MLS

Question 1

Can someone with say…a higher diploma do B.H.Sc.MLS?

Answer 1

Yes. All they have to do is repeat the subject RESEARCH METHODS

Question 2

When is the last year that students can register first year subjects in BIOMED?

Answer 2

2017

Question 3

What had to be done to facilitate students in doing subjects that were outstanding in their BIOMED course?

Answer 3

An enormous amount of paper work to get special permission which had to go to HIGHER EDUCATION LEVEL

Question 4

What is the BIOMED phasing out track record?

Answer 4

2015 - MLS STARTED & FINAL BIOMED INTAKE

2016 - SECOND YEAR MLS & BIOMED FIRST YEAR SUBJECT DRAGGERS

2017 - THIRD YEAR MLS & LAST CHANCE FIRST 2015 BIOMED STUDENTS TO REGISTER FOR FIRST YEAR SUBJECTS

2018 - FOURTH YEAR MLS & FIRST YEAR SUBJECT DRAGGERS KICKED OUT & LAST BTECH GROUP

Question 5

Students often ask about doing their WIL outside PE. Is this possible?

Answer 5

No. Currently students wanting to go to other centers need to apply for an NHLS “national” bursary

Question 6

Can a department apply to have a subject shifted from one semester to another?

Answer 6

Yes. It’s a simple form to fill in.

Question 7

When do MLS students do their research proposal and when do they present a case study?

Answer 7

In their 3rd year. Students do a subject called research methods and in that subject they will do a proposal and case study presentation. WIL doesn’t have a case study (a publication) presentation component anymore. This is done in the fourth year of the same subject name research methods (check up on this)

Question 8

What are the payment obligations for students currently at the NMMU?

Answer 8

Students need to pay 60% of their study fees by March (check) and the remainder (40%) by August of the same year

Question 9

MLS 3rd year (first time offering in 2017):
i. Mentor appointment period? Did the clinical mentors start from the WIL period leading into the fourth year?

Answer 9

Mentors are appointed on an annual contract because they are funded by the DHET Clinical Training Grant. Yes they started with WIL initially as a pilot programme but because the students benefitted this has been continued. They started in the June of 2012 and the first 3 groups were WIL students. June to Nov 2012 were the 3rd year diplomas (our 1st group of BHSc’s were then in 2nd year). 2013 we then had the last of the diplomas coming into their 3rd year plus the 1st of the BHScs so we got permission from the employers to run two groups of WIL as their were too many to place in one semester. Jan to Jun 2013 were the last group of diploma students and July to end Nov were the BHScs.

Question 10

Did you work out specific programs for each path lab and did you consult lab staff and mentors in drawing up the program?

Answer 10

We consulted right at the beginning with the trainers from all the employers. Split them into discipline groups and asked them to review the then current WIL workbook to see where it could be streamlined and made more manageable yet give the students adequate exposure. The same workbook is used across all employers with tests and projects for each discipline having had combined input. They use the same memos for assessing to ensure consistency across the employers but some do add additional formative assessments which do not get inluded for the final academic mark

Question 11

Did you work out specific programs for each path lab and did you consult lab staff and mentors in drawing up the program?

Answer 11

The students spend time with the mentors, therefore we give the employers the rotation schedule. Not all sites do Cytol & Hist and only one does Cytogen and Immuno so the students actually end up being rostered through different employers as well. This is all part of the collaborative initiative set to give all students exposure to those disciplines. If the students have bursaries, I make sure that the majority of their time is spent with that employer

Question 12

Did you work out specific programs for each path lab and did you consult lab staff and mentors in drawing up the program

Answer 12

If you can make sense of it, I have attached this years roster and student schedules. You’ll see from the student rosters spreadsheet that they move all over. All students are taken as being employed by the NHLS as they do all go to the mentors at prac lab at Greenpoint to do designated projects. The mentors only do Clin Path. projects in both 3rd and 4th year

Question 13

Did you work out specific programs for each path lab and did you consult lab staff and mentors in drawing up the program?

