Abstract
Diagnostic radiography students receive clinical training in radiology departments as part of their practical training and theory learning at university. Clinical resources, such as radiology equipment, tutors, and medical textbooks, are crucial for students' competence during Workplace-Based Learning (WBL). Radiology departments need accreditation from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to ensure similar resources are available. The study aims to understand students' perceptions of clinical resources, their perceptions of resources within WBL, and their contribution to their competency.
The study utilised a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design with the use of semi-structured interviews that were conducted until data saturation was reached. Thus, 21 diagnostic radiography students were sampled using purposive sampling at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), to participate in the study. Students in second year, third year and fourth year were recruited to participate in the study. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, and codes and themes were identified using ATLAS.ti 8.
Three themes were developed from the data that were analysed: students’ understanding of clinical resources during WBL, perception of clinical resources in the context of WBL and students’ competence during WBL. The findings from the study suggest that students are not fully aware of their clinical resources, as a result, some felt they needed HPCSA to intervene. Findings also revealed that students had access to clinical resources to aid them in developing their clinical skills thus building confidence and ensuring student competence during WBL. There is a difference in students’ clinical skills due to availability of clinical resources in their departments, unfortunately, their peers see this as a lack of resources in their departments.
To conclude, recommendations were made to address issues faced by student radiographers during WBL. Recommendations that were made addressed radiography training, radiography research, clinical practices and student radiographers. These recommendations were suggested based on the study results.