Background. South Africa (SA) faces a critical shortage of healthcare workers, particularly in rural areas, while available spaces to study health science qualifications are limited, and therefore, understanding the motivation of health science students is important to ensure the health needs of the country are met. This study aims to understand the motivations of the rural-origin Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF)-supported students in pursuing a health science qualification, and the factors that influenced their decision. Methods. The study employed a cross-sectional design, surveying 181 current UYDF students (86% response rate) across 13 health science disciplines. A self-developed questionnaire was used that included four structured questions, allowing participants to select multiple responses. Results. Of the 181 respondents, 91% reported being motivated by altruistic reasons, such as a desire to help others and improve healthcare in their communities, while 81% reported a desire to improve their family circumstances. Financial remuneration (19%) and the high status of the profession (15%) were lesser considerations. The greatest influence on their decision was the need to improve their family circumstances (67%), followed by addressing staff shortages in their community (60%). Personal experiences with the healthcare system influenced 53% of the respondents to choose their career, while only 39% reported parental influence on their career choice. Most respondents (80%) had researched their chosen profession before applying, with 45% having spoken to professionals and 27% job-shadowed in their field. Almost all (98%) medical students were studying their first choice, while 36% of respondents studying other disciplines were studying their first choice. The majority (60%) of respondents decided to study a health science qualification while in secondary school. Discussion. The findings suggest that rural-origin respondents in this study are motivated by both altruistic motivations and a desire to improve their socioeconomic and community conditions, which may contribute to a higher likelihood of long-term retention in rural healthcare settings. Conclusion. The motivations of rural students to pursue health science careers stem primarily from a deep desire to improve both their community and personal circumstances. For many, their motivation is reinforced by a personal experience of inadequate health service delivery. These insights should be considered by universities in their selection of students, and by the Department of Health, so that the critical healthcare needs in underserved regions of SA can be addressed.

Background. Primary healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa often face challenges regarding training. Digital learning strategies may improve the competencies of healthcare workers in this resource-limited region without them having to leave their postings. Objective. To map the existing literature on digital learning strategies to train primary healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods. This scoping review complies with the Population Concept Context guidelines of Arksey and O’Malley and is reported according to the PRISMA 2020 checklist. A systematic search (Ovid/MEDLINE, embase.com, Elsevier/Scopus, African Index Medicus) was performed from inception until December 2023 in collaboration with a medical information specialist. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full texts. Results. Twenty-three studies were included from 11 of 44 sub-Saharan countries (25%). Studies addressed digital (61%) and blended (39%) learning strategies. Training covered infectious diseases (57%), substance use (17%), mental health (8%), sexual/reproductive health (8%), non-communicable diseases (8%) and neonatal resuscitation (4%). Training duration ranged from 6 hours to 18 months. The sample size varied between 20 and 55 415 participants. Types of healthcare workers who participated ranged from nurses to community healthcare workers, midwives, clinical officers, doctors and laboratory staff. Studies measured feasibility (n=12, 52%), knowledge (n=15, 65%) and skills (n=16, 69%). Feasibility was overall positive in digital (75%) and blended (100%) strategies. Knowledge increased with digital (91%) and blended (100%) strategies. Skills improved with digital (85%) and blended (100%) strategies. Challenges included limited access to networks (81%) and devices (72%). Conclusion. Digital learning strategies are feasible tools to improve the knowledge and skills of primary healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing challenges, such as network and device access, should be taken into account.

Background. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is an essential part of the occupational therapy (OT) degree; it expands students’ knowledge and skills, and adds value to the community through the provision of primary healthcare (PHC) services. It has been noted that there is a lack of feedback from community partners working with students in the communities. Feedback from community partners is integral as it serves as a guide for training institutions and students. Objectives. To explore the experiences, and opportunities for change and growth from the community partners in Gauteng, South Africa, regarding OT final-year students during their WIL in PHC settings. Method. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with participants (n=14) recruited through the purposive sampling method. Open-ended interviews were used for data collection conducted with community partners who had worked with final-year OT students. Data were analysed using a hybrid approach. Trustworthiness and rigour of the study were ensured through reflexivity, credibility, confirmability and transferability. Results. The study revealed three themes as per the Kawa model representing experiences of community partners when working with OT students: (i) barriers (rocks); (ii) facilitators (driftwood); and (iii) opportunities for change and growth (spaces). Conclusion. This study provided insight into aspects that may be built on for further curriculum development for OT students’ WIL. Consultation with community partners is essential to ensure optimal service provision for the population with whom students work. Further studies are recommended to enhance the experiential learning paradigm in PHC settings.

