Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute

OBJECTIVES: We estimated the asthma-related health care utilization and costs in Korea from the insurer' s and societal perspective. METHODS: We extracted the insurance claims records from the Korea National Health Insurance claims database for determining the health care services provided to patients with asthma in 2003. Patients were defined as having asthma if they had > or =2 medical claims with diagnosis of asthma and they had been prescribed anti-asthma medicines. Annual claims records were aggeregated for each patient to produce patient-specific information on the total utilization and costs. The total asthma-related cost was the sum of the direct healthcare costs, the transportation costs for visits to healthcare providers and the patient's or caregivers' costs for the time spent on hospital or outpatient visits. RESULTS: A total of 699,603 people were identified as asthma patients, yielding an asthma prevalence of 1.47%. Each asthma patient had 7.56 outpatient visits, 0.01 ED visits and 0.02 admissions per year to treat asthma. The per-capita insurance-covered costs increased with age, from 128,276 Won for children aged 1 to 14 years to 270,729 Won for those aged 75 or older. The total cost in the nation varied from 121,865 million to 174,949 million Won depending on the perspectives. From a societal perspective, direct healthcare costs accounted for 84.9%, transportation costs for 15.1% and time costs for 9.2% of the total costs. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalizations and ED visits represented only a small portion of the asthma-related costs. Most of the societal burden was attributed to direct medical expenditures, with outpatient visits and medications emerging as the single largest cost components.

(page number not for citation purposes) 2013, National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board of the Republic of Korea This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to apply alternative standard setting methods for the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE), a criterion-referenced written examination, and to compare them to the conventional cut score used on the KMLE. METHODS: The process and results of criterion-referenced standard settings (i.e., the modified-Angoff and bookmark methods) were evaluated. The ratio of passing and failing examinees determined using these alternative standard setting methods was compared to the results of the conventional criteria. Additionally, the external, internal and procedural evaluation of these methods were reviewed. RESULTS: The modified-Angoff method yielded the highest cut score, followed sequentially by the conventional method and the bookmark method. The classification agreement between the modified-Angoff and bookmark methods was 0.720 measured by Cohen's κ coefficient. The intra-panelist classification consistency of modified-Angoff method was higher than bookmark method. However, the inter-panelist classification consistency was vice versa. The standard setting panelists' survey results showed that the procedures of both methods were satisfactory, but panelists had more confidence in the results of the modified-Angoff method. CONCLUSION: The modified-Angoff method showed results that were more similar to those of the conventional method. Both new methods showed very high concordance with the conventional method, as well as with each other. The modified-Angoff method was considered feasible for adoption on the KMLE. The standard setting panelists responded positively to the modified-Angoff method in terms of its practical applicability, despite certain advantages of the bookmark method.

The first trial of the clinical skill test as part of the Korean Medical Licensing Examination was done from September 23 to December 1, 2009, in the clinical skill test center located in the National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board (NHPLEB) building, Seoul. Korea is the first country to introduce the clinical skill test as part of the medical licensing examination in Asia. It is a report on the introduction and administration of the test. The NHPLEB launched researches on the validity of introducing the clinical skill test and on the best implementation methods in 2000. Since 2006, lists of subjects of test items for the clinical skill test has been developed. The test consisted of two types of evaluation, i.e., a clinical performance examination (CPX) with a standardized patient (SP) and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The proctor (medical faculty member) and SP rate the examinees' proficiency for the OSCE and CPX respectively. Out of 3,456 applicants, 3,289 examinees (95.2%) passed the test. Out of 167 examinees who failed the clinical skill test, 142 passed the written test. This means that the clinical skill test showed characteristics independent from the written test. This successful implementation of the clinical skill test is going to improve the medical graduates' performance of clinical skills.

