Core Competencies for a Biomedical Laboratory Scientist – a Delphi study

Background After completing university education Biomedical Laboratory Scientists work in clinical laboratories, in biomedical research laboratories, in biotech, and in pharmaceutical companies. Laboratory diagnostics have undergone rapid development over the recent years, and the pace shows no signs of abatement. Rapid development challenges the competence of the staff and will most certainly influence the education of future staff. This study was aimed to examine what was considered the necessary competencies needed to pursue a career as a Biomedical Laboratory Scientist Methods A modified Delphi technique was used, and the panel of experts expressed their views in a three questionnaire series. Consensus was defined as the point when 75% or more of the panel participants agreed that a particular competence was necessary. Results The study highlights the perceived importance of mostly generic competencies that relate to quality, quality assurance, and accuracy, as well as different aspects of safety, respect, trustworthiness (towards patients/clients and colleagues), and communication skills. The results also stress the significance of self-awareness and professionality. Conclusions We identified important competencies for Biomedical Laboratory Scientists. Together with complementary information from other sources, i.e., guidelines, laws, and scientific publications, the competencies identified can be used as learning outcomes in a competency-based education to provide students with all competencies needed to work as professional Biomedical Laboratory Scientists.

Effects of Individual Differences on Generic Competences: An Evidence from University Students

This study was carried out with the background that Every individual has certain qualities and competencies the differences specially students at higher level existed and functional due to various reasons in human beings which directly or indirectly affect their lives, with the objectives (i) to explore the generic competencies possessed by the university students, (ii) to assess the individual differences of University Students, (iii) to measure the relationship between generic competencies and individual differences of students. This was a survey study in nature and the population of the study comprised of 5206 students (2902 male and 2124 female) of nine universities. Universal sampling technique (up-to 10%) was used and the data was collected from the whole population to ensure the effectiveness of the study through two self-developed questionnaires employing Axcel-ANOVA under the SPSS-2018 version with t-test and F-Crit test were used to analyze the data. The Regression was simultaneously applied for both positive r-1 and Negative (R-Square) for difference, as well as, E-views 09 version was supportively used to double check the significance. It was concluded that university students responded 87% positively for the generic response (s) evidenced the individual differences in generic competencies as positively affected the parameters of (a) age of students (b) Understanding the university group tasks, (c) developing competences based on teachers guidance, knowledge including curriculum/syllabi and (d) document based knowledge including ICT and e-learning as well as (e) competence developed for future.

Evaluation of compatibility of the generic competencies defined for Latin-American Tuning project (2011-2013): a case study (2011-2013)

The higher education institutions decided to work on the creation of a general competencies framework that allows their graduates to meet the requirements of the global labor market, adapting to the Tuning project created in Europe and adapted in Latin America. Being it an independent project that aims to establish reference points, convergences, and mutual understanding, according to certain generic and specific competencies. This research seeks to determine if the foreign trade and international business programs of the Escolme University Institution have developed the competencies established in the Latin-America Tuning Project proposal. The methodology applied is based on a quantitative approach through a case study in which all the students of these programs participated. Among the results, there is a low development of competencies allowing us to conclude that both the participants of technology in foreign trade and those of professionalization of international businesses do not comply with the generic competencies defined by the Tuning Latin America Project.

Assessment of Interprofessional Education (IPE) in Community Settings: A Systematic Review

Background: An assessment of methods and tools in interprofessional education (IPE) needs to be conducted to guarantee that the set learning objectives (LOs) or competencies are achieved, especially in community settings. This assessment is essential since in community settings, facilitators and students are not in the same frame, while direct observation is preferable in IPE. The implementation of methods and tools for assessment varies. Mostly, the assessment does not cover all competencies of IPE. Further identification of the way the assessment is conducted as well as the IPE competencies assessed is pivotal.Purpose: This study aimed to review the implementation of IPE in community settings, especially the assessment conducted on the methods and tools used along with the assessors involved and the competencies achieved.Methods: A systematic review was employed as a method in this study. Relevant articles from Science Direct, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Scopus were screened based on the inclusion criteria: publication between 2010–2020, research and review articles, full-text articles, conducted in community settings, and involved assessment in acquiring the competencies. This review included 12 out of 1,273 screened articles. The articles were analyzed qualitatively by identifying the keywords, categories, and themes.Results: The results showed the assessment conducted and the competencies achieved in IPE. The assessment included methods and tools as well as the assessors involved. Most existing studies used students’ perceptions or reflections as the methods and involved less assessors such as supervisors or family members. Meanwhile, the assessment tools focused on certain competencies, such as roles and responsibilities, ethics and values, teamwork, and communication. However, no study assessed all competencies.Conclusion: The analysis resulted in two large topics, i.e., the assessment, which includes the assessment methods and tools as well as assessors involved, and the competencies achieved. It is recommended to conduct further studies to develop objective assessment methods, comprehensive assessment tools, and generic competencies or learning outcomes.

