Masters Degrees (Centre for Health Professions Education)
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- ItemTowards a faculty development guideline for nurse educators at Welwitchia health training centre : an exploratory study(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03) Petrus, Hambeleleni; Meyer, Rhoda; Van Schalkwyk, Susan Camilla; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Centre for Health Professions Education.ENGLISH SUMMARY: The main goal of higher education institutions is to enable learning. For educators to fulfill this goal effectively, they must be suitably trained to obtain the background of the role. The number of institutions in Health Professions Education (HPE), including nursing training institutions, has increased significantly in recent years. Due to the high demand for nurse educators, training facilities began hiring registered nurses to fill academic positions. Therefore, it is crucial that these nurse educators, who may not necessarily be prepared for a teaching role, receive support to enable a seamless transition from clinical nursing to nursing education Planning and implementing faculty development (FD) programmes is one way nursing institutions can assist these nurses in increasing their knowledge and teaching abilities. The goal of this study was to explore the perspectives of nurse educators at the Welwitchia Health Training Center (WHTC) about what FD initiatives could assist in strengthening their knowledge and comprehension of the teaching role and its practice. It was envisaged that the findings of this study would help in providing recommendations that would inform the future development of a FD guideline. The guideline might help WHTC build a programme that is appropriate for FD to serve the needs of nurse educators. In this exploratory qualitative study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to gather data. The process of data analysis was thematic analysis, which was derived from the work of Braun and Clark (2012). During the analytical process, it became clear that FD needed to be seen to extend beyond individual initiatives and training, and that it was influenced by a wide range of factors that spoke to an environment that was framed with appropriate policy and enabled the provision of support and human resources to enable educators to fulfil their teaching role. Three main themes were identified, and each theme had a subtheme that described related notions. Being a nurse educator is the first theme, becoming a nurse educator is the second theme, and strengthening the educator is the third theme. In the role as nurse educators, decisions are made every day about what to teach and how to teach it. These choices are influenced by a range of different factors and by how individuals identify themselves as teachers. These factors and identity perceptions chart out each educator’s ‘individual journey,’ centered on the nature of the role and the setting in which teaching occurs. Initiatives to support and strengthen the nurse educator requires not only focusing on what is required by each individual but will also need to take broader contextual concerns into account. In order to assist WHTC in supporting nurse educators to develop the requisite knowledge and teaching abilities, a set of guiding recommendations were developed. The goal of these recommendations is to provide guidance for the future development of the FD guidelines and to assist WHTC in creating an enabling environment and to develop a suitable FD programme that may help educators recognise and value their role as teachers.
- ItemKnowledge, attitudes and perceptions of fifth-year medical students at a South African university regarding their public health course(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Ledibane, Tladi Daniel; De Villiers, Marietjie Rene; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Centre for Health Professions Education.ENGLISH SUMMARY: The coronavirus epidemic has put public health in the spotlight like never before, with daily reports regarding epidemiological modelling and the control of the disease outbreak. The public has become more aware of public health practices and the role of the public health profession in the fight to fight the pandemic. The renewed interest places the responsibility on academics in public health to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills. In this way, competent and effective clinicians can be trained who can play a significant role in the fight against the current and future pandemics. Public health theories and practical modules are offered worldwide in undergraduate curricula of most medical schools. However, the content and period of exposure regarding teaching and learning in public health differ drastically between local medical schools and internationally. The study aimed to understand fifth-year medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding their public health course to inform curriculum renewal for this course. A mixed-methods study design was used for this study. The study design for the quantitative and qualitative phases was descriptive cross-sectional with a phenomenological design. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to gather data from the fifth-year medial students regarding their knowledge, attitudes and perceptions related to their public health curriculum. A focus group interview was conducted with student representatives as key informants. The qualitative and quantitative data were analysed in parallel. The results from each approach were used to cross-validate the findings. This study showed that most students were conversant regarding relevant public health topics that should be included in the public health curriculum. However, most students were not satisfied with the public health course. The students felt that the learning opportunities in public health and research were limited and inadequate and did not include service or practical learning. In addition, the students felt that teaching strategies employed by the department were ineffective. Finally, most students had positive perceptions of public health as discipline and felt it was an essential aspect of clinical medicine and should be part of medical training. In conclusion, the study highlights the need to involve medical students in the curriculum renewal process, as well as to understand their attitudes and perspectives. This knowledge can be used in the future to help the curriculum developers to compile core curricula. In this way, their public health learning experience and medical school training can be improved. Curriculum developers should consider integrating the disciplinary underpinnings of public health in clinical disciplines and employing experiential learning and interactive strategies to teach public health.
