Research, spend time on national committees, and engage in the myriad of other activities which are necessary to receive an award--so a skewed distribution is inevitable. This is not the same as saying that those who allocate the awards are prejudiced. Against this background, are not Esmail and Everington's findings telling us more about patterns of employment in the NHS over the past 30 years than about the workings of the distinction award system? To test their hypothesis they should have established whether ethnic minority consultants in the same age group, specialty, and type of hospital are less likely to receive an award than their white colleagues. Only then would they be assessing the allocation of awards rather than historical employment opportunities. More and better data are needed to make an informed judgment on these difficult and important issues--not just to do with race but the other anomalies too. In the meantime, how might the distinction award system be improved? Indeed, should it exist at all? The committee that originally devised it believed that distinction awards were necessary "if the best possible recruits are to be attracted to specialist practice." Over the years there have been several reviews of the system, 5 but none has disagreed with this central premise or come up with a better way of achieving it. However, the committee also observed that the system "must command the confidence of the profession" and it is here that we do need to pay attention. It is important that all consultants understand the system and that the process is transparent. The distinction award criteria do not easily lend themselves to a scoring system, and, although this may be a weakness, it also reflects the varied ways in which consultants contribute to the NHS. None the less, a more explicit statement of the minimum requirements for each level of award could be helpful, as would an indication of the relative importance of different professional achievements. Most important, the process of taking soundings would benefit from a thorough review to ensure that no one is disadvantaged. For example, each eligible consultant could be invited to complete the questionnaire if they wanted to do so. This would serve two purposes: consultants would have a better understanding of the achievements necessary to get an award, and each case would be considered on its merits.

It is the prerogative of TLC to decide whether to grant the request. All students will be tracked by their social security number or a unique number will be assigned to the student. Course Assignment Material Most of the EPA questions will come from the EPA summary, waterborne disease section identification, MCL listing, water sampling and laboratory procedures. Other detailed information will come from the Center of Disease Control. The EPA rules and laboratory procedures are also available on line at the EPA Web site: epa.gov. You are expected to read and understand all these rules and laboratory procedures. Instructions for Written Assignments The BACTERIOLOGICAL DISEASES distance learning course uses a multiple-choice style answer key. You can find the answer key in the rear of the assignment. You may have the option of completion of the laboratory assignment, either the heterotrophic plate count, Method 1623 - Cryptosporidium and Giardia or most EPA's data gathering and monitoring programs under the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. To receive alternate credit for the course, please contact TLC to receive permission from your Instructor. Feedback Mechanism examination procedures ; Each student will receive a feedback form as part of his or her study packet. You will be able to find this form in the rear of the course or lesson. Security and Integrity All students are required to do their own work. All lesson sheets and final exams are not returned to the student to discourage sharing of answers. Any fraud or deceit and the student will forfeit all fees and the appropriate agency will be notified. A random test generator will be implemented to protect the integrity of the assignment. Grading Criteria TLC will offer the student either pass fail or a standard letter grading assignment. If TLC is not notified, you will only receive a pass fail notice. In order to pass your final assignment, you are required to obtain a minimum score of 70% on your assignment. Required Texts The BACTERIOLOGICAL DISEASES course comes complete with a short summary of the EPA's Rules and Regulations and related drinking water standards. If you need more information or a complete set of Rules, you can download them off the EPA's web page, epa.gov or contact your local state environmental agency. You may need to contact a laboratory or state agency for certain sampling information. Recordkeeping and Reporting Practices TLC will keep all student records for a minimum of seven years. It is the student's responsibility to give the completion certificate to the appropriate agencies. TLC will not release any records to any party, except to the student. We will send the required information to Texas, Indiana and Pennsylvania for your certificate renewals.

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