PURPOSE: This study explored the possibility of using the Angoff method, in which panel experts determine the cut score of an exam, for the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination (KNLE). Two mock exams for the KNLE were analyzed. The Angoff standard setting procedure was conducted and the results were analyzed. We also aimed to examine the procedural validity of applying the Angoff method in this context. METHODS: For both mock exams, we set a pass-fail cut score using the Angoff method. The standard setting panel consisted of 16 nursing professors. After the Angoff procedure, the procedural validity of establishing the standard was evaluated by investigating the responses of the standard setters. RESULTS: The descriptions of the minimally competent person for the KNLE were presented at the levels of general and subject performance. The cut scores of first and second mock exams were 74.4 and 76.8, respectively. These were higher than the traditional cut score (60% of the total score of the KNLE). The panel survey showed very positive responses, with scores higher than 4 out of 5 points on a Likert scale. CONCLUSION: The scores calculated for both mock tests were similar, and were much higher than the existing cut scores. In the second simulation, the standard deviation of the Angoff rating was lower than in the first simulation. According to the survey results, procedural validity was acceptable, as shown by a high level of confidence. The results show that determining cut scores by an expert panel is an applicable method.

PURPOSE: This study aims to compare the various standard setting methods for the Korean Radiological Technologist Licensing Examination with the fixed cut score and suggest the most appropriate method. METHODS: Six radiological technology professors, set the standards of 250 items for Korean Radiological Technologist Licensing examination that were conducted on December 2016 by using Angoff, Ebel, bookmark, and Hofstee methods. RESULTS: With the maximum percentile score of 100, the cut score for the examination was 71.27 in Angoff method, 62.2 in Ebel method, 64.49 in bookmark method, and 62 in Hofstee. Based on the Hofstee's acceptable cut score, the acceptable cut score for the examination was between 52.83 and 70, but the cut score was 71.27 in Angoff method. CONCLUSION: Above results suggested that the best standard setting methods to determine the cut score was panel discussion with the modified Angoff or Ebel methods, and verification of the rated results by Hofstee method. Because there was still no adoption of standard setting in the Korean Radiological Technologist Licensing Examination, this study will be able to provide the practical guideline to introduce the standard setting.

The aim of this study was to investigate respondents' satisfaction with smart device-based testing (SBT), as well as its convenience and advantages, in order to improve its implementation. The survey was conducted among 108 junior medical students at Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Korea, who took a practice licensing examination using SBT in September 2015. The survey contained 28 items scored using a 5-point Likert scale. The items were divided into the following three categories: satisfaction with SBT administration, convenience of SBT features, and advantages of SBT compared to paper-and-pencil testing or computer-based testing. The reliability of the survey was 0.95. Of the three categories, the convenience of the SBT features received the highest mean (M) score (M= 3.75, standard deviation [SD]= 0.69), while the category of satisfaction with SBT received the lowest (M= 3.13, SD= 1.07). No statistically significant differences across these categories with respect to sex, age, or experience were observed. These results indicate that SBT was practical and effective to take and to administer.

Purpose:In order to apply the item response theory to test results, the assumptions made about unidimensionality and item goodness-of-fitness should be tested before analysis.To know if the Korean Medical Licensing Examination results fulfill these assumptions, appropriate tests were done on these two features.Methods: Three results (from three subjects) of the Korean Medical Licensing Examination, done in January 2004, were converted into 1, 0 data.The Holland and Rosenbaum Method (HRMH) and DETECT were used to test unidimensionality.The Winsteps was used to test goodness-of-fitness according to the Rasch model.Results: Unidimensionality was rejected by HRMH but accepted by DETECT.With the Rasch model, 2 out of 550 items were inadequate.Each 137, 73 and 455 examinees out of 3,881 were inadequate in three subjects of 126, 400 and 24 items. Conclusion:The above results suggest that DETECT is desirable for testing unidimensionality of high-stakes tests with more than 100 items.According to the Rasch model, the Korean Medical Licensing Examination fulfills the goodness-of-fitness to be analyzed according to the item response theory.

PURPOSE: The Korea Medical Licensing Exam (KMLE) typically contains a large number of items. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a difference in the cut score between evaluating all items of the exam and evaluating only some items when conducting standard-setting. METHODS: We divided the item sets that appeared on 3 recent KMLEs for the past 3 years into 4 subsets of each year of 25% each based on their item content categories, discrimination index, and difficulty index. The entire panel of 15 members assessed all the items (360 items, 100%) of the year 2017. In split-half set 1, each item set contained 184 (51%) items of year 2018 and each set from split-half set 2 contained 182 (51%) items of the year 2019 using the same method. We used the modified Angoff, modified Ebel, and Hofstee methods in the standard-setting process. RESULTS: Less than a 1% cut score difference was observed when the same method was used to stratify item subsets containing 25%, 51%, or 100% of the entire set. When rating fewer items, higher rater reliability was observed. CONCLUSION: When the entire item set was divided into equivalent subsets, assessing the exam using a portion of the item set (90 out of 360 items) yielded similar cut scores to those derived using the entire item set. There was a higher correlation between panelists' individual assessments and the overall assessments.

