A generic curriculum development model for the biomedical physics component of the educational and training programmes of the non-physics healthcare professions

The objective of the study was the construction of a generic curriculum development model for the use of biomedical physics (BMP) educators teaching the non-physics healthcare professions (HCP) in Europe. A comprehensive, qualitative cross-sectional Europe-wide survey of the curricula delivered by BMP in Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) was carried out. Curricular content was collected from faculty web-sites, curricular documents and textbooks. The survey data was supplemented with semi-structured interviews and direct observation during onsite visits. The number of faculties studied was 118 from 67 universities spread all over Europe, whilst the number of onsite visits/interviews was 15 (geographically distributed as follows: Eastern Europe 6, North Western Europe 5, and South Western Europe 4). EU legislation, recommendations by European national medical councils, educational benchmark statements by higher education quality assurance agencies, research journals concerning HCP education and other documents relevant to standards in clinical practice and undergraduate education were also analyzed. Best practices and BMP learning outcomes were elicited from the curricular materials, interviews and documentation and these were subsequently used to construct the curriculum development model. A structured, comprehensive BMP learning outcomes inventory was designed in the format required by the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). The structures of the inventory and curriculum development model make them ideally suited for use by BMP involved in European curriculum development initiatives for the HCP.

EUTEMPE-RX, an EC supported FP7 project for the training and education of medical physics experts in radiology

The core activity of the medical physics expert (MPE) is to ensure optimal use of ionising radiation in healthcare. It is essential that these healthcare professionals are trained to the highest level, defined as European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF) level 8 by the European Commission's Radiation Protection Report 174 'Guidelines on the MPE'. The main objective of the EUTEMPE-RX project is to provide a model training scheme that allows the medical physicist in diagnostic and interventional radiology (D&IR) to reach this high level. A European network of partners was brought together in this FP7 EC project to ensure sufficient expertise in all aspects of the subject and to create a harmonised course programme. Targeted participants are medical physicists in D&IR in hospitals, engineers and scientists in medical device industries and officers working in regulatory authorities. Twelve course modules will be developed at EQF level 8, with radiation safety and diagnostic effectiveness being prevalent subjects. The modules will combine online with face-to-face teaching using a blended learning approach.

A comprehensive SWOT audit of the role of the biomedical physicist in the education of healthcare professionals in Europe

Although biomedical physicists provide educational services to the healthcare professions in the majority of universities in Europe, their precise role with respect to the education of the healthcare professions has not been studied systematically. To address this issue we are conducting a research project to produce a strategic development model for the role using the well-established SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) methodology. SWOT based strategic planning is a two-step process: one first carries out a SWOT position audit and then uses the identified SWOT themes to construct the strategic development model. This paper reports the results of a SWOT audit for the role of the biomedical physicist in the education of the healthcare professions in Europe. Internal Strengths and Weaknesses of the role were identified through a qualitative survey of biomedical physics departments and biomedical physics curricula delivered to healthcare professionals across Europe. External environmental Opportunities and Threats were identified through a systematic survey of the healthcare, healthcare professional education and higher education literature and categorized under standard PEST (Political, Economic, Social-Psychological, Technological-Scientific) categories. The paper includes an appendix of terminology. Defined terms are marked with an asterisk in the text.