Modeling global transfusion medicine education

This document provides an analysis and oversight of the necessary educational infrastructure at national level needed for successful and sustainable education programs undergraduate and post-graduate and is focused on desired outcomes needed to secure general Transfusion Medicine (TM) competence and basic skills when appointed in a professional TM position. It provides a global model framework for TM education allowing individual countries to tailor the context and contents of the institutional curriculum. Education in transfusion medicine is a complex set of intimately interrelated and interconnected components that allow student and fellow exposure to knowledge and skills, the ultimate curriculum. The extent to which knowledge and skills, professionalism and leadership principles are offered depends on the expected outcomes needed for the desired roles, tasks and functions. A model for the development and implementation of an education (teaching and training) curriculum in Transfusion Medicine aimed at medical students and doctors, nurses and midwives, and laboratory professionals should ideally include an outcomes-based component, with clear recommendations on the required roles, skills, attitudes, and knowledge of a trainee completing such a curriculum. This should correspond to the environment and scope of practice required from such a vocational or academic professional and should address deficiencies in knowledge, skills and attitudes present before the curriculum is completed, while taking into account fundamental international standards of knowledge and the needs of their working climate and environment. Therefore, it is considered more practical to provide a set of outcomes that would be useful in most contexts and settings, while equipping students, as adult learners, with the tools for advancing their educational, professional and leadership development suited to their availability and socio-economic environment. The framework or model recognizes that no one set of education or training initiatives will be appropriate in all countries or settings and should be tailored to specific settings based on the assessment of local needs and available environments

Professionalism for intern blood transfusion biomedical technologists: an exploration of perceptions and potential teaching strategies

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2016.ENGLISH SUMMARY : Technical skills as well as professional values are essential areas of development in all health professional students including intern biomedical technologists. The aim of this study was to understand the intern blood transfusion biomedical technologists’ perceptions of professionalism and to explore potential strategies for effective teaching of professionalism for improved application and practice. The key objective was to use the data findings to guide the upscale and redesign of the blood transfusion biomedical technology internship curriculum. A mixed methods research design was applied in the study using a questionnaire in quantitative phase and focus group discussions in the qualitative phase of the study. Purposive sampling was applied and the data collected was analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that professionalism was perceived differently by the various interns with no primary or consistent definition of professionalism. Structured, rather than informal teaching of professionalism in the internship program as well as biomedical technology university undergraduate programs surfaced as an inarguable need. A host of meaningful approaches for teaching and learning professionalism were suggested by the interns and their educators. The findings provide a strong argument with recommendations for the upscale and redesign of the formal biomedical technology curricula to meet present day health care needs.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Tegniese vaardighede sowel as professionele waardes is beide sleutelareas van ontwikkeling in alle gesondheidsberoepe studente met inbegrip van biomediese tegnoloë. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die bloedoortapping biomediesetegnologie internskapstudente se persepsies van professionaliteit te verstaan en om potensiële strategië te verken vir die effektiewe onderrig van professionaliteit en wat toepassing en praktyke sal verbeter. Die sleuteldoelstelling was om die bevindinge te gebruik as riglyn vir die opgradering en herontwerp van die bloedoortapping biomediese tegnologie internskapkurrikulum. ‘n Gemengdemetodes navorsingsontwep is toegepas in die studie waarin ‘n vraelys gebruik is in die kwantitatiewe fase en fokusgroepbesprekings in die kwalitatiewe fase van die studie. ‘n Doelgerigte streekproefneming is gebruik en die data wat ingesamel is, is geanaliseer deur tematiese analise. Die uitslag het gewys dat professionaliteit verskillend beskou is deur die verskillende internskapstudente met geen primêre of konstante definisie van professionaliteit nie. Gestruktureerde eerder dan informele onderrig van professionaliteit in die internskapprogram sowel as in biomediese tegnologie voorgraadse programme is geopper as ‘n onomwonde behoefte. ‘n Uitgebreide lys van sinvolle benaderings vir onderrig en leer van professionaliteit is aangedui deur die internskapstudente en hulle dosente. Die bevindinge het ‘n sterk argument en aanbevelings vir die verbetering en herontwerp van die formele biomediese tegnologie internskapkurrikulum verskaf ten einde in die hedendaagse gesondheidsbehoeftes te voorsien