European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT FOR NEWLY GRADUATED STUDENTS FROM OMDURMAN AHLIA UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES –HEMATOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Mohamed M. Babeker*, Wail Nouri, Mohamed Almokhtar, Mohamed H. Arbab and Hani Kamal Fahmi

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The assessment of technical staff members’ competency has been a challenge for laboratory workers, to ensure patient safety and high quality services. The aim of this study was to assess the competency of the newly graduated students from Faculty of medical lab Sciences of Omdurman Ahlia University, to assess the curriculum content for the Faculty of Medical Laboratory science at OAU through the assessment of the competency, in addition to test personnel for each test included in the questionnaire sheet, moreover to determine the gaps and weakness area that require education and training. Methods: A cross-sectional case study, descriptive survey conducted, followed by questionnaire about a proposed competency assessment program that included all the procedural elements of laboratory personnel competency assessment in Sudan. A proposed competency assessment program was circulated to laboratory supervisors who agreed to be enrolled through structured questionnaire. Results: Twelve laboratories responded to the questionnaire. Eighty respondents participated in this study. Five main parameters selected to be assessed. Results obtained by this study 69.6% performance for overall parameters with grade good. Moreover, average degree in the parameters of coagulation, special tests and reporting the results around (50%).Also the study found that (58.3%) of participated laboratories used assessment as a tool for a purpose of evaluation the new employees, while (41.7%) did not used. On other hand, the quality control and documentation parameters reveled about less than 40% evaluation (below the average). Conclusions: In this study the proposed competency assessment program overcomes, challenges for the competency assessment for medical laboratories. Moreover, this study represents an important step towards the implementation of a standardized laboratory competences assessment program at a national level, beside it reflect the gaps and weakness in the curriculum of the faculty of medical laboratory Sciences, so it may resemble a diagnostic and measuring tool towards the development for the curriculum.

Keywords: Competency. Haematology. Omdurman Ahlia University. Laboratory. Students.