PURPOSE: The Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE) has undergone a variety of innovative reforms implemented by the National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board (NHPLEB) in order to make it a competency-based test. The purpose of this article is to describe the ways in which the KMLE has been reformed and the effect of those innovations on medical education in Korea. METHODS: Changes in the KMLE were traced from 1994 to 2014 by reviewing the adoption of new policies by the NHPLEB and the relevant literature. RESULTS: The most important reforms that turned the examination into a competency-based test were the following: First, the subjects tested on the exam were revised; second, R-type items were introduced; third, the proportion of items involving problem-solving skills was increased; and fourth, a clinical skills test was introduced in addition to the written test. The literature shows that the above reforms have resulted in more rigorous licensure standards and have improved the educational environment of medical schools in Korea. CONCLUSION: The reforms of the KMLE have led to improvements in how the competency of examinees is evaluated, as well as improvements in the educational system in medical schools in Korea.

The National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board (NHPLEB) of the Republic of Korea completed the clinical skill test for the Medical Licensing Examination in 2009 and 2010 that was introduced for the first time in Asia. This was only possible due to the great amount of time devoted by the medical professors and staff of NHPLE. To improve the evaluation of what examinees can do instead of only what they know, a clinical skill test should also be administered in other health professional fields. Recently, the NHPLEB has dealt with 160,000 examinees including licensed practical nurses, caregivers, and certified health education specialists. The NHPLE will apply to the ISO 9001 certification process in 2011. Also, the work of the ad hoc team for computer-based testing will be extended in 2011. On December 14, 2010, during the meeting with the President of the Association for Medical Education in the Western Pacific Region (AMEWPR), Dr. Duck-Sun Ahn, it was agreed that the Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions will be an official journal of the AMEWPR beginning in July 2011 after going through a scheduled process. Workshops for the capability on how to develop test item will be continued specific to each field so that the pool of examiners can be expanded. The year 2012 is the 20th anniversary of the NHPLEB. Thus preparations for the international conference to celebrate the 20th anniversary will begin in 2011. I appreciate all readers and the health personnel educators for their support of the NHPLEB in 2010. I will persevere in my effort to develop the National Health Personnel Licensing Examination in every way in 2011.

In May 2011, the Ministry of Unification of the Republic of Korea (Korea) announced that 21,165 defectors from Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) had settled in Korea. Since healthcare workers are counted among these defectors, it is necessary to provide them with a pathway to certification to work in Korea. This report summarizes the vetting and approval process defectors from North Korea must pass through to be eligible to take the national medical licensing examination. Defectors must pass an oral test conducted by the National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board to be eligible to sit for the exam. From 2002 to August 2011, 41 North Korean defectors applied for the approval process to take the exam. Twenty-nine were approved (70.7%): 23 physicians, 1 dentist, 2 oriental medical doctor, 1 nurse, and 2 pharmacists. Out of 29 approved, 11 passed the licensing examination (39.3%). This report also highlights the difficulty in assessing North Korean defectors' eligibility by oral test, and suggests that adequate competency should be emphasized to recognize their unique abilities as healthcare personnel.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to test the reliability of the clinical performance examination (CPX) using Generalizability theory (G-theory). Through G-theory, the effects of not only students and tasks but also the school will be analyzed as primary sources of error, which can affect the interpretation of the reliability of the CPX. METHODS: One thousand three hundred nineteen students from 16 medical schools that participated in the Seoul-Gyeonggi CPX Consortium 2008 were enrolled. In our research design, we suppose that student is nested within school and crossed with task. Data analysis was conducted with urGenova. RESULTS: According to our analysis, the percentage of error variance was 6.2% for school, 14.9% for student nested within school, 14.4% for task, and 3% for interaction between school and task. An effect of school on students was observed, but the interaction between task and school was insignificant. When student is nested within school, the universe score decreased and the g-coefficient was less than the g-coefficient of the p x t (p: studentm, t: task) design. CONCLUSION: The results show that generalizability theory is useful in detecting various error components in the CPX. Using the generalizability theory to improve the technical quality of performance assessments provides us with greater information compared with traditional test theories.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze opinions about the action plan for implementation of clinical performance exam as part of the national nursing licensing examination and presents the expected effects of the performance exam and aspects to consider regarding its implementation. METHODS: This study used a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected by a questionnaire survey, while qualitative data were collected by focus group interviews with experts. The survey targeted 200 nursing professors and clinical nurses with more than 5 years of work experience, and the focus group interviews were conducted with 28 of professors, clinical instructors, and nurses at hospitals. RESULTS: First, nursing professors and clinical specialists agreed that the current written tests have limitations in evaluating examinees' ability, and that the introduction of a clinical performance exam will yield positive results. Clinical performance exam is necessary to evaluate and improve nurses' work ability, which means that the implementation of a performance exam is advisable if its credibility and validity can be verified. Second, most respondents chose direct performance exams using simulators or standardized patients as the most suitable format of the test. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the current national nursing licensing exam is somewhat limited in its ability to identify competent nurses. Thus, the time has come for us to seriously consider the introduction of a performance exam. The prerequisites for successfully implementing clinical performance exam as part of the national nursing licensing exam are a professional training process and forming a consortium to standardize practical training.

