Perceptions and short-term experiences of newly qualified radiographers performing compulsory community service

Audiologists’ phenomenographic experiences of professional development during community service in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Background

The compulsory community service programme (CSP) was implemented to improve access to healthcare and arguably facilitate the transition of graduates into independent professionals. However, its role and outcomes as a developmental platform for audiology graduates remains unclear and scant in literature.

Objective

To explore the qualitative differences in the experiences of professional development among new Audiology graduates during their community service year at their fixed-placements in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Methods

Within a phenomenographic design and framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 purposively sampled Community Service Officers (CSOs) of the year 2017, after obtaining ethical clearance, gatekeeper permission and participant’s consent.

Results

The findings were interpreted according to the tenets of phenomenography. An outcome space based on the participants’ reported experiences, revealed three categories of description: transitioning from graduate to professional, learning in the workplace during community service and professional development. The findings reflected that the work environment, supervision, resource allocation, socialisation and infrastructure contributed to qualitatively different developmental experiences of the CSP.

Conclusion

The current model of fixed-placement of the CSOs exposes them to qualitatively different developmental experiences, resulting in them attaining different developmental outcomes despite being in the same programme at the same time. Hence, we argue for an urgent CSP review, with the aim of standardising and redefining its intended outcomes and pertinent criteria for the attainment of the independent practitioner status.

The emerging radiographer's transient community service professional career pathway

Background

Post-qualification regulatory 12-month community service (CS) was implemented in South Africa in 1998. Since the implementation, studies have been conducted in various disciplines to measure the impact on health services and on the affected professionals, but these did not include radiography professionals.

Aim

This study explored the expectations and experiences of student radiographers in respect of the CS concept as an integral transitional career pathway from the student radiographer role to that of a provisional practitioner in transit to acquiring registered radiographer practitioner status.

Research methods

The research design entailed a qualitative exploratory approach using a longitudinal data collection approach. That is, data collection from the purposefully selected student radiographers’ focus group discussions, as well as from placement institutions’ qualified professionals and managers, formed the triangulated data sources. In addition, individual interviews were conducted post-placement until data and thematic saturation had been reached. Tesch’s (1990) method was used for the data interpretation and analysis.

Results

The themes that emerged reflected the preparedness of these students to fulfil the requirements, their experiences of their anticipated placement institution, preparedness for their roles and responsibilities and uncertainties about their readiness for the actual encounter. A golden thread throughout was critical self-reflection on their ability, adaptability and capability to meet the requirements of the system, namely the community placement institutions and appeasing the Department of Health.

Conclusion

The study illustrates, by means of a framework, the student radiographers’ journey in transit to acquiring eligibility as registered radiography practitioners in a regulated career pathway.