Ethiopian Anesthetist Licensing Examination: A Qualitative Study of Concerns and Unintended Consequences.
anesthesia
anesthetist
associate clinician
licensing examination
non-physician
Journal
Advances in medical education and practice
ISSN: 1179-7258
Titre abrégé: Adv Med Educ Pract
Pays: New Zealand
ID NLM: 101562700
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2023
2023
Historique:
received:
12
05
2023
accepted:
17
09
2023
medline:
4
10
2023
pubmed:
4
10
2023
entrez:
4
10
2023
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Ethiopia increased its anesthesia workforce drastically by expanding the training of associate clinician anesthetists. Following this expansion, the Ministry of Health established an entry-level anesthesia licensing examination to ensure patient safety. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the impacts of licensing exams in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to explore the concerns and undesirable consequences of the anesthetist licensing examination in Ethiopia. A qualitative design using a grounded theory approach was employed by collecting data from 10 anesthesia teaching institutions. We conducted 15 in-depth interviews with instructors and six focus groups with students and graduates who took the exam recently. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Atlas.ti 23. We also extracted secondary data from the academic committee meeting minutes, curricula, faculty appraisal reports, and program quality self-review reports. Qualitative analysis revealed three central categories of concerns and untoward consequences of the anesthetist NLE: exam management, educational management, and student behavior. Exam management concerns were related to exam validity, fairness, and consistent enforcement of pass/fail decisions. The unintended consequences of the exam on education management were perceived as promoting teaching and learning for the exam, increasing faculty workload, and resulting in superficial and patchy educational reforms. Study participants also reported adverse psychosocial effects and increased cheating behaviors among students as undesirable consequences of the exam on student behavior. Our study identified some concerns and unintended consequences of the Ethiopian anesthetist licensing examination. These lessons learned may contribute to improving the quality of licensing examinations in Ethiopia and beyond.
Sections du résumé
Background
UNASSIGNED
Ethiopia increased its anesthesia workforce drastically by expanding the training of associate clinician anesthetists. Following this expansion, the Ministry of Health established an entry-level anesthesia licensing examination to ensure patient safety. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the impacts of licensing exams in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to explore the concerns and undesirable consequences of the anesthetist licensing examination in Ethiopia.
Methods
UNASSIGNED
A qualitative design using a grounded theory approach was employed by collecting data from 10 anesthesia teaching institutions. We conducted 15 in-depth interviews with instructors and six focus groups with students and graduates who took the exam recently. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Atlas.ti 23. We also extracted secondary data from the academic committee meeting minutes, curricula, faculty appraisal reports, and program quality self-review reports.
Results
UNASSIGNED
Qualitative analysis revealed three central categories of concerns and untoward consequences of the anesthetist NLE: exam management, educational management, and student behavior. Exam management concerns were related to exam validity, fairness, and consistent enforcement of pass/fail decisions. The unintended consequences of the exam on education management were perceived as promoting teaching and learning for the exam, increasing faculty workload, and resulting in superficial and patchy educational reforms. Study participants also reported adverse psychosocial effects and increased cheating behaviors among students as undesirable consequences of the exam on student behavior.
Conclusion
UNASSIGNED
Our study identified some concerns and unintended consequences of the Ethiopian anesthetist licensing examination. These lessons learned may contribute to improving the quality of licensing examinations in Ethiopia and beyond.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37789925
doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S418743
pii: 418743
pmc: PMC10542504
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
1055-1064Informations de copyright
© 2023 Asemu et al.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this work.
Références
Acad Med. 2016 Nov;91(11):1492-1497
pubmed: 27028028
J Evid Based Dent Pract. 2006 Mar;6(1):148-54
pubmed: 17138419
Med Teach. 2009 Mar;31(3):217-20
pubmed: 19811119
J Perianesth Nurs. 2018 Aug;33(4):426-435
pubmed: 30077285
Int J Womens Health. 2016 May 27;8:181-90
pubmed: 27313478
Med Educ. 2014 Jan;48(1):75-86
pubmed: 24330120
BMC Med Educ. 2023 Jun 22;23(1):468
pubmed: 37349766
BMC Med Educ. 2021 Aug 8;21(1):421
pubmed: 34364373
Med Educ. 2016 Jan;50(1):101-14
pubmed: 26695470
J Med Libr Assoc. 2010 Jan;98(1):12-6
pubmed: 20098646
Med Teach. 2018 Nov;40(11):1102-1109
pubmed: 30299187
Med Educ. 2008 Sep;42(9):930-7
pubmed: 18694406
Anesth Analg. 2019 Sep;129(3):839-846
pubmed: 31425228
BMC Med Educ. 2022 Apr 20;22(1):294
pubmed: 35443679
Med Teach. 2009 Mar;31(3):221-2
pubmed: 19811120
Acad Med. 2016 Jun;91(6):785-95
pubmed: 26839945
Am J Med. 2006 Feb;119(2):166.e7-16
pubmed: 16443422
Educ Health (Abingdon). 2016 Jan-Apr;29(1):3-9
pubmed: 26996792
Nurse Educ Today. 2017 May;52:81-86
pubmed: 28273527
Med Teach. 2008;30(3):325-7
pubmed: 18484462
Acad Med. 2006 Oct;81(10 Suppl):S13-6
pubmed: 17001124
J Grad Med Educ. 2019 Oct;11(5):527-529
pubmed: 31636821
Int J Qual Health Care. 2007 Dec;19(6):349-57
pubmed: 17872937
BMC Med Educ. 2016 Aug 19;16(1):212
pubmed: 27543269