Having provided an international perspective, it is important to consider the local scenario. The South African (SA) Department of Health (DoH) accepted the recommendations of the ICRP and regulates radiation protection within the framework of the Hazardous Substances Act No. 15Background. Globally, the aim of requirements regarding the use and ownership of diagnostic medical X-ray equipment is to limit radiation by abiding by the 'as low as reasonably achievable' (ALARA) principle. The ignorance of radiographers with regard to radiation safety requirements, however, is currently a cause of concern. The enhancement of the 4-year radiography curriculum leading to a Bachelor's qualification provides an opportunity to explore the training and assessment to meet, among others, the ALARA principle, which addresses national and international concerns and criteria. Healthcare workers outside the scope of radiography, who are also considered radiation workers, may be even more ignorant and are therefore also implicated. The process of investigation included a contextualisation of the available regulation documents, the Delphi technique to determine the content of the training, and a questionnaire to test students' knowledge before and after training. Objectives. To determine the content of the radiation safety requirements training and assessment to implement standardised teaching, learning activities and assessment to prepare radiographers as radiation workers well trained for practice. Methods. The content of the radiation safety requirements training was determined with the Delphi technique. Results. Consensus regarding the content of the radiography students' training was reached and implemented. Furthermore, it guided the development of teaching and learning activities complemented by aligned assessment. Conclusion. Standardised education and assessment for radiation safety requirements have the potential to ensure that radiation safety regulations are implemented optimally in diagnostic imaging. This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0. Afr J Health Professions Educ

ResearchGlobally, more than a billion people never consult a healthcare worker in their lives. Inequitable and ineffective healthcare systems are weakened by a scarcity and maldistribution of the healthcare workforce.[1] Together with other stakeholders, health professional schools can play a key role in reducing inequality and improving health equity. The Global Independent Commission on Education of Health Professionals for the 21st Century (2010) calls for transforming institutional and educational approaches to better meet changing health systems needs.[2] Furthermore, in late 2010, the Global Consensus for Social Accountability of Medical Schools (GCSA) urged schools to improve their response to current and future health-related needs and challenges in society and reorientate their activities accordingly.[3] From the above it follows that it is necessary for health professional schools to engage with the community as an essential strategy to achieve a diverse healthforce, increasing access to healthcare and eliminating health disparities.In South Africa (SA), as in the rest of the world, community engagement plays an important part in higher education. Reorientation of health professions education to an inclusive primary healthcare approach was called for in the White Paper on the Transformation of the Healthcare System in SA.[4] Some [5,6] argue that the educational programme for health care professionals should deliver graduates who are prepared for work in community settings, resulting from the move from fixed institutions, such as hospitals, to various settings in the community. Community-based education (CBE) and service learning (SL) as a means of achieving greater social responsibility have become more prominent in health professions education worldwide.CBE in a medical context can be defined as learning activities that take place within communities and take into consideration the main health problems of the country, but do not directly engage the community in the design, conduct and/or evaluation of these activities. [7,8] SL has been defined as 'an educational approach involving curriculum-based, credit-bearing learning experiences in which students (a) participate in contextualised, well-structured and organised service activities aimed at addressing identified service needs in a community, and (b) reflect on the service experiences in order to gain a deeper understanding of the linkage between curriculum content and community dynamics, as well as achieve personal growth and a sense of social responsibility. It requires a collaborative partnership context that enhances mutual, reciprocal teaching and learning among all members of the partnership.' [9] The Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, SA recognises the tremendous potential of CBE and SL to enhance health professions education, as both allow students to apply the information they learn in the classroom to real-world settings and provide an important avenue for self-reflection. CBE and SL contrib...

ResearchBackground. Universities worldwide are required to increase their levels of research productivity.Objective. To bring about positive changes in research perspectives if the factors contributing to the attitude of undergraduate optometry students can be identified, enhanced and rectified. Methods. Three nominal group technique (NGT) discussions were conducted with 22 final-year (4th-year) optometry students in central South Africa (SA) to reach consensus on the most important factors that students regarded as influencing their undergraduate research experiences. Data gathering and analysis took place simultaneously, while participants prioritised the data. Data were analysed by in vivo coding, and categories were grouped according to themes that emerged from the codes. Results. Ranking and content analysis of coded statements yielded positive and negative categories, as well as categories with mixed codes. The major factor influencing students' attitudes towards research was administration and the time-consuming nature of their research projects. Recommendations for more effective administration are given. Conclusions. It was concluded that active steps should be taken by the Department of Optometry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, SA, to alter and minimise negative aspects encountered by the students, which could assist future students' experiences of research at undergraduate level.This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.

Background: The use of learning styles to guide an educational method is becoming increasingly important, with it contributing to the effectiveness of a learning environment. This study addresses the concept of learning styles with reference to students of the Department of Optometry at the University of the Free State, South Africa -a topic that previously has not received much attention. Aim:The aim of this study was to identify the learning styles of optometry students as described by Kolb. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) was completed by the undergraduate students of the Optometry Department, in order to create a better understanding of how students perceive and process learning and to enhance the learning environment accordingly.Setting: This study was conducted in the Optometry Department at the University of the Free State.Methods: Undergraduate optometry students (N = 106) who were registered for the 2014 academic year and agreed to participate in the study completed Kolb's LSI to determine their learning styles. Descriptive statistics for categorical data and medians and percentiles for numerical data were calculated.Results: A response rate of 94.6% was achieved, with female students representing the majority (72.6%). The converger learning style was identified as the most preferred learning style among most students, followed by the assimilator, accommodator and diverger learning styles. Conclusion:Knowledge of Kolb's learning styles created a better understanding of how students learn, which will benefit the facilitator as well as the students. It is recommended that to enhance the learning environment, curriculum delivery and education methods, the learning styles of students should be kept in mind.