Factors influencing final year radiography students' intention to pursue postgraduate education in medical imaging

INTRODUCTION: Postgraduate education in medical imaging is an important platform that can support in preparing radiographers for the role extension and advancement in radiography. Thus, this study aims to identify the factors influencing final year radiography students' intention to pursue postgraduate education in medical imaging.

METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among final year students in medical imaging programs from six institutions in Malaysia. Purposive convenience sampling has been employed. Data collection was related to students' interest in postgraduate study and possible factors that may affect students' intention to pursue postgraduate education after study degree completion. The questionnaire was a combination of a Likert Scale and open-ended question.

RESULTS: A total of 148 (female, n = 132 and male, n = 16) responses were included in the analysis. Among the participants, n = 93 (62.8 %) of students intended to pursue study. The highest choice of study was mixed mode (41.9 %) and cardiac imaging was the field of choice by the students (22.3 %). Five factors have been found to significantly correlate with the students' intention to pursue postgraduate study in medical imaging which were student attributes, being an academician, remuneration, finance, and social influences (p  0.05).

CONCLUSION: Five out of seven factors tested were found to significantly influence students' decision to pursue postgraduate education in medical imaging. Effective strategies based on the influencing factors should be strategized to encourage more students to pursue postgraduate education in medical imaging.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Implementation of effective strategies based on the influencing factors will improve access to education among radiography students, ultimately enhancing future radiographers' capability and competency.