The passing rate of the Medical Licensing Examination has been variable, which probably originated from the difference in the difficulty of items and/or difference in the ability level of examinees. We tried to explain the origin of the difference using the test equating method based on the item response theory. The number of items and examinees were 500, 3,647 in 2003 and 550, 3,879 in 2004. Common item nonequivalent group design was used for 30 common items. Item and ability parameters were calculated by three parametric logistic models using ICL. Scale transformation and true score equating were executed using ST and PIE. The mean of difficulty index of the year 2003 was -0.957 (SD 2.628) and that of 2004 after equating was -1.456 (SD 3.399). The mean of discrimination index of year 2003 was 0.487 (SD 0.242) and that of 2004 was 0.363 (SD 0.193). The mean of ability parameter of year 2003 was 0.00617 (SD 0.96605) and that of year 2004 was 0.94636 (SD 1.32960). The difference of the equated true score at the same ability level was high at the range of score of 200-350. The reason for the difference in passing rates over two consecutive years was due to the fact that the Examination in 2004 was easier and the abilities of the examinees in 2004 were higher. In addition, the passing rates of examinees with score of 270-294 in 2003, and those with 322-343 in 2004, were affected by the examination year.

On December 23, 2015, the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (KHPLEI) was launched as a special foundation supported by the Korean Government on the basis of the enactment of a new law. It functions as the continuation of the National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board (NHPLEB) of Korea, which was established in 1998 and persisted for 17 years. The NHPLEB of Korea was itself a continuation of the National Medical Licensing Examination Board of Korea launched in 1992. Therefore, 23 years have passed since the establishment of the National Licensing Examination Board for physicians, the first iteration of the organization in Korea. The significance of being a special foundation is that, under Korean law, it is possible for the management and development of the organization to be financially underwritten by the Korean government. For this development, we can thank Dr. Jeong Lim Moon, who was a member of 19th National Assembly of the Republic of Korea from May 30, 2012 to May 29, 2016. She was a member of the ruling party: the Saenuri Party. She had worked in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Catholic University of Korea and volunteered at the Korean Medical Association with the title of spokesperson and executive member. She led a group of 23 National Assembly members in sponsoring the law on the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute on January 13, 2013. It passed the National Assembly in May of 2015. This law was officially made public on June 22, 2015, and is available at http://www.law.go.kr/. Thereafter, the new foundation, the KHPLEI, was launched officially on December 23, 2015. As the first president of this new foundation, I have a great responsibility for the development and promotion of the organization and to improve national licensing examination services for a variety of health professions. I have taught medical students from 1981 to 2013 at Soonchunhyang University, Korea. I would like to make the most of my experience as a medical educator through my new role as the president of the KHPLEI. I propose the following goals during my three-year term: First, clinical skills tests shall be expanded to a variety of health professionals besides physicians and emergency medical technicians [1]. A clinical skills test is not easy to implement in the context of a national licensing examination due to its cost and the preparation needed on the part of examinees; however, to better evaluate the clinical skill of examinees, it should be the top-ranking goal of the KHPLEI. Second, smart device-based testing (SBT) shall be implemented in 2017 in the licensing examination for emergency medical technicians [2]. SBT is a type of computer-based testing in which the user’s interface device is a smart device such as a smart tablet or smart phone. It is administered offline, not over the internet. Wifi cannot yet be implemented for high-stakes examinations due to potential security problems. In the future, online testing may be possible after security issues have been addressed. The medical licensing examination will be the next target for SBT, with implementation in 2020. The KHPLEI has a plan to adopt SBT for at least 10 health professions by 2030. This will require securing an appropriate budget and meticulous preparation for a smooth migration from