A PRETORIA psychologist has pleaded guilty at a Health Professions Council of South Africa inquiry for using an outdated intelligence quotient (IQ) test kit to assess a minor.
Dr Roline Hoogenboezem, a married mother of two, yesterday pleaded guilty before the HPCSA professional conduct committee in Pretoria for unknowingly performing a psychometric assessment on February 6 2010 on a minor who attended a school for mentally and physically challenged children.
She said the test was free and was a favour to the patient's mother, who is also her friend.
The test was done to assess the child's IQ and learning process using blocks, colours, pictures and words - which were mainly in English and Afrikaans.
According to a document before the inquiry, the father claimed Hoogenboezem had advised them to send his son to a mainstream school as he was "intellectually gifted".
But after doing so, his child suffered nightmares and was an emotional disaster and could not finish his second term.
He then requested the test results from Hoogenboezem, who refused to give them to him.
He then opened a case against her with the HPCSA on the grounds Hoogenboezem had refused with the results.
However, the HPCSA council later discovered the test kit was outdated.
During the pre-inquiry earlier this year, Hoogenboezem pleaded guilty and was fined R20000, which was later reduced to R10000 after she told the committee of her unemployed status and being placed under administration in 2009.
In explaining her guilty plea yesterday, Hoogenboezem said the test kit she used on the patient was mainly designed for "an average white child", and it was only in Afrikaans and in English.
"As far I know, the test itself is not illegal to use, even though it is an old version.
"New versions are available, but they are expensive. Some of my colleagues still use it. I did not mean any harm to the child," Hoogenboezem said.
She said the old kits cost around R3000, while the new ones can cost up to R25000.
Hoogenboezem said she would de-register herself with the HPCSA and find some other means of earning a living as this case had damaged her reputation.
Madimetja Lamola, who represented the HPCSA, pleaded with the committee to at least give her a suspended sentence of two years as the test was not illegal to use and that Hoogenboezem was broke.
The case has been sent back to council for review before sentence is decided upon.
Doctor is guilty of test on child
A PRETORIA psychologist has pleaded guilty at a Health Professions Council of South Africa inquiry for using an outdated intelligence quotient (IQ) test kit to assess a minor.
Dr Roline Hoogenboezem, a married mother of two, yesterday pleaded guilty before the HPCSA professional conduct committee in Pretoria for unknowingly performing a psychometric assessment on February 6 2010 on a minor who attended a school for mentally and physically challenged children.
She said the test was free and was a favour to the patient's mother, who is also her friend.
The test was done to assess the child's IQ and learning process using blocks, colours, pictures and words - which were mainly in English and Afrikaans.
According to a document before the inquiry, the father claimed Hoogenboezem had advised them to send his son to a mainstream school as he was "intellectually gifted".
But after doing so, his child suffered nightmares and was an emotional disaster and could not finish his second term.
He then requested the test results from Hoogenboezem, who refused to give them to him.
He then opened a case against her with the HPCSA on the grounds Hoogenboezem had refused with the results.
However, the HPCSA council later discovered the test kit was outdated.
During the pre-inquiry earlier this year, Hoogenboezem pleaded guilty and was fined R20000, which was later reduced to R10000 after she told the committee of her unemployed status and being placed under administration in 2009.
In explaining her guilty plea yesterday, Hoogenboezem said the test kit she used on the patient was mainly designed for "an average white child", and it was only in Afrikaans and in English.
"As far I know, the test itself is not illegal to use, even though it is an old version.
"New versions are available, but they are expensive. Some of my colleagues still use it. I did not mean any harm to the child," Hoogenboezem said.
She said the old kits cost around R3000, while the new ones can cost up to R25000.
Hoogenboezem said she would de-register herself with the HPCSA and find some other means of earning a living as this case had damaged her reputation.
Madimetja Lamola, who represented the HPCSA, pleaded with the committee to at least give her a suspended sentence of two years as the test was not illegal to use and that Hoogenboezem was broke.
The case has been sent back to council for review before sentence is decided upon.
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