Is period pain enough reason to delay an exam?
Published 10 months, 2 weeks ago in Making News.
DOCTORS and students are outraged by suggestions that medical certificates are coming too easily to exam-dodging students who have headaches or period pain. RMIT’s academic board has received a complaint that some doctors are issuing too many certificates for “minor'’ ailments and should be blacklisted.
RMIT’s academic board has received a complaint that some doctors are issuing too many certificates for “minor'’ ailments and should be blacklisted.The claims were made anonymously by a member of the university community, as part of the board’s overhaul of its special consideration policy.
Australian Medical Association Victoria president Doug Travers said the complaint was upsetting, false and a “cheap shot'’ at hard-working GPs.
“It’s upsetting that people take cheap shots at doctors,'’ he said.
“The issuing of medical certificates is a serious task. Doctors understand that and take care in assessing the situation when issuing a certificate appropriate to that person.'’
“If people are concerned about the behaviour of doctors, they should take it up with the appropriate body, not make back-handed comments with no substantiation.'’
RMIT Student Union president Patrick O’Keeffe was outraged.
“The fact that such proposals would even be considered by the academic board displays widespread disregard for the right of students to receive confidential medical care,'’ he said.
“These comm2ents reflect a deep distrust of some medical practitioners and students. The misinformed perception of the university is that students are rorting the special consideration policy (but) this is not the case.'’
Health problems the university considered “minor'’ could be indicators of serious illness like endometriosis, Mr O’Keeffe said.
However, student vice-chancellor Joyce Kirk said the board would not act on the suggestion.
“At no time did any of the parties to the briefing consider or discuss the possibility of blacklisting individual doctors or medical practices,'’ she said.
“It is clearly not the board’s intention to act on the `blacklisting’ feedback received.'’
7 Responses to “Is period pain enough reason to delay an exam?”
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Yes.
The thing is, there is “period pain” and there is “period pain” - for some women it’s just fixable with a painkiller but for others it’s agony… and no one takes them seriously because they assume it’s the mild version. Same goes with colds, headaches and migraines - I know some people can go to work with a migraine, I go half-blind and can’t sit up without getting sick.
I think the importance of exams in determining a student’s mark should be much lower - it is just not fair to base half of a semester’s mark on your performance on just one day.
I mean, that one day could be the day you have a cold (not bad enough for a medical certificate, but distracting and timewasting in exams) or your beloved pet dies (not bad enough for special consideration, but once again, horribly distracting), or the day there is an accident and your bus/train/car is late even if you left with plenty of time to spare. It’s just not fair and marks should be based on assignments and tests throughout the semester with an exam worth only 10-20% at the end.
I hear tell that to some the pain is debilitating.
Of course some people will exploit the excuse, but for those that really suffer it is a genuine reason and from someone who has suffered migraines a “headache” can knock me for 6 & put me to bed for a day.
As for dodgy medical certificates, I don’t know of anyone being refused a certificate. I supose it would come down to trust. I’m sure if a patient presented with a list of symtoms in some cases it would be hard to disprove as well as time consuming and a doctor would err on the side of caution and issue a certificate than not.
Given that I have had two children with no drugs (and no pain at all with son # 2), yet I need to take period pain medication at times because I literally cannot stand up…I’d say
YES !
Get over it for heaven’s sake! What next…..Any pain that serious and profound has to be more than mere period pain! Short of a hospital stay, no medical certificate should be acceptable for anyone to avoid an exam. We can talk ourselves into anything!
Sorry pinkcow for my lack of sympathy but I reckon you could possibly have a twisted bowel, rather than the simple onset of periods which I am the first one to admit could bring one to their knees, but not sufficiently to avoid an exam….My husband, as an exam supervisor sees this ruse often, yet the sufferer seems to recover dramatically after the exams are over…..
Perhaps one in a thousand may be genuine, but after that, I reckon its faked!
Actually marywalsh i disagree strongly. I’m sitting at my computer at the moment with a heatpack pressed up against my body in an attempt to alleviate severe cramps. Period pain is not just a bit of pain for some people. I used to be lucky enough not to get any pain… but that changed this year.
You’re telling people to get over it? on the day of my exam earlier this year i tried to tell my mother than she should take me to the doctor to get a medical certificate saying that i was unfit to attend my exam due to severe cramps. however, she has the same lack of sympathy as you do.
I attended the exam and had to leave half way through due to severe cramping and a feeling of nausea. I left the room, fell to my knees and threw up for the next half hour.
The reason for these symptoms is primary dysmenorrhea (the term used to describe painful menstrual cramping) which is recognised my doctors and has no physical cause.
Sometimes in a woman’s body, when the liver energy is out of balance, there is a coldness in the channels, blood deficiency and stagnation. all of which cause period pain.
Period pain is not something to just be written off. girls should not be told to “get over it for heaven’s sake”.
IT HURTS!!!!!! IT’S REALLY REALLY PAINFUL FOR SOME PEOPLE!!!
so, to conclude, if you don’t experience period pain as intense as what has been described then maybe you shouldn’t judge situations without doing the proper research or having first hand knowledge. Hope this helps with your sheer ignorance and arrogance problem.