paper-and-pencil tests to SBT. If the leaders of any specific profession wish to implement SBT, their national licensing examination shall be given priority consideration. Otherwise, the priority professions shall be those for which the number of examinees is relatively small. Third, setting an appropriate passing score on each licensing examination is an urgent task. Introducing a psychometric approach to setting the passing score, such as the modified Angoff method or borderline method, and controlling the difficulty index of each item is needed [3]. If the KHPLEI adopts a rigorous technique for setting the passing threshold, the fluctuation of the passing rate from one administration of a licensing examination to the next can be alleviated. For this task, the KHPLEI will need the expertise of psychometricians as collaborators or professional consultants. Achieving the above three goals is mandatory for the improvement of the quality of licensed health personnel in Korea. Their greater quality and performance will, in turn, serve to promote the health of the people of Korea. In addition to augmenting the licensing examinations, the KHPLEI should take on a broader role in strengthening its position as a leader in health professions licensing. Thus, my fourth proposal is to prepare a support system to help other countries in Asia improve their licensing examination systems for health professions. The KHPLEI has extensive knowledge of the world landscape with regard to licensing examination systems, as well as our own experience to draw upon; therefore, we can offer the expertise of our staff for programs and initiatives related to the national licensing examinations of other countries. This shall be another task of the KHPLEI in the near future. Fifth, the KHPLEI has supported research projects for the development and revision of each licensing examination every year. Some of them have been published as articles through the Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions (JEEHP). I will stress the publication of research reports in the journal so that the many stakeholders in health professions licensing understand the Korean system and can draw upon the information reported in published articles. We will look to researchers supported by the KHPLEI to submit reports on their findings to JEEHP. Sixth, the competency of the KHPLEI in research and development shall be improved by training the current staff or recruiting full-time researchers. Like the National Board of Medical Examiners in the United States of America and the Medical Council of Canada, the KHPLEI shall be a leading institute on national licensing examinations for the health professions. The results of our research will be communicated to the world through JEEHP. Finally, a building that will house an item development center for the national licensing examinations of a variety of health professions will be constructed. A ground-breaking ceremony took place on March 7, 2016 at the construction site in Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do. We aim to open the doors in March of 2017. The budget for the building is 13.8 million US dollars. Its gross floor area of 5,057 m2 will be allocated to workspace for the professionals who contribute items for licensing examinations. Accommodations, work rooms, and administrative offices will be included. This center will provide a more comfortable and efficient environment for item contribution. I have taken on the responsibility of overseeing the process of construction and raising sufficient funds from the Korean government for the building. To achieve the above goals successfully, more intensive information exchange through JEEHP is also necessary. Fortunately, the number of article submissions not only from Korea but also from around the world has increased rapidly. Among them, it is worth noting that the findings of many studies performing evaluations of nationwide tests have been published. Launched in 2004, JEEHP published volume 13 in 2016. Its inclusion in PubMed Central and PubMed in February 2009, Web of Science in December 2015, and MEDLINE in March 2016 were milestones in its becoming a truly international journal. In my role, I will continuously support the publication of JEEHP as an open access journal for widespread, convenient access to JEEHP from all over the world. It is my privilege and honor to work as the first president of the KHPLEI. I will always listen to the voices of all the various licensing stakeholders and will continue to propose initiatives to promote the quality of national licensing examinations for the health professions. I wish all readers of and contributors to JEEHP the very best and look forward to a close collaboration between the journal and the foundation.

