Manfred Mortell RN*

Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing and Allied Health Professions, University of the Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas

*Corresponding Author: Manfred Mortell RN, Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing and Allied Health Professions, University of the Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas.

Received: November 29, 2023; Published: December 13, 2023

Abstract

Getting a PhD is the pinnacle of an education qualification, which only a small proportion of people may achieve in their lifetime. As a PhD candidate, it was often stated that the most important facet of a PhD was the “Dr” that you will have in front of your name. However, from my perspective, the award of a PhD is the academic acknowledgement that validates a PhD candidate to merge with a privileged group of professionals who advocate for the generation and sharing of evidence-based knowledge which contributes to the global body of knowledge. A PhD thesis is central to achieving self-actualization as proposed by Abraham Maslow’s needs hierarchy. But it isn’t the only requirement for the awarding of a PhD degree. The award also requires a successful PhD viva voca oral examination universally. In this article, as a PhD “survivor” I will describe and explain a PhD viva voca within the context of my journey, what kind of questions a candidate may expect from the examiners and will offer advice for other questions that may arise during a PhD viva voca oral examination. I will also be transparent in respect to my motivation and how I passed my PhD viva voca, providing insights into the examination process, the expectations and requirements, the generic potential outcomes, and the importance of viva voca simulation practice. I will also suggest an agenda, as a checklist, which I generated for my defense preparation, as it will prepare the reader with valuable groundwork for this often-daunting event.

Keywords: Candidate; Defense; PhD; Survivor; Viva Voca

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Citation

Citation: Manfred Mortell RN. “Is a PhD Viva Voca Oral Examination “Really” that Daunting? Reflections from a PhD “Survivor”". Acta Scientific Clinical Case Reports 5.1 (2024): 24-31.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Manfred Mortell RN. 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 author and source are credited.