Abstract
Background: Clinical education plays an essential role in shaping the basic skills and professional capabilities of students. Identification of clinical education shortcomings can help to eliminate or correct weak points and improve achievement of educational goals. It could also help to educate skilled graduates, and provide higher quality health care services. This study aims to assess the quality of clinical education from the viewpoint of undergraduate students in radiology technology.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 103 students of radiology technology in Mashhad school of paramedical sciences in 2016. Sampling method was census and students passing the apprenticeship courses in educational hospitals entered the study. Information gathering tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics in the SPSS software with a significance level of p < 0.05.
Results: From the students’ point of view, the status of clinical education had a good level in the areas of social interactions with students and clinical couches’ performance. The students gave intermediate-level feedbacks for quality of educational environment, educational goals and programs and monitoring and assessing methods. There was no significant difference between the averages of the five items of questionnaire and there was no meaningful difference between the level of satisfaction in male and female participants from their field of study.
Conclusion: Rewriting the educational goals and plans, and approaches for monitoring the students, as well as to eliminating the shortcomings in clinical wards, can significantly help in increasing the quality of clinical education.
Keywords: Clinical education, Student, Radiology technology