Mapas de competencias genéricas del bachillerato

En el marco general del diseño e implementación de un entorno virtual inteligente para dar seguimiento al desarrollo de competencias por los estudiantes, se presentan los resultados del análisis de las competencias genéricas establecidas para el Sistema Nacional de Bachillerato de México y la codificación de los resultados en la forma de mapas de competencias usando un lenguaje susceptible de ser procesado automáticamente por computadoras. Específicamente, se presentan una revisión de literatura sobre la representación computacional de competencias, un mapa de competencias genéricas con relaciones de subsume/es-un e incluye/parte-de y la aplicación del mapa para identificar la presencia de competencias genéricas en el diseño de cursos de bachillerato en el Sistema de Universidad Virtual de la Universidad de Guadalajara. In the general framework of designing and implementing an intelligent virtual environment to monitor the development of competences by students, we present the results of an analysis of the generic competences established for the National High School System of Mexico, and the coding of the results in the form of competence maps using a language that can be automatically processed by computers. Specifically, we present a literature review on the computational representation of competencies, a map of generic competencies with subsume/is-a and includes/part-of relationships, and the application of the competences map to identify the presence of generic competences in the design of high school courses in the Virtual University System of the University of Guadalajara.

Evaluation of generic competencies among secondary school leavers from the new academic structure for senior secondary education in Hong Kong

PurposeA new academic structure for senior secondary and higher education was introduced to Hong Kong in 2009/2010. This paper aims to: (1) compare the cohort from the old academic structure (Cohort 2010) and the cohort from the new academic structure (Cohort 2015) on the 14 categories of generic competencies; and (2) compare these attributes among students from different divisions in a tertiary institution in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachSelf-Assessment of All-Round Development (SAARD) questionnaires were distributed to students who took the two-year sub-degree programmes offered by the College of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2010 and 2015 on a self-administered basis. A total of 4,424 students have returned the questionnaires. Data were analyzed with t-test to compare between the two cohorts.FindingsWhen comparing Cohort 2015 with Cohort 2010, significantly higher scores were observed on five areas such as global outlook and healthy lifestyle (p<0.05). Significantly lower scores were observed on the other five areas such as problem solving, critical thinking and leadership (p<0.05). Students from all divisions unanimously showed higher perceived rating on social and national responsibility but lower perceived rating on leadership (p<0.05).Originality/ValueThe elimination of one public examination, the newly included components such as Other Learning Experiences (OLE) and the compulsory Liberal Studies were believed to contribute partially to the diverse responses of the two cohorts. The dramatic change of the curriculum has not changed the examination culture in Hong Kong which may hinder the development of generic skills among students.

Service-learning: experience of teacher-tutors in the nursing career

Introduction The learning process demands appropriate and effective strategies. Furthermore, the service-learning methodology implies significant challenges for both the student and the teacher-tutor. Objective To reveal the experience of community-based teacher-tutors work with nursing students from the Austral University of Chile, using the service-learning methodology. Method Descriptive and exploratory qualitative research through an intrinsic case study. Non-probabilistic and intentional sample of cases by criteria and convenience. Five teachers from the Austral University of Chile Nursing Institute hired by the university were interviewed. They fulfilled the role of teacher-tutor after signing the informed consent. The information was obtained through semi-structured interviews, and the analysis was carried out through the data reduction methodology, which considers the analysis of results at three levels. The Scientific Ethics Committee of the Austral University of Chile School of Medicine approved the study. Results At level 1: One hundred and seven (107) units of meaning were identified, grouped into five descriptive categories. At level 2, three meta-categories were formed: "opinion of the tutor-teachers on working with the service-learning methodology", "factors that influence working with the service-learning methodology" and "generic competencies developed with the service-learning methodology. Finally, at level 3, two qualitative domains were identified: "Teacher-tutors appreciation for the development of the service-learning methodology" and "Contributions of the service-learning methodology for developing generic competencies". Conclusions The efficient implementation of the methodology requires training and motivation of tutors, teachers, students and community partners.

Evaluación de competencias genéricas en profesores de Educación Física (Assessment of generic competences in physical education teachers)

