A video for promoting medical physics and radiation protection among pre-university physics students

Abstract

Background: The roles of the Medical Physics Expert and Radiation Protection Expert are essential for the effective and safe use of medical radiological devices in healthcare and are required by law. However, since these are relatively recent professions in Malta, pre-university students might be unaware of such career options. The current educational literature attempts to identify and evaluate ways to make known such careers and other healthcare careers among students through different promotional means. The most effective approach has been found to be through direct student engagement such as through the use of appealing and informative promotional videos. Objectives: The main purpose of this research was to produce a video outlining the roles of the Medical Physics Expert and Radiation Protection Expert and evaluate its effectiveness among preuniversity physics students. Research Methodology: A link to the video was sent to pre-university physics students in the age bracket of 16 - 18 years attending selected local public and private pre-university colleges. The students were then asked to evaluate the video by means of a Google-form based anonymous online questionnaire. Results: The results indicate that before watching the video, the majority of students were not aware of the Medical Physics Expert and Radiation Protection Expert as a career choice. However, all respondents claimed to have a better understanding of these professions after watching the video. The participants judged the quality of the video very positively. Conclusions and Recommendations: The video was found to be effective and appealing. Recommendations for further research include widening the population to other pre-university colleges, investigating other types of intervention such as interactive workshops and investigating the factors affecting career choice among pre-university students.