Abstract
<strong>Purpose: </strong>This qualitative research aimed to explore the experiences of University of Rwanda medical imaging students during their clinical practice in the country. <strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with open-ended questions were held with twenty five medical imaging sciences students who were enrolled in their second and final year respectively of the bachelors with honors and national diploma programs. <strong>Results: </strong>Qualitative exploratory descriptive research was conducted in March 2017 through FDGs. The recorded data was transcribed, anonymized, coded, categorized and conceptualized into four themes: theory-practice gap, teaching and learning support, occupational health and safety, resources and infrastructure. Data was analyzed using content analysis. The findings indicate that there were aspects which negatively impacted clinical experiences of medical imaging students. This valuable information is important to create awareness among medical imaging academia and practicing professionals about the challenges faced by medical imaging students in clinical practice. <strong>Conclusion: </strong>Medical imaging students experienced a number of challenges during their clinical training in Rwanda. Based on these findings, specific recommendations are suggested with an aim to enhance the clinical training process of medical imaging students
Highlights
Two important aspects of medical imaging education are theory and practice
The University of Rwanda medical imaging students begin their clinical placement training during the second semester of their first year which runs in a block system
All second and third year medical imaging students were chosen to participate in this study since they had already been exposed to different clinical settings in their training at the University of Rwanda
Summary
Two important aspects of medical imaging education are theory and practice. Clinical practice is an integral part of medical imaging students’ education. The clinical practice aims to prepare medical imaging students to apply the classroom-based theoretical knowledge and skills to real patient situations. Clinical learning experience has been described as the ‘heart’ of professional education as it provides the nursing students with an opportunity for consolidating knowledge, socializing into the professional role, and acquiring professional values [2]. Both theoretical and clinical components of education are included in health science educational programs such as medical imaging technology. The University of Rwanda medical imaging students begin their clinical placement training during the second semester of their first year which runs in a block system. The University relies upon a close working relationship with each of the clinical facility, and trusts that the clinical staff supervising the students will provide a suitable environment to maximize learning [18]
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