Background. It has been advocated that to address healthcare worker shortages in rural areas, rural students should be recruited to study health sciences as they are more likely to live and work in rural areas. This poses a challenge, as rural areas in South Africa (SA) are dominated by non-fee-paying quintile 1 - 3 schools that are under-resourced in terms of physical and human resources. Entry requirements for health science disciplines are academically demanding, with good marks required in mathematics, physical sciences and life sciences, while limited spaces are available at universities. National secondary school-leaving examination results are generally poor and are affected negatively by quintile level, with quintile 1 schools performing worse than quintile 5 schools. The Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) seeks to address staff shortages at rural hospitals by investing in rural youth. Objective. To investigate how rural origin learners supported by the UYDF, the majority of whom attended quintile 1 - 3 rural schools, achieved school- leaving results that enabled them to be accepted to study for a health science qualification. Methods. This was a cross-sectional, retrospective study using a survey developed from UYDF student narratives. The survey was compiled in Google Forms and emailed to 211 UYDF students of the class of 2024, of whom 89% responded. The results were supplemented with extracts from stories submitted by two recent graduates. Results. There were 81% of participants (n=167) who completed their secondary schooling at a quintile 1 - 3 school, while 13% (n=25) completed their schooling at a fee-paying quintile 4 school, and 2% (n=3) at a quintile 5 school. There were 56% of the respondents who reported having a sufficient number of teachers, whereas 70% reported having sufficient classrooms. More than 90% reported that they had a mathematics and life sciences teacher in Grades 11 and 12, while 89% reported having a physical science teacher in Grades 11 and 12. Sixty percent of students achieved between 76% and 85% in Grade 12 for English, with only 10% achieving ≤70%. Fifty-seven percent of students achieved 81 - 90% for isiZulu, with only two students achieving ≤70%. Seventy-two percent of students achieved between 76% and 100% for mathematics in Grade 12, 77% achieved between 76% and 100% for physical science, and 90% achieved between 76% and 100% for life sciences. There were 96% of students who attributed their good results to their hard work and dedication, 90% to working through past examination papers and 78% to having good teachers. Conclusion. Motivated by their poor family circumstances, students, through their hard work and dedication, good teachers and extra lessons, achieved secondary school results allowing them to meet and even exceed the entry requirements for medical and allied health science study programmes at SA universities. Using past examination papers could be a strategy promoted more widely to help students in quintile 1 - 3 schools to better prepare for assessments, thereby improving their examination results and post-school options.

Background. Anatomy and physiology are crucial subjects in medical and nursing education curricula. However, many students find these subjects challenging owing to their complexity. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, a study was conducted to explore the use of postmortem exposure (PME) as a visual teaching strategy to enhance students’ understanding of anatomy and physiology. Objective. To explore how PME influences the learning of anatomy and physiology among enrolled nursing students. Methods. The study adopted a qualitative methodology within an interpretivist paradigm. Data were generated through individual telephonic semi- structured interviews with the study participants. An inductive thematic analysis process was followed to identify themes in the data. Results. The findings suggest that enrolled nursing students have difficulty comprehending anatomy and physiology when practical sessions are lacking. PME was identified as a valuable teaching tool that enhances students’ knowledge acquisition and retention of these subjects. The findings suggest that PME influences various aspects of students’ learning, including their knowledge, skills, behaviour and emotions in clinical practice. Conclusion. The study concludes that PME helps enrolled nursing students to apply theoretical knowledge in clinical settings and has a positive impact on their learning of anatomy and physiology. Educators are encouraged to consider using PME as a teaching tool to improve their students’ understanding of anatomy and physiology.

Background. The University of Namibia’s Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery programme includes compulsory research as part of the undergraduate curriculum. Each student is required to complete a self-directed research project. Objectives. To determine the senior medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, practices and barriers regarding their undergraduate research (UR) projects. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study with an online self-developed questionnaire was employed and distributed to students in their fourth, fifth and sixth years of study. Data collection occurred over a 1-month period. Results. Fourth-year (n=27/77), fifth-year (n=15/67) and sixth-year (n=28/80) students, totalling 70, participated. Most students (69%, n=48/70) did not find research interesting. Students felt that the research module did not prepare them well for the research project (73%, n=51/70) and respondents indicated a lack of research ideas (56%, n=39/70), with some needing to develop an original topic (64%, n=45/70). Students felt that there was poor collaboration between the research department and supervisors (77%, n=54/70). Communication with supervisors occurred through email (57%, n=40/70) and face-to-face meetings (37%, n=26/70). Insufficient time for consultation (74%, n=52/70) has been reported. Students chose cross-sectional studies (60%, n=40/70) to make data collection easier (74%, n=52/70). Students indicated that clinical exposure is prioritised in the curriculum (84.3%, n=59/70). Conclusion. UR is predominantly perceived as stressful and uninteresting, and student-supervisor engagement followed a ‘just-in time’ approach. Early scaffolding of research knowledge diminishes, with the emphasis on clinical content delivery. To foster a culture of research among students, a more scaffolded curriculum with protected research is required.

