The pandemic presented multiple issues for conducting BSE accreditation exams, including the Level II written examinations, delivered in partnership with Pearson VUE.
Ordinarily, candidates undertaking the Level II written exam would sit their exam at a local centre in the UK or ROI. However, due to the restriction of movement during the pandemic, this became untenable. In response to this we swiftly pivoted to allow candidates to undertake their exams via online proctoring using OnVue. Candidates are able to take their exam from any location provided that their devices/computers meet the Pearson VUE system requirements. This new delivery style allowed us to take more candidates through the system and has presented the opportunity for overseas candidates to begin the accreditation process.
Over 90% of candidates who took the exam from home had a positive experience. We are constantly reviewing ways to improve the candidate exam journey with Pearson VUE. As an organisation, we have given a quicker turnaround on releasing the results; from 6-8 weeks, we processed and released results within four weeks of the written exam, helping candidates move on to the practical assessment stage.
In addition to offering at home examinations, due to the key worker status of candidates, some test centres were able to stay open. As a result, we kept the disruption to members to a minimum, kept our written examinations operational and even increased the number of candidates sitting exams.
Ms Jo Vashishta, Accreditation Manager, British Society of Echocardiography said "I'm delighted that we could work as a team to support our members through this crucial step in the accreditation process. The combined efforts of our expert Accreditation Committee and Pearson VUE have allowed us to extend and improve access for everyone at this difficult time."
Find out more about personal accreditation