African Journal of Health Professions Education – December 2022, Vol 14 No 4

Introduction

COVID 19 and medical educator perceptions: Sense-making during times of crisis

Although crises are generally considered uncommon and unexpected, HPE literature supports the concept of crisis in perpetuity. Globally, this has been observed by the detrimental effects of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, human conflict in Iraq and the disruptions caused by the SARS virus in Hong Kong and Canada. At UCT, the site of this research, medical training has been disrupted on numerous occasions. In 2016, the #feesmustfall student activist movement led to training disruptions over a period of several weeks and to a complete suspension in training for most health professions (HP) students. More recently, in 2021, a wildfire on Table  Mountain damaged UCT property, resulting in the suspension of academic activities for several days.

Promoting critical thinking through simulation-based healthcare training (SBHT): A scoping review

Promoting critical thinking (CT) within a health professions (HP) curriculum is often a complex task for academic staff. However, despite the complexity and difficulty in achieving CT in students, CT is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be a core competency or graduate attribute for professional proficiency in almost all HP qualifications. The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) states that various critical outcomes must be embedded in all qualifications, the first of which is that the graduate should be able to display critical and creative thinking as they identify and solve problems. Hence, CT forms an integral part of all South African (SA) health professions (HP) curricula.

Reporting quality of Master of Medicine (MMed) mini-dissertations using the STROBE checklist

The 2011 HPCSA directive to make a research component compulsory for specialist registration came at a critical time in the SA higher education environment. Since 1994, a cascade of policy-driven changes linked to the country’s transformation, research and economic strategy, has resulted in pressures on universities to do more with less. Such pressures have had a knock-on effect on postgraduate training in general, which clinical specialist research training has not escaped.

High-fidelity simulation: A practice model for nurse educators at a South African private higher education institution

The main objective of nursing education is to guide student nurses towards clinical competence. Student nurses need clinical exposure to gain experience and confidence to perform clinical tasks. In the private sector, clinical exposure has proven to be a challenge due to insufficient clinical placements and learning opportunities. A contributing factor is a decrease in patient bed occupation rates due to the increased cost of healthcare. The challenge experienced with clinical exposure and limited learning opportunities contributes to student nurses’ lack of confidence when performing clinical tasks, consequently creating an ‘unsafe’ environment for them and for the patient.

Men in the service of humanity: Sociocultural perceptions of the nursing profession in South Africa

Gender imbalances in nursing education remain.[1] The proportion of men in nursing has persistently remained low, despite relative progress being noted with regard to the proportion of women entering professions previously deemed the realm of men.[2] In South Africa (SA), according to the South African Nursing Council (SANC), 2019 statistics on the provincial distribution of nursing manpower showed that only 10.4% of practising nurses were male, while 8% were male nursing students.[3] Historically, nursing has been viewed as compatible with the natural care or nurturing that women give spontaneously.

Perceptions of undergraduate allied health students of the clinical learning environment and clinical educators’ attributes at the University of Ghana

Clinical learning comprises two parts, i.e. the clinical learning environment and supervision, which is provided by clinical educators. The clinical learning environment is defined as the interactive network of forces influencing student learning outcome in the clinical setting. However, a significant mismatch has been found between the preferred and actual learning environments of paramedical students. Quality supervision and the relationship between clinical educators and students are also fundamental in successful clinical education. The clinical experience integrates academic study with competency development. It is therefore important for clinical educators to train students in accordance with the growing challenges of combining evidence-based learning with the acquisition of clinical competencies.

The use of peer physical examination in undergraduate health professions education: Exploring the perceptions of students and educators in a multicultural, multiracial institution

The role of practical skills in daily clinical practice cannot be overemphasised. Hence practical clinical competence and competence-oriented training are often essential aspects of most medical curricula. To ensure patient safety, it is expected that certain practical skills, such as physical examination, should have been mastered during undergraduate medical training. While textbooks can describe the theoretical aspects of physical examination skills and signs, creative teaching techniques are required to translate theoretical knowledge into a more tactile experience for students. Experiential learning is regarded as a key component of teaching clinical skills to medical students. However, it has become increasingly challenging for educators to structure learning events for their students with patients, owing to factors such as shorter inpatient stay and patients’ unwillingness to be examined by several students.

Supporting undergraduate research capacity development: A process evaluation of an Undergraduate Research Office at a South African Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

The value of building capacity to conduct research to address health challenges in low- and middle-income countries is well recognised. Various strategies have been implemented, including formal research training at higher education (HE) institutions and research-focused degrees. In parallel, the importance of evidence-based healthcare (EBHC), as endorsed by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), has seen the integration of EBHC teaching in medical/health science faculties.  In addition to the system- and patient-level benefits of a research-skilled health workforce, individual-level benefits include critical thinking and problem-solving. This article focuses on the development of research capacity in undergraduate health sciences students.

Student knowledge and perceptions of climate change and environmental sustainability at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Climate change has emerged as a major amplifier of environmental risks to the health of our planet and people via multiple pathways. The worldwide increase in extreme weather events (e.g. floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts) contributes significantly towards the global burden of disease, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and among vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly. Health professionals play a pivotal role in diagnosing, treating and protecting the public’s health from direct and indirect climate-health impacts. Healthcare systems are significant polluters of the environment and contributors to climate change; hence, they also have an important role to play in more environmentally sustainable healthcare.