Background. The major challenge that nurse educators encounter is to teach and supervise research without proper supervision skills. The absence of proper guidelines for research supervision of undergraduates’ research projects leads to confusion among research supervisors and students. Objectives. To explore the strategies to enhance research supervision skills among nurse educators to develop a mentoring programme for research supervision. The objectives of this study included: (i) identifying nurse educators’ strategies to enhance research supervision; and (ii) developing a mentoring programme on research supervision (MPRS) to enhance nurse educators’ research supervision skills. Methods. A qualitative, exploratory descriptive research design was used to allow the researchers to collect rich and detailed data that describe the participants’ realities in their own words. Data were collected through focus group discussions from 27 nurse educators who were selected purposively from four nursing campuses across two South African provinces. Computer-aided qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) (NVivo version 12) for thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Results. The study revealed that assistance in research supervision, elevating research supervisors’ knowledge in research, enhancing research supervisors’ interest, and understanding the role as a supervisor in research were the main findings of the study. The results were used to develop an MPRS, highlighting three main components: access, plan and mentorship in progress. Conclusion. The results revealed that providing assistance in research supervision through coaching could play a crucial role. An MPRS has been developed and will be piloted at a few institutions. The expected plan will involve targeted implementation, evaluation and refinement based on feedback from these initial sites, thereby ensuring that it meets the needs of nurse educators who supervise nursing research.

Background. The aim of foundation provision (FP) in higher education (HE) is focused on the concept ‘access to success’ through the provision of academic and curriculum support to previously disadvantaged students. Same-year/level peer-assisted learning (SPAL) is implemented increasingly in medical curricula worldwide to support the academic, personal and professional development of students in the same year of study. However, there is no literature available on the strategic alignment between SPAL implementation objectives and the aim of FP for health sciences education (HSE) offered in South Africa (SA). Objective. To establish SPAL implementation objectives that were expertly and strategically aligned with the aim of FP in HSE in support of vulnerable students’ academic, personal and professional development. Methods. A four-round qualitative Delphi method was used. The qualitative questionnaires were electronically distributed to 12 purposively sampled experts in the field of HSE and health professions education (HPE). A consensus level of 75% agreement between panel members was applied for the identification of endorsed statements. Results. SPAL implementation objectives for 16 students and four departments were identified and strategically aligned with the aim of FP for HSE students and departments. Conclusion. A SPAL strategy was expertly validated in support of the academic, personal and professional development of previously disadvantaged students. This article offers SPAL implementation objectives that are strategically aligned with the access to success aim of FP. These implementation objectives are recommended for consideration by SA higher education institutions (HEIs) when planning SPAL for extended curriculum programme students and departments offering HSE.

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Background. Clinical practice learning is an important aspect of educating undergraduate occupational therapy (OT) students to understand the profession and for professional identity. Practice learning could be hampered by several factors including the lack of proficient clinical supervisors, coupled with a burgeoning number of students. To ensure the success of the programme, the expectations of lecturers and supervisors should be compatible. Objective. To investigate the factors influencing clinical supervision of undergraduate OT students during practice learning in the Global South. Methods. A rapid review of the literature was conducted between 2017 and 2022 with searches in EBSCOhost and PubMed databases. Mendeley Reference Manager was used as a tool for database storage, and the literature found was screened and documented according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and guidelines. A hierarchy of evidence was formed using Tomlin and Borgetto’s (2011) research pyramid. Articles within the three most trustworthy and relevant levels of the qualitative hierarchy were appraised using the clinical appraisal skills programme (CASP) tool. Results. Five main themes emerged from a thematic analysis of 20 records: quality assurance; roles and relationships; hegemonies in and out of context; context of clinical practice; and teaching how. Conclusion. The key aspects influencing clinical supervision in undergraduate OT programmes are interconnected. The findings emphasise the importance of having a protocol, sequence of preparation and procedure, and training of personnel in informing quality of supervision. Quality individualised support for learners is best achieved when there is structure and proficient supervision.