Black Asian and ethnically diverse student experiences in radiotherapy education - A UK survey

Abstract

Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse student experiences in radiotherapy education - A UK survey Purpose/Objective In UK higher education (HE) longstanding data indicates there is an awarding gap (Advance HE 2020b), a picture replicated in the US, Australia, and some European HE institutions (Cramer et al 2021). Currently, in the UK, students from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds have an 8.8% reduction in their chance of achieving a ‘good’ degree (2.1 or higher) in comparison to students from white backgrounds, rising to an 18.4% gap between students from Black backgrounds in relation to White students (Universities UK 2022). This disparity in awards cannot be explained by controlling for factors such as entry qualification, age, sex, or socioeconomic background (Broecke & Nicholls 2007). Much of the evidence base derives from programmes delivered in the academic setting with a paucity of research from health-related programmes where ethnically diverse students are required to navigate the dual learning environments of the higher education institution and clinical placement site. To support attainment, links have been made between developing problem-based learning approaches and inclusive curriculum to reduce the awarding gap in radiography (Lawal, Ramlaul & Murphy 2021). However, there is a lack of evidence on the impact of courses containing a clinical practice element on awards and attainment for students from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds, with no research at the time of submission on differential attainment in placement performance (Nightingale et al 2022) or therapeutic radiography specifically. The purpose of this doctoral study was to explore the experiences of radiotherapy students from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds in the placement and university setting, gaining student views on how these experiences impact their success and perceptions of their future profession.