The NExT Wave: Raising the Bar for Healthcare  Professionals

Rutam  Vaishnav; Jash  Upadhyaya; Nili  Mehta; Joseph  John; Pramila   Menon; Tushar  zagazpe

Rutam Vaishnav MBBS Student, Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad, Gujarat, India.
Jash Upadhyaya MBBS Student, Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad, Gujarat, India.
Nili Mehta 2nd year Resident, Department of Pediatrics, Pramukh Swami Medical College, Karamsad, Gujarat, India.
Joseph John Professor, Department of Pediatrics, AIIMS, Bhubaneshwar, India.
Pramila Menon Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Dr DY Pati l Medical College, Pune, India.
Tushar zagazpe Additional Professor, Department of Pediatrics, AIIMS, Raipur, India.

Abstract

In accordance with the Nati onal Medical Council (NMC) Act of 2019, the government has set forth plans to introduce a comprehensive Nati onal Exit Test (NExT). NExT is designed to serve a dual role i.e., acti ng as a
singular examinati on for certi fying the eligibility of medical graduates to grant the license to practi ce modern medicine and determining the eligibility for the purpose of allocati on of postgraduate residencies.1 It aims to bring objecti vity in the assessment and ensure minimum standards in the medical educati on being provided all throughout the country in line with One Nati on- One Examinati on. The NMC aims to conduct the examinati on in 2 steps. Step 1 shall be a Multi ple Choice Questi on (MCQ) based screening test involving six papers and applied aspects of all the basic science and para-clinical subjects. In comparison to the current MCQs-based examinati ons, it is expected to include MCQs of higher order including clinical vignett es, extended matching type, problem-solving and applicati on-based questions. Step 2 shall be a practi cal-based examinati on which would assess the expected skills of an Indian Medical Graduate (IMG). The merit for postgraduate admission would be solely based on the marks of Step 1. Results of Step 2 shall be declared as Pass/ Fail only.

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