PURPOSE: This study presents item analysis results of the 26 health personnel licensing examinations managed by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (KHPLEI) in 2022. METHODS: The item difficulty index, item discrimination index, and reliability were calculated. The item discrimination index was calculated using a discrimination index based on the upper and lower 27% rule and the item-total correlation. RESULTS: Out of 468,352 total examinees, 418,887 (89.4%) passed. The pass rates ranged from 27.3% for health educators level 1 to 97.1% for oriental medical doctors. Most examinations had a high average difficulty index, albeit to varying degrees, ranging from 61.3% for prosthetists and orthotists to 83.9% for care workers. The average discrimination index based on the upper and lower 27% rule ranged from 0.17 for oriental medical doctors to 0.38 for radiological technologists. The average item-total correlation ranged from 0.20 for oriental medical doctors to 0.38 for radiological technologists. The Cronbach α, as a measure of reliability, ranged from 0.872 for health educators-level 3 to 0.978 for medical technologists. The correlation coefficient between the average difficulty index and average discrimination index was -0.2452 (P=0.1557), that between the average difficulty index and the average item-total correlation was 0.3502 (P=0.0392), and that between the average discrimination index and the average item-total correlation was 0.7944 (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This technical report presents the item analysis results and reliability of the recent examinations by the KHPLEI, demonstrating an acceptable range of difficulty index and discrimination index values, as well as good reliability.

T he International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities has suggested three roles for a countrys medical regulatory authority: first, it should provide the graduates of medical schools and immigrant physicians licenses to practice in the country; second, it should provide high-quality educational and training programs to promote and maintain the health and safety of the public and ensure professionalism; third, it should resolve public complaints regarding medical practice so as to increase rapport between professionals and the public. In Korea, the first function has been performed by the National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board. The second function has been executed by the Korean Medical Association as required by medical law since 2012. No authority has been designated to deal with the third function, so this role has been ceded to the legal market. There are three major reasons that the time has come to establish medical regulatory authority in Korea. First, to assure a minimum quality of medical service, more vigorous continuing medical education must be required for licensure. Second, specific and comprehensive preparation should be made available for medical professionals who immigrate, including physicians from North Korea. Third, the establishment of a regulatory authority is the easiest and most reasonable way to establish and promote a level of professionalism that is respected by the public. To establish a medical regulatory authority in Korea, not only physicians but also the government and the public should participate in discussions of this topic. The medical societies should lead the process of discussion, and the societies agreement with any regulatory outcomes should be obtained.

Of all the goals listed in last year's President's address, most of them were realized. The National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board (NHPLEB) of the Republic of Korea earned the ISO 9001 certificate in August 2011. The Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions (JEEHP) was accepted as an official journal of the Association for Medical Education in the Western Pacific Region. This means that a new international window was opened for communicating ideas on educational evaluation within the Western Pacific Region. Another remarkable project was two trial runs of an examination of ubiquitous-based testing (UBT) for medical technologist students in November and December 2011. Smart pads were kindly provided by Korea Telecom. Some bandwidth problems and procedural mistakes in the first examination were corrected in the second one. The response from examinees and the faculty was favorable to UBT suggesting the possibility of introducing UBT to the variety of national health personnel licensing examinations. At last November's meeting of the Board of the Korean Medical Licensing Examination, the NHPLEB was also asked to prepare for the introduction of computer-based testing (CBT) within 7 years. 2012 is the 20th anniversary of NHPLEB. To continue the success of the last 20 years of hard work and perspiration, a conference will be held this May. Here, the new short-term and long-term goals of NHPLEB and new educational evaluation projects will be discussed in depth, preparing plans for the next 20 years worthy of our pride and admiration. Among those planned projects, UBT and CBT will be implemented to two health personnel fields, medical technologists and dentists as trial run of examination. I have been pleased to observe the increase in the papers published through this journal. In 2012, I hope an even greater number of invaluable articles will appear in the journal to promote higher quality educational evaluation for health personnel.

Received: April 30, 2009 • Accepted: May 15, 2009 Corresponding Author: Moon Shik Kim National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board, 224 Jayang-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-873, Korea TEL) 02-476-2333 FAX) 02-2088-1081 E-mail) mskim@kuksiwon.or.kr 1) President of National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board, Republic of Korea (2004. 5~2009. 6.) Korean J Med Educ 2009 Sep; 21(3): 215-216. doi: 10.3946/kjme.2009.21.3.215.