Is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for Chinese rural health professionals?

Purpose: Rural health professionals in township health centers (THCs) tend to have less advanced educational degrees. This study aimed to ascertain the perceived feasibility of a decentralized continuing medical education (CME) program to upgrade their educational levels. Methods: A cross-sectional...

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Main Authors: Guijie Hu, Yanhua Yi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute 2016-04-01
Series:Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions
Subjects:
Online Access:http://jeehp.org/upload/jeehp-13-18.pdf
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author Guijie Hu
Yanhua Yi
author_facet Guijie Hu
Yanhua Yi
author_sort Guijie Hu
collection DOAJ
description Purpose: Rural health professionals in township health centers (THCs) tend to have less advanced educational degrees. This study aimed to ascertain the perceived feasibility of a decentralized continuing medical education (CME) program to upgrade their educational levels. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of THC health professionals was conducted using a self-administered, structured questionnaire in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Results: The health professionals in the THCs were overwhelmingly young with low education levels. They had a strong desire to upgrade their educational degrees. The decentralized CME program was perceived as feasible by health workers with positive attitudes about the benefit for license examination, and by those who intended to improve their clinical diagnosis and treatment skills. The target groups of such a program were those who expected to undertake a bachelor’s degree and who rated themselves as “partially capable” in clinical competency. They reported that 160-400 USD annually would be an affordable fee for the program. Conclusion: A decentralized CME program was perceived feasible to upgrade rural health workers’ education level to a bachelor’s degree and improve their clinical competency.
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spelling doaj.art-5e7ca9db1a444f55ad58e3b1d4f6ba552023-09-02T11:57:54ZengKorea Health Personnel Licensing Examination InstituteJournal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions1975-59372016-04-011310.3352/jeehp.2016.13.18203Is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for Chinese rural health professionals?Guijie Hu0Yanhua Yi1 The Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China School for International Education, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, ChinaPurpose: Rural health professionals in township health centers (THCs) tend to have less advanced educational degrees. This study aimed to ascertain the perceived feasibility of a decentralized continuing medical education (CME) program to upgrade their educational levels. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of THC health professionals was conducted using a self-administered, structured questionnaire in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Results: The health professionals in the THCs were overwhelmingly young with low education levels. They had a strong desire to upgrade their educational degrees. The decentralized CME program was perceived as feasible by health workers with positive attitudes about the benefit for license examination, and by those who intended to improve their clinical diagnosis and treatment skills. The target groups of such a program were those who expected to undertake a bachelor’s degree and who rated themselves as “partially capable” in clinical competency. They reported that 160-400 USD annually would be an affordable fee for the program. Conclusion: A decentralized CME program was perceived feasible to upgrade rural health workers’ education level to a bachelor’s degree and improve their clinical competency.http://jeehp.org/upload/jeehp-13-18.pdfChinaClinical competenceContinuing medical educationHealth personnelLicensure
spellingShingle Guijie Hu
Yanhua Yi
Is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for Chinese rural health professionals?
Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions
China
Clinical competence
Continuing medical education
Health personnel
Licensure
title Is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for Chinese rural health professionals?
title_full Is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for Chinese rural health professionals?
title_fullStr Is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for Chinese rural health professionals?
title_full_unstemmed Is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for Chinese rural health professionals?
title_short Is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for Chinese rural health professionals?
title_sort is a decentralized continuing medical education program feasible for chinese rural health professionals
topic China
Clinical competence
Continuing medical education
Health personnel
Licensure
url http://jeehp.org/upload/jeehp-13-18.pdf
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