CXC partners with Regional Examination for Nursing Registration

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) will be partnering with Regional Examination for Nursing Registration (RENR) to offer CXC managed examinations to candidates by October of this year.{{more}}

This partnership is just one of the many new initiatives of the CXC which were communicated to Caribbean journalists during a stakeholders seminar at the Alexander Court in Barbados on Monday, March 5, 2012.

The CXC is working with the Regional Nursing Body, Nursing Councils across the region and Colleges of Nursing to manage the RENR.

“CXC will evaluate and make the test more reliable as well as to deal more efficiently with the distribution of the results,” Cleveland Sam, Assistant Registrar, Public Information and Customer Services stated.

CXC’s involvement in the examinations will ensure an electronic item bank, with detailed statistical and other data on item performance, a transparent industry approved process of test development and tests that are based on current, up-to-date practice in nursing, participants at the seminar were told.

Additionally, CXC’s input will ensure valid and reliable tests which are generated to meet agreed specifications, informative statistical reports on item, test and candidate performance and efficient and timely distribution of results. There will also be a regional accreditation of the RENR, and certificates presented will be recognized by the Caribbean region and the world. CXC will also provide certification that is benchmarked against international standards.

Sam also pointed out several advantages of the CXC managed RENR, which include having a portable certificate within and outside the region, examinations administered through local registrars to ensure security and efficient administration, the processing of data to generate reports and meet the needs of various stakeholders among others.

Speaking of other new initiatives for the examining body, Sam stated that four new CAPE syllabuses are being developed to offer to candidates. The four new syllabuses are in the fields of Entrepreneurship Education, Food Agriculture and the Environment, Performing Arts and Tourism.

Sam, giving an outline of the programmes, stated that the names may change during the development process.

With the Entrepreneurship Education syllabus, Sam stated that they are trying to get students to think outside the box, to think more innovatively and be more creative.

The Entrepreneurship Education syllabus will focus on idea generation and innovation, assessment of risks and niche markets and the use of Information and Communications Technology and the challenges of competing in the global marketplace.

The subject is not intended only for candidates pursuing studies in the business field, but is directed to students pursuing any field of study. The syllabus will be generic, fostering the development of entrepreneurism in candidates regardless of their career aspirations.

Sam stated that the Performing Arts syllabus will give candidates several areas where they focus their studies. In unit one of the programme, students will be able to develop skills as a performer, technician or administrator.

“So it gives you choices in terms of where your focus is, whether you want to be a performer, technician or manager in the performing arts,” Sam stated.

Unit two of the programme, according to Sam, will focus on the production and the delivery aspects of performing arts.

The Tourism programme will focus on tourism concepts and issues and tourism product and marketing, while the Food Agriculture and the environment programme will focus on the fundamentals of agriculture

And crop production and animal production and the environment.

The CAPE Food, Agriculture and the Environment Syllabus was developed in response to the fact that agriculture and food are prime industries in the region and are key components in the development of policies that drive economic growth, utilise natural resources and sustain the environment.(OS)