Medical dosimetry virtual clinical education: Mentors' perspectives

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiotherapy
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift to remote learning in medical dosimetry programs.
• Clinical education and practice for medical dosimetrists transitioned to virtual or hybrid models.
• This shift impacted the mentorship and training of medical dosimetry students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate medical dosimetry mentors' perspectives on the effectiveness of virtual clinical education.
• To assess mentor satisfaction with student learning outcomes in a remote setting.
• To gather insights and suggestions for improving virtual clinical education in medical dosimetry.

Main Methods:

• A survey, the Medical Dosimetry Mentor Perspective on Virtual Clinical Education (MedDos_VCE) questionnaire, was developed.
• The study surveyed medical dosimetry mentors who engaged in remote clinical settings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The questionnaire assessed instructional quality, mentor-student interaction, and suggestions for virtual education.

Main Results:

• The majority of mentors reported satisfaction with the quality of virtual clinical education.
• Mentors perceived that students experienced a good mix of clinical exposure and engaged in daily tasks.
• Mentors indicated that students achieved satisfactory learning outcomes in the remote environment.

Conclusions:

• Virtual clinical education can be effective for medical dosimetry training, as evidenced by mentor satisfaction.
• Mentors provided practical suggestions for enhancing the success of students and other mentors in virtual settings.
• The study highlights the need for continued adaptation and best practices in remote medical dosimetry education.