opportunity to be the second marker.
01:12That second marker reduced all the marks that I put. I did not just put marks just to support students. In fact, they're not students, they're graduates. But every single mark that I would have given are the professional marks, and they didn't respond to those questions very professional.
01:35A third marker unknown to the students further downgraded the students' grades, resulting in one student out of the eight passing. That, too, is said to be contrary to the Nursing Council Guidelines.
01:49If somebody failed, then a third marker would be asked, too, which means that you cannot ask the first marker to mark again, the second marker to mark again, but you have to have a professional person who's going to be a third marker.
02:03Why is it that these persons went and had a third marker even before the result was set down?
02:09Mr. Murphy is in support of the nurses taking legal action in the matter.
02:13Because legally they are entitled to have passed their examination, not only that, according to the document at the Nursing Council, only persons who would have been lectured should have marked those papers.
02:25When contacted for comment, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Nursing Council, Corey George, said the results of the psychiatric examinations were submitted to the relevant schools of nursing following review and ratification by the Nursing Council of Trinidad and Tobago.
02:44Candidates who were unsuccessful in any of the examinations are eligible to request a review of their results in keeping with academic standards.
02:54This process is facilitated through the Education and Examination Committee.
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