Towards a competency-based doctoral curriculum at the University of Zambia: lessons from practice

We describe a collaborative, iterative, and participatory process that we undertook to develop and adopt a competency-based doctoral curriculum framework at the University of Zambia. There needs to be more than the traditional unstructured apprenticeship of PhD training in a knowledge-based economy where PhD graduates are expected to contribute to industry problem-solving. The lack of industry-driven competencies and, to some extent, limited skills possessed by PhD graduates relative to the demands of employers has led to the misclassification of doctoral degrees as mere paper certificates. Further, under traditional PhD training without specific core competencies, it has led to criticisms of such PhD studies as a waste of resources. The calls to rethink doctoral development in broader employment contexts led many countries to redesign their PhD programs. Training has increasingly introduced industrial linkages and industry-defined research projects to increase the attractiveness of doctoral students. Whereas developed countries have made significant reforms towards competency-based PhD training, little or nothing has been done in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This against the demands that Africa needs more than 100,000 PhDs in the next decade to spur economic development. Against this background, the University of Zambia has developed an industry-driven structured competency-based PhD curriculum framework. The framework will guide and support the development of standardized program-specific PhD curricula, delivery, and assessment of competencies at the University of Zambia, ensuring that doctoral students acquire skills and demonstrate core competencies that are transferable and applicable in industry settings. This framework focuses on the development of specific competencies that are necessary for successful PhD completion. The competencies are divided into three main categories: research, teaching, and professional development. Each category is then broken down into ten core competencies from which respective doctoral programs will develop sub-competencies. It is from these core competencies and sub-competencies that learning outcomes, assessment methods, and teaching activities are developed. It is envisioned that this new competency-based doctoral curriculum framework will be a helpful tool in training a cadre of professionals and researchers who benefit the industry and contribute to economic and societal development

Image Interpretation and Reporting by Radiographers in Africa: Findings from the Literature Review and their Application to Zambia

Background: The need for having reporting radiographers has been a part of the discussion in the last decade in Zambia. This is due to  acritical shortage of radiologists, an increase in demand for imaging services, and the radiographers' desire for professional recognition in providing formal reports on radiographic images similar to those they undertake in ultrasonography.Objective: The study aimed at reviewing the evidence relating to image interpretation and reporting by radiographers in Africa and apply the findings to Zambia.Methodology: A literature review was used to bring together studies on image interpretation and reporting by radiographers in Africa. Online databases, radiography journals, cited references, grey literature, and the internet were searched for relevant studies.Results: Thirteen studies were included in this review. The findings revealed that radiographers in Africa have a positive attitude towards image interpretation and reporting. In addition, their accuracy at image interpretation is comparable to radiologists. The main benefit identified by the establishment of reporting radiographers is improved access to imaging reports. The review also found that medical doctors are in support of the establishment of reporting radiographers. However, the main limitations are a lack of postgraduate courses in this speciality and the limitation of their scope of practice.Conclusion: Reporting radiographers contribute significantly to the delivery of quality imaging services by assisting radiologists in  reporting on radiographic images. There is a need for policymakers in Africa, including Zambia, to extend the scope of practice of radiographers and establish postgraduate image interpretation courses

Medical students' knowledge on the use of ionising radiation during medical imaging procedures in Zambia

Purpose: This study aimed to explore and describe the medical students' knowledge on the use of ionising radiation and its harmful effects during diagnostic imaging procedures in Zambia.Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. A census survey of all final year medical students from the University of Zambia (UNZA) was conducted. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using STATA version 13 and Graph Pad Prism 5.Result: The overall results revealed that medical students had inadequate knowledge of the use of ionising radiation. Furthermore, most of the students revealed that the medical school curriculum was inadequate in equipping them with the necessary knowledge required for them to request diagnostic medical imaging procedures utilizing ionizing radiation.Discussion: The results implied that the knowledge levels of the medical students were insufficient in the use and prescription of imaging procedures. It is suggested that the UNZAmedical school curriculum is critically scrutinized and a radiation protection course is included. The inclusion would provide the medical students with the necessary knowledge about ionising radiation in order to prevent unnecessary referrals for diagnostic medical imaging procedures. Keywords: Ionising radiation, Knowledge, Medical students, Radiation protectio