Strengthening students' engagement to learn practical skills: a case study of kiwoko medical laboratory training school in Nakaseke District

Abstract

With exposure to different learning styles more especially on hands and expedition in the world of work during my training created in me a desire to analyze work processes for Kiwoko medical laboratory students towards competence acquisition. The study objectives were: to identify intervention to strengthen students engagement to learn practicals, to implement interventions and to evaluate the impact of interventions that enhanced students' engagement to learn practical skills. This research project was voluntary and participatory among 50 stakeholders of a medical laboratory training school. The qualitative data was collected using interviews, participant observation, photography and documentary analysis techniques with the help of a future workshop tool. The initial phase encompassed seeking entry permission into the research field. A situational analysis in which stakeholders and the researcher identified challenges faced by students during skills acquisition was undertaken. The interaction meeting with participants unveiled the following challenges; Much time spent in theory, congestion at practicum sites, procedures taught in the classroom not matching with those in the world of work, Less practical demonstration by tutors, poor students effective self-study, no exposure to HIV counseling, inventory, and store management skills. The stakeholders intervention to mitigate the challenges were; Enhancing practical return demonstrations, Scheduling time for students possible self- study, Attaching students in pharmacy and records for inventory and store management respectively, allocating specific period for theories and practical in the teaching timetable, providing pre and post-HIV counselling skills and reducing actual practices at hospital from 5 to 4 shifts. The evaluation of intervention implemented was based on student's responses, teachers' comments, and photography. Teachers agreed to demonstrate medical laboratory practical's for two weeks each semester, there is students group study for practical lesson from 9-11 am, students have an oral presentation of night and evening attachments reports, KML TS signed and MOU practicum site attachment with Kiboga Hospital agreed to have, external hospital attachment of one month, gazetted competencies for each semester and erected a designed sign post reflecting concept for training laboratory students. Due to students' involvement, there has been greater improvement in laboratory results interpretation, working practices, and communication skills. It is recommended that all tutors should demonstrate practical lessons to students. There should also be workshops on active participation for tutors on how to engage students in learning practicals.