Assessing the Conformity of Radiology BSc Curriculum and Job Requirements from the Viewpoint of Radiology Graduates Employed at Medical Imaging Centers

Assessing the educational program relevance to job requirements can help identify its weaknesses and foster an opportunity for its improvement. Radiology experts play a vital role in disease diagnosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the viewpoint of radiology graduates about the coordination of the curriculum of Radiology BSc with their professional needs.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 134 graduates of radiology BSc Working in Medical Imaging centers of Hamedan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Ilam, and Lorestan in the academic year 2018. In each province, 20% of the population of radiology technologists was selected via simple random sampling. Data were collected through a questionnaire that included demographic information and survey questions about the application of the main courses in this field in job responsibilities. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage).

Based on the job needs, the current curriculum had varying levels of application. The highest application rate was in specialty courses (4.04±0.7), and the lowest rate was in basic courses (3.08±0.9). The results revealed that the appropriate courses are Anatomy 1-3 (4. 6±0.7), and Radiographic positioning and procedures 1-3 (4.6±0.8) in specialty courses, and radiographic positioning and procedure in training units (4.2±0.6). Ultrasound physics and Seminar in specialty courses, and Statics and general mathematics in basic courses had the least conformity with professional needs with 3.15±1.5, 2.7±1.3, 1.8±0.7, and 2. 1±0.9, respectively. According to the results of this study, the graduates of this discipline had an average satisfaction level (3.26) with the contents of their academic program.

The findings indicated that the didactic content of radiology BS is somewhat coordinated with the job requirements of this field. However, the curriculum should be revised to improve its applicability for future employees.