The impact of a 2-week radiology program on year 4 medical students’ perception of radiology in clinical practice
Submitted: 16 August 2024
Accepted: 12 September 2025
Published online: 1 April, TAPS 2025, 10(2), 104-105
https://doi.org/10.29060/TAPS.2025-10-2/LE3494
Thazin Han1, Tun Tun Win2, Zaw Phyo1 & Zin Min Htike1
1Department of Medical Education, Defence Services Medical Academy, Myanmar; 2Department of Preventive & Social Medicine, Defence Services Medical Academy, Myanmar
Dear Editor,
The Department of Radiology, Defence Services Medical Academy reports the results on the impact of a 2-week radiology program on year 4 medical students’ perception of radiology. Advances in imaging modalities has led to almost every patient getting a scan prior to any planned management making it essential for medical students to understand the importance of radiology’s role in clinical practice. Limited exposure to radiology can perpetuate negative stereotypes by perceiving radiology as providing no significant contribution to patient care (Grimm et al., 2021). In the academic year of 2020/2021, we piloted a 2-week radiology program for 4th year medical students and conducted a qualitative, experiential, and phenomenological study design using Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) from January to July 2022 after obtaining ethical approval to find out the effectiveness of exposure to radiology impacts on 4th year medical students’ opinions and views on radiology. Eighteen out of 20 4th year medical students volunteered to participate. FGIs can be used to gather rich data through participant exchange of ideas or comments on each other’s views (Stalmeijer et al., 2014). We found that students who were hesitant to express their views individually were willing to do so in small groups.
The thematic analysis of the coded transcripts produced 6 themes which are (1) Earlier exposure to radiology-; (2) Integration of radiology into the undergraduate curriculum-; (3) Collaborative learning and practice-; (4) Motivation to learn radiology-; (5) Genuine interest in radiology and (6) Importance of radiology in clinical practice. Students reflected during FGIs that the radiology program provided meaningful learning when correlating radiology images to clinical findings. Learning is a continuous process grounded in experience and the educator’s job is to dispose, modify or implant new ideas as propounded by Kolb. This study showed that the 2-week radiology program disposed of the idea that radiology did not have any significant role on clinical management and implanted new ideas concerning the importance and appropriate use of radiology. The study is evaluated up to Kirkpatrick’s level 3 whereby there is change of students’ behavior as they now appreciated the importance of the role of radiology in clinical practice as evidenced by theme 6.
In conclusion, the radiology program was impactful in changing 4th year medical students’ perceptions regarding the role of radiology in clinical practice and provided justification to roll out the 2-week radiology program for consecutive academic years.
Notes on Contributors
Thazin Han developed the conceptual framework and piloted the radiology program. Tun Tun Win did data sampling, acquisition and analysis. Zaw Phyo recorded the FGIs. Zin Min Htike did member checking and data transcribing. All 4 took turns to conduct and moderate the FGIs and review the data.
Acknowledgement
We wish to express our gratitude and thanks to the Rector of the Defense Services Medical Academy for allowing us to conduct this research. We would like to express special thanks to the Head of the Medical Education Department for providing us with the logistic support. Finally, thanks to the study team members without whom this research would not have been achieved.
Funding
No funding is involved for this research. The research was conducted based on situation analysis of the undergraduate curriculum regarding radiology.
Declaration of Interest
There is no conflict of interest for the current research.
References
Grimm, L. J., Fish, L. J., Carrico. C. WT., Martin, J. G., Nwankwo, V. C., Farley, S., Meltzer, C. C. & Maxfield, C. M. (2022). Radiology stereotypes, application barriers, hospital integration: A mixed methods study of medical student perceptions of radiology. Academic Radiology, 29(7), 1108-1115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2021.08.020
Stalmeijer, R. E., Mcnaughton, N. & Van Mook, W. N. (2014). Using focus groups in medical education research: AMEE Guide No. 91. Medical Teacher, 36(11), 923-939. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2014.917165
*Thazin Han
No. 94, D-1, Pyay Road
Mingaladon Township
Yangon, Myanmar
Postal code – 11021
Email: thazinhn@gmail.com
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