Date of Award
11-14-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Topeka Singleton
Second Advisor
Karen Buchanan
Committee Members
Alicia Shaw
Call Number
ISBN 9798342763509
Abstract
Accelerated programs are a growing trend in higher education, especially in healthcare. Transitioning a program from a traditional four-year bachelor’s program to a three-year accelerated program requires redesign of the curriculum. This research study explores a radiology program that recently transitioned their traditional four-year program to a three-year accelerated program. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenology study was to explore the experiences of faculty and staff in an accelerated three-year program in a Bachelor of Science in Radiological Sciences at a small health sciences college in the Midwestern region of the United States. The study sample was composed of three faculty and three staff who previously worked in the four-year traditional radiology program and currently work in the three-year accelerated program. The guiding theoretical framework used for this dissertation included Kolb’s experiential learning theory. Each participant selected participated in a semi-structured interview. The researcher transcribed the data and then analyzed the transcripts using Braun et al. (2006) six-step thematic analysis. Several crucial themes emerged, which included: continuous didactic learning in the classroom and continuous didactic learning in the lab, increased clinical experience, accelerated rate of schooling, mental health matters, enhanced student communication, detail management is necessary, and collaborative support is critical. The study's findings lead to several key implications, including the recommendation for an early introduction to laboratory coursework, an emphasis on increased clinical experiences, the need to address student mental health, and the encouragement of enhanced communications with students. Recommendations for programs considering redesigning their programs in an accelerated format include providing student mental health support, creating a communication plan, and providing more clinical experiences. Future research should include replicating the study by utilizing a larger sample size, conducting qualitative research, focused on the same research questions, from the viewpoint of the employers and from the student perspective. Keywords: accelerated program, radiology, three-year bachelors, redesign of curriculum
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Christina Lynn, "The Exploration of a New Accelerated Radiology Program and Its Preparation of Students Entering the Healthcare Field: A Phenomenology Study" (2024). Student Theses and Dissertations. 67.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/67