- ItemLearning cross-sectional anatomy using ultrasound: perspectives of undergraduate clinical anatomy students(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Correia, Janine Carla; McNamee, Lakshini S.; Meyer, Ilse S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Centre for Health Professions Education.ENGLISH SUMMARY : Ultrasound (US) is increasingly used across the medical specialities as a diagnostic tool and as a result, medical faculties are being advised to further incorporate imaging into their programmes. Using US within undergraduate instruction has several benefits. The use of US, as a learning instrument, may strengthen existing anatomical knowledge and improve visual understanding of anatomy. The cost-effectiveness, as well as portability of the US, makes it a valuable means to add-on to traditional anatomy teaching modalities. Furthermore, students may develop skills in interpreting US images and ultrasound may add a different element to the study of anatomy. The literature clearly shows evidence of the benefits of US in teaching anatomy, as well as the fact that anatomy educators can be trained by clinicians to incorporate US during dissection sessions. The value of US is evident from published works and will be worth investigating in the undergraduate setting. Furthermore, although US training may not always improve students’ performances, it may lead to increased interest in learning anatomy for enhanced clinical practice. The study aimed to explore undergraduate clinical anatomy students’ perceptions on the use of ultrasound as an add-on to cadaveric dissection in the Division of Clinical Anatomy. The study population included the third-year undergraduate clinical anatomy students (25 students) at Stellenbosch University. The research question was aimed at obtaining students’ perceptions about their views on the use of US in teaching and learning anatomy. To answer the research question, students were invited to participate in virtual focus group interviews. Three virtual focus group interviews were held following the US session with three to five participants in each; 11 participants volunteered to take part in the virtual focus groups. The thematic analysis of the data obtained from the virtual focus groups was conducted and six themes were generated from the data. The six main themes are the study of living anatomy, learning cross-sectional anatomy, enhanced relevance of anatomy learning, increased interest in anatomy, instructional design and the affective and technical experience of using US. The research demonstrated that it is feasible and advantageous to implement US sessions as an add-on to the teaching of anatomy during practical dissection sessions of undergraduate clinical anatomy students. The use of innovative technologies like US enhances the interest of students and allows them to develop dexterity and competencies in their learning process.
- ItemNursing students’ perception of and engagement with feedback provided in an undergraduate nursing programme(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Nel-Cooke, Lizette; Van Schalkwyk, Susan; Herman, Nicoline; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Centre for Health Professions Education.ENGLISH SUMMARY : Feedback in the context of higher education, and therefore also in health professions education, is defined as the process where information is given to students about their work and how they then utilise the provided information to acknowledge the appropriate standards for that work to improve the outcomes in performance (Boud & Molloy, 2013a). Feedback may, however, be affected by misunderstanding and, therefore, clear communication is necessary to ensure a clear understanding about the feedback provided (Boud & Molloy, 2013a). In addition, if students have a more positive perception about feedback provided by lecturers, they should be more inclined to utilise the feedback effectively, which could lead to improved results. Researchers have suggested that feedback must be a dialogic process where lecturers and students are involved in the discussion and construction of feedback (Nicol, 2009). Providing students with feedback that is timely and helpful has also been highlighted as an important area on which higher education institutions have to focus (Brown & Glover, 2006). Most students seem to regard feedback as an important aspect of learning (Boud & Molloy, 2013a). However, in some contexts students have reported feedback to be problematic and poor, despite lecturers perceiving their feedback as useful (Williams & Kane, 2009). This study seeks to explore nursing students’ perceptions of and engagement with feedback that they received in one module of their undergraduate nursing programme. In this qualitative study, situated in the interpretive paradigm, semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis process adopted from the work of Braun and Clarke (2006). It was envisaged that the inferences that can be made from the findings of this study can improve feedback practices of nursing students entering the new undergraduate nursing diploma programme. Improved feedback practices can consequently contribute to enhanced student learning. Recommendations from the study can be used to enhance learning experiences for students entering the diploma programme and students that are currently in the programme.
- ItemParamedic students’ experience of simulation debriefing(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Naidoo, Preevan; Van Schalkwyk, Susan Camilla; Van der Merwe, Charmaine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Centre for Health Professions Education.ENGLISH SUMMARY : Debriefing the learning experience of paramedic students during simulations is imperative for learning. Yet, it is under-researched and often overlooked. The limited research exploring simulation debriefing in a paramedic context inspired this qualitative research study. The study aimed to investigate how final year Bachelor of Emergency Care (BEMC) students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Department of Emergency Medical Care (CPUT DEMS) experienced their simulation debriefings and the dimensions of the debrief they found valuable. In this small-scale study, informed by a constructivist paradigm, I undertook an exploratory approach to answer the research question. By way of convenience sampling, all of the fourth-year BEMC paramedic students of the CPUT DEMS, registered for the 2019 academic year, were invited to participate in this research study. Eight students positively responded to the invite (n=8). Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted using a video conferencing platform. The voice recordings taken from the interviews were self-transcribed verbatim, organised and sorted. Braun and Clarkes’ (2006) six steps to thematic analysis were followed to analyse the data. The data was coded. The first round of coding was completed using a ‘soft eye’. Initial codes were revisited, refined or merged to avoid codes that were similar or overlapping. Throughout the study, steps were taken to ensure that the data was credible, transferable, dependable, and confirmable. The study revealed four themes: the debrief as an opportunity for learning; enablers for learning during the debrief; barriers restricting learning during the debrief; and students’ expectations from the debrief. The findings revealed that debriefing enhanced learning, bridged the theory-practice gap, encouraged self-improvement, promoted a student-centred learning approach and, ultimately, promoted reflective practitioners thus encouraging students to become lifelong learners. The findings also highlighted the learning barriers during the debrief but recommendations were provided suggesting how to improve the practice of post-simulation debriefing to enhance learning.