Radiography Interns' and Recent Graduates' Self-Perceived Professional Competency Development at Two Saudi...

Patient safety is a fundamental component of healthcare quality and is closely linked to the preparation of healthcare graduates for professional practice. In radiography undergraduate programs, students are expected to develop clinical, technical, communication, teamwork, patient care, ethical, and image interpretation-related competencies required for safe and effective practice. This study assessed radiography interns' and recent graduates' perceptions of acquired knowledge and skills across seven professional competency domains during their undergraduate education.

A cross-sectional descriptive online survey was conducted among 61 radiography interns and recent graduates from the 2020 to 2023 cohorts at two Saudi universities. A self-administered questionnaire assessed perceived improvement, program coverage, confidence, clinical placement contribution, perceived importance, and future relevance across seven domains: communication, procedural knowledge, technical knowledge, patient care, collaborative teamwork, medico-legal and ethical knowledge, and identification of significant findings. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages and Likert-scale mean scores.

Participants generally reported positive perceptions of professional competency development across most domains, particularly communication, procedural knowledge, technical knowledge, patient care and collaborative teamwork. These domains were also perceived as important and relevant to future professional practice. However, medico-legal and ethical knowledge and identification of significant findings received comparatively lower scores in perceived improvement, program coverage and confidence.

This study provides perception-based insight into radiography undergraduate education at two Saudi universities. Participants reported generally positive perceptions across most professional domains, while lower scores in medico-legal and ethical knowledge and identification of significant findings highlight opportunities for targeted curricular enhancement to support graduate preparedness.