McNulty, JP, England, A and Shanahan, MC (2021) International perspectives on radiography practice education. Radiography, 27 (4). pp. 1044-1051. ISSN 1078-8174

[thumbnail of International perspective on medical radiation practice education-updated jan2021.docx] Text
International perspective on medical radiation practice education-updated jan2021.docx - Accepted Version

Download (291kB)
[thumbnail of PIIS1078817421000432.pdf]
Preview
Text
PIIS1078817421000432.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Introduction
The radiography profession is built upon strong educational foundations which help ensure graduate radiographers have the required knowledge, skills, and competence to practise safely and effectively. Changing clinical practices, service needs, technological developments, regulatory changes, together with our growing professional evidence-base, all contribute to the need for our curricula to responsive and continually reviewed and enhanced. This study aims to explore similarities and differences in training curricula and follows a 2012 global survey on radiography education and more recent surveys undertaken by the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS).
Methods
An online questionnaire, based on previous EFRS education and clinical education surveys, which comprised of open and closed questions and consisted of sections designed to ascertain data on: type, level and duration of education programmes leading to an initial or pre-registration qualification in radiography/medical radiation practice, pre-clinical skill development and clinical placement within programmes. The survey was distributed via social media channels and through an international network of professional societies. Descriptive statistics are reported for most analyses while open questions were analysed thematically.
Results
Responses were received from 79 individuals from 28 identified countries across four continents. This represented a total of 121 different pre-registration/entry level programmes offered across these institutions. While dedicated diagnostic radiography programmes were most common (42/121), almost one-third of programmes (40/121) offered two or more areas of specialisation within the curriculum. The average of total hours for clinical placement were 1397 h for diagnostic radiography programmes; 1300 h for radiation therapy programmes; 1025 h for nuclear medicine programmes; and 1134 h for combined specialisation programmes, respectively. Institutions provided a range of physical and virtual systems to support pre-clinical skills development.
Conclusion
Around the world, radiography programmes vary considerably in terms of their level, duration, programme type, pre-clinical and clinical training, use of simulation, and also in terms of class sizes, student/staff ratios, and graduate employment prospects. The ability of graduates to work independently in areas covered within their programmes varied considerably. While some changes around simulation use were evident, given the impact of COVID-19 it would be beneficial for future research to investigate if pre-clinical and clinical education hours or use of simulation resources has changed due to the pandemic.
Implications for practice
The heterogeneity that exists between radiography programmes presents a significant challenge in terms of the mutual recognition of qualifications and the international movement of the radiographer workforce.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: 1078-8174/© 2021 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) J.P. McNulty, A. England and M.C. Shanahan, International perspectives on radiography practice education, Radiography, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2021.04.004
Uncontrolled Keywords: Clinical education, Education, Radiography, Simulation, Staff, Students
Subjects: R Medicine > R Medicine (General) > R735 Medical education. Medical schools. Research
R Medicine > RZ Other systems of medicine
Divisions: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Allied Health Professions
Depositing User: Symplectic
Date Deposited: 06 May 2021 09:21
Last Modified: 10 Feb 2022 14:44
URI: https://eprints.keele.ac.uk/id/eprint/9502

Actions (login required)

View Item
View Item