Haematology education in Africa

Abstract

Traditionally, Medical Technologists in South Africa completed a Diploma followed by an internship and a national exam before registering with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Recently, loss of expertise and standardization of training has resulted in fewer students passing the exam. This has resulted in the deterioration of skills, interpretation of tests and morphological assessment of smears which have been highlighted by EQA and accreditation programmes. Therefore, current training practices had to be revised and the development of a four year professional degree that would provide the graduate with the practical, theoretical and cognitive skills required for a continually changing laboratory environment was undertaken. A specialist committee with input from all laboratories, the HPCSA and academics developed the curriculum which was benchmarked against other universities, including in Africa. The programme was approved by The CHE and HPCSA in 2010 and introduced in 2011. Improvements included increased focus on case studies, pathogenesis, morphological assessment and specialised tests. Training in the laboratory was improved by partnerships between the University and employers which resulted in the formation of two skills laboratories. Initial feed-back has been positive and future plans include increased collaboration with other Universities in Africa.