The ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the clinical education of Australian medical radiation science students.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and ongoing impact on health care, particularly for medical radiation science (MRS) professionals. There exist many studies that describe the negative effects of clinical placement restrictions and access to universities on the well-being of all health professional students during the pandemic. There also exists evidence of changes to MRS student teaching and impacts to students and academic clinical educators; however, there exists a paucity of research that investigates how changes have affected the performance of students within the clinical environment and entering the workforce. This study surveyed workplace MRS clinical educators within Australia to gather their perspectives regarding the impact of COVID-19 on student clinical education.

Methods: A descriptive study comprising an online structured survey of 44 questions was provided to Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Clinical Educators across Australia.

Results: A total of 55 survey responses were received. Of note, respondents described heavy reductions to student intake capacity, losses of clinical placement time, a noted theory-practice gap and possibility of sites 'failing to fail' students. Negative impacts to all domains of MRPBA professional capabilities, as well as a perceived unpreparedness to meet the MRPBA capabilities were described. There was general agreement that graduating students will require supportive periods upon entry into the profession.

Conclusion: This study highlights the considerable impact of changes to the education and training of MRS students in response to COVID-19. The results pose a real concern for a generation of MRS students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.