Answer 13

The roster is drawn up so that students go into pre-analytical before a Clin Path discipline and they do at least one week with the mentors before going into the discipline in the workplace. Focus is on doing automation with them first because the workplace projects are set around instrumentation so the students are given a bit more confidence in personally operating and doing maintenance on an instrument. Different sites can accommodate different maximum numbers of students. They spend 5 weeks with the mentors in total

Question 14

We appreciate the inclusion of the ‘training reactionnaire’ and would like to know if you had serious training issues that were highlighted

Answer 14

The training reactionnaires have mainly shown that different students have different experiences and that depends on who they are. One person will have a negative experience but others will be positive. I compile a report and then the reactionnaires are given back to the laboratories so that they can review the feedback for themselves as well. This helped at one particular site where there was consistency of complaints regarding one trainer resulting in the manager talking corrective action. These, plus the individual student interviews, have blissfully had 100% satisfaction with the mentor programme!!! They really get a lot out of the more or less individual attention and proper learning time. As we’ve said, the mentors are only assisting the workplaces by being the extra hands to specifically spend time with the students doing the projects that have to be completed which would normally take up the time of the staff

Question 15

MLS 4th year (2018 first year of offering):
i. What are the board exam cost implications for the students and did you integrate it as part of the student fees

Answer 15

The students are personally responsible for paying the Board exam fees. There was discussion about including in the fees but there were issues about the SMLTSA having to then bill the CPUT and monies being transferred out of the fees cost account so it is now stated on the website that there is an additional fee. At the beginning of the 4th year, I also get the students to sign to say that they are aware that the additional fees have to be paid by October to give them adequate time to make arrangements for funding

Question 16

What are the steps for the board exam re-examination (dates, cost etc.

Answer 16

The re-evaluation is conducted around mid-January. They pay the same fee to write as would any other student if they are re-writing. Main difficulty here, is the tight timeframe. With the current PBMT now not wanting results to be released before they have seen them, we envisage problems with this going forward. Historically their response time on other matters has been, shall we put it politely, lacking!
Timelines are VERY tight. 1st write mid-Nov. Marks have to uploaded at beginning of Dec. In that period, the papers have to be marked, students informed of whether they have passed or failed and given an opportunity to apply for a re-mark (R300), re-mark concluded and results issued to academic institution. Now, the PBMT are saying, they must see the marks before the students can be told. Current the SMLTSA process is as follows

Question 17

ssue of BHSc MLS examination results (role of the office

Answer 17

The BHSc MLS results are administered in accordance with academic policy in that no student may receive their mark until these are ratified by the SENEX of the institution. The following process is utilised in respect of these students for both the exam and the e-evaluation:

· On completion of moderation, the office will issue an electronic notification to each student advising only as to whether they have PASSED or FAILED. This enables the latter candidates to immediately apply for the re-evaluation and a re-mark if desired.
· The candidate will be informed by the office only as to whether they have PASSED or FAILED the re-mark.
· The office will supply each academic institution with the marks of each of their candidates immediately after the moderated marks are submitted to the office. Similarly for the re-mark results.
Note: Results of each academic institution are confidential and may not be sent to other institutions.
· The academic institution will advise the office when the final results may be released to the candidates.
· The office will issue the formal letter of notification of the candidate’s marks to each student by post immediately on receipt of notification from the academic institution. (The original SMLTSA letter must accompany applications to register with the PBMT).

Question 18

Did you and your colleagues at CPUT compile the WIL manual alone?

Answer 18

The previous WIL workbook was workshopped nationally and all UoTs used essentially the same one. Obviously with CPUT being the only one doing the BHSc course there was a sort of poetic license to draw up our own. Going forward however, this should again become collaborative. You have our current version so it would really be appreciated if we could work together correcting and improving a version for 2017. As more UoTs come on board, we would extend the interaction to again achieve a standard, national WIL workbook. All the Clin Path projects would have to be completed by the staff in the workplace where mentors are not available - and there’s no guarantee ours will be ongoing as it is all dependent on the grant. There would be some variation e.g. lesson plans would not be included unless there are mentors. The one thing I haven’t done is submit to the PBMT which I must put on my immediate ‘to do’ list as they are auditing us soon