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Post-registration medical imaging education as a pathway to addressing the specialist deficit in Rwanda: A needs
M Mukangendo1, P Iradukunda1, L Mudadi2
1University of Rwanda-CMHS, Department of Medical Imaging Sciences, Kigali, Rwanda.
Introduction:
Sub-Saharan Africa faces a critical shortage of specialist medical imaging practitioners, yet undergraduate training remains insufficient for advanced practice. Rwanda's "4 × 4 Reform" prioritises expanding the radiology workforce, but evidence-based curriculum development for postgraduate education remains lacking. This study aimed to conduct a multi-stakeholder needs assessment to inform the design, structure, and delivery of a proposed Master of Science in Medical Imaging at the University of Rwanda, College of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Methods:
An online cross-sectional survey was conducted nationally, recruiting 210 participants from multiple stakeholder groups, including clinical practitioners, educators, policymakers, and patient representatives. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact tests in R.
Results:
Advanced image interpretation skills were identified as hugely lacking by 72.9% of respondents. Diagnostic ultrasound (68.8%), pattern recognition (65.2%), computed tomography (61.7%), and magnetic resonance imaging (60.7%) were the top priorities. Notably, 79.0% (n = 166) of stakeholders expected graduates to develop leadership and management skills, followed by teaching and curriculum development (73.8%). Fisher's exact tests comparing clinical practitioners (n = 142) with other stakeholders (n = 68) found no significant differences across all seven skills assessed (ultrasound: p = 0.2; pattern recognition: p = 0.2; CT: p = 0.4; MRI: p = 0.5; radiography: p > 0.9; nuclear medicine: p = 0.9; radiation therapy: p = 0.6).
Conclusions:
This empirical assessment in Rwanda reveals an urgent need for specialist training that integrates advanced clinical competencies with leadership and education skills.
Implications For Practice:
This study offers a guide for integrating advanced clinical skills with leadership and educational competencies into postgraduate curricula, directly addressing critical workforce shortages in low-resource settings.
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