Las competencias genéricas se consideran fundamentales en todos los campos profesionales. Sin embargo, pocas instituciones evalúan si sus egresados transfieren dichas competencias al contexto profesional. El objetivo del estudio fue valorar la percepción de las competencias genéricas que poseen los profesores de Educación Física recientemente egresados de una universidad chilena, enfocándose especialmente en: (a) conocer el nivel de importancia que éstos otorgan a dichas competencias en el ejercicio profesional; (b) definir, a partir de estos actores, el nivel de desarrollo y énfasis que la universidad entrega a las competencias genéricas durante el proceso formativo. Se utilizó una metodología cuantitativa, de tipo descriptivo comparativo. Participaron 133 profesores de Educación Física (35 mujeres y 98 hombres). Todos los participantes respondieron el cuestionario diseñado para el Tuning Latinoamericano (2007). Los principales hallazgos señalan que según los egresados, las competencias más importantes para trabajar en el sistema laboral son “valoración y respeto por la diversidad y multiculturalidad” (89.8%) y el “compromiso ético” (88%). Las menos importantes son “capacidad de comunicación en un segundo idioma (inglés)” (32.3%) y las “habilidades en el uso de las Tecnologías de la Información y de la Comunicación” (56.7%). Los egresados manifiestan que las competencias genéricas más desarrolladas en su proceso formativo universitario son: “capacidad de trabajo en equipo” (59.8%), “valoración y respeto por la diversidad y multiculturalidad” (59.1%) y “habilidades para buscar, procesar y analizar información procedente de fuentes diversas” (55.9%). Y las menos desarrolladas en la universidad son: “capacidad de comunicación en un segundo idioma (inglés)” (9.4%), “habilidades en el uso de las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación” (28.3%). Abstract: Generic competencies are considered fundamental in all professional fields. However, few institutions evaluate whether their graduates transfer these competencies to the professional context. The objective of the study was to assess the perception of recently graduated Physical Education Teachers from a Chilean university about the generic competencies. The study has a special focus on: (a) to know the level of importance that they give to these competencies in the professional practice; (b) to define, from these actors, the level of development and emphasis that the university delivers to the generic competencies during the formative process. A quantitative methodology, of a comparative descriptive type, was used. A total of 133 Physical Education teachers (35 women and 98 men) participated in the study. All participants answered the questionnaire designed for the Latin American Tuning project (2007). The main findings indicate that according to the graduates, the most important competencies for working in the labor system are "appreciation and respect for diversity and multiculturalism" (89.8%) and "ethical commitment" (88%). The least important are "ability to communicate in a second language (English)" (32.3%) and "skills in the use of Information and Communication Technologies" (56.7%). The graduates state that the generic competencies most developed in their university training process are: "ability to work in a team" (59.8%), "appreciation and respect for diversity and multiculturalism" (59.1%) and "skills to search for, process and analyze information from different sources" (55.9%). The least developed in the university are: "ability to communicate in a second language (English)" (9.4%), and "skills in the use of information and communication technologies" (28.3%).

Asymmetry in information acquisition—Exploring the principal–agent dyad of sport organizations and sport management higher education institutions

This study is based on a metaphorical contract in sport management, whereby sport organizations (the principal) engage sport management higher education institutions (the agent) in qualifying graduates according to industry demands. There is asymmetry in the contract due to the lack of incentives for the principal to provide specific information and the agent’s ignorance about this information. A third party can acquire crucial information that sport management higher education institutions need to fulfil the contract. Based on a qualitative content analysis of 12 interviews with sport organization representatives, the study finds that sport management higher education institutions need to focus on either developing generic competencies or credibly signalling the value of sport management-specific competencies in their curriculum in order to efficiently fulfil the contract.

Attributes and generic competencies required of doctors: findings from a participatory concept mapping study

Background Medical education should ensure graduates are equipped for practice in modern health-care systems. Practicing effectively in complex health-care systems requires contemporary attributes and competencies, complementing core clinical competencies. These need to be made overt and opportunities to develop and practice them provided. This study explicates these attributes and generic competencies using Group Concept Mapping, aiming to inform pre-vocational medical education curriculum development. Methods Group Concept Mapping is a mixed methods consensus building methodology whereby ideas are generated using qualitative techniques, sorted and grouped using hierarchical cluster analysis, and rated to provide further quantitative confirmation of value. Health service providers from varied disciplines (including medicine, nursing, allied health), health profession educators, health managers, and service users contributed to the conceptual model’s development. They responded to the prompt ‘An attribute or non-clinical competency required of doctors for effective practice in modern health-care systems is...’ and grouped the synthesized responses according to similarity. Data were subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis. Junior doctors rated competencies according to importance to their practice and preparedness at graduation. Results Sixty-seven contributors generated 338 responses which were synthesised into 60 statements. Hierarchical cluster analysis resulted in a conceptual map of seven clusters representing: value-led professionalism; attributes for self-awareness and reflective practice; cognitive capability; active engagement; communication to build and manage relationships; patient-centredness and advocacy; and systems awareness, thinking and contribution. Logic model transformation identified three overarching meta-competencies: leadership and systems thinking; learning and cognitive processes; and interpersonal capability. Ratings indicated that junior doctors believe system-related competencies are less important than other competencies, and they feel less prepared to carry them out. Conclusion The domains that have been identified highlight the competencies necessary for effective practice for those who work within and use health-care systems. Three overarching domains relate to leadership in systems, learning, and interpersonal competencies. The model is a useful adjunct to broader competencies frameworks because of the focus on generic competencies that are crucial in modern complex adaptive health-care systems. Explicating these will allow future investigation into those that are currently well achieved, and those which are lacking, in differing contexts.