Perceptions of Clinical Education Preparedness at a Large Urban US University: Is There a Difference between US-Born and Non-US Born Students?.

Students not born in the United States are an integral part of higher education. Diversity in higher education is not limited to race and gender. Cultural backgrounds are varied and students may not identify with traditional cultures that are defined as White American, African American, or American Indian. It is suggested that such differences are also manifested in their learning behavior or practices. Therefore, it is important to explore the effectiveness of current instructional strategies in regards to students not born in the United States (Yoder, 2001).Many large universities in the US have both academic and medical campuses with multiple undergraduate programs offered to students. Undergraduate medical programs, such as allied health and nursing, have a practical component. This necessitates working with hospital staff and patients to develop technical skills along with communication and interpersonal skills. International students have an added challenge of carrying out clinical practice in a culturally unfamiliar environment. Their educational needs should be assessed so that faculty and healthcare professionals may successfully integrate these students into a clinical education environment and produce competent healthcare professionals in the process.This study focuses on radiation sciences. The educational programs in the radiation sciences utilize both didactic and clinical methods. The didactic courses encompass patient care, physics, radiologic procedures, pathology, and other career specific courses. The clinical education is the practical, "hands on," learning component that takes place in the clinical setting and utilizes the staff in the clinical department, patients, equipment, and clinical educators (Papp, Markkanen & von Bondsdorff, 2003). The radiation science students are dependent on clinical education to complete their training. Clinical education experience is paramount for future health care providers (Hall, Keeley, Dojeiji, Byszewski, & Marks, 2004; Papp, et al., 2003; Rogan, Miguel, Brow, & Kilstoff, 2006).Ensuring initial clinical preparedness for all students is a top priority for all radiologic science educators. Clinical preparedness is defined as "...the ability to develop critical skills, integrate theory with practice, apply problem solving skills, develop interpersonal skills and become socialized into the formal and informal norms, protocols and expectations..." (Papp, et al., 2003). By measuring and comparing perceived clinical preparedness in US-born students and non-US born students the research can provide a useful insight into the clinical education needs of students with different cultural backgrounds.Literature ReviewThe American Medical Association states that there are 65 allied health care occupations and 22 accrediting agencies (Health Professional and Education Directory, 2013). In order to graduate the required number of allied health professionals, there are 6,700 different educational programs on offer in 2,500 institutions (Thrall, 2006). The allied health professions include, but are not limited to: physical and occupation therapy, physicians' assistant, health care administration, dieticians, medical librarians, phlebotomists, rehabilitation counseling, clinical laboratory sciences, and radiation sciences. The disciplines within radiation sciences typically include radiography, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine. It is important to note that the discipline of radiography includes not only diagnostic radiography but also computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), sonography (ultrasound), intervention radiography, and mammography. The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (2012) reported 713 accredited radiologic technology programs, which included both radiography and radiation therapy educational programs. The Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology reported 99 accredited Nuclear Medicine Programs (JRCNMT, 2012). …