Medical
laboratory testing plays an important role in the detection, diagnosis, and
treatment of diseases. Medical Laboratory Science practitioners are
multi-skilled health care providers who perform various tests for different
diagnostic and purposes. Through the use of precise methodologies and
technologies, medical laboratory Science practitioners generate data on blood,
urine, body fluids and other specimens, which help to diagnose and treat
diseases and assess general health
The expanding and
intensifying health services and programs at the national, regional and
district levels and impact of globalization on health are demanding better
qualified professionals. The shortage of trained MLS professionals in the
country has no doubt contributed to the rampant public health problems seen
today. If Ethiopia is to address the public health problems, break the
intergenerational effect of communicable and non communicable diseases and seek
sustainable human and economic development, greater attention must be paid to
capacity building in the field of medical
laboratory science.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ethiopia have
embarked on major reform since last decade. For the reform to take effect, the
institutions have used Business Process Reengineering (BPR) as a tool. In the
reengineering of the Learning-teaching Core Process, modularization was
proposed as a best way for the implementation of curricula and the production
of competent global graduates. Currently with the aim of producing competent
and capable graduates to address the current social and economic dynamics,
there is an initiation to modularize the existing curricula for MLS
undergraduate programs throughout the country. There are a number of reasons
why modularization is needed in HEs:
Ø
The existing curricula are
discipline based and the courses are fragmented. They are not organized around
competences. As a result, the curricula do not enable HEIs to produce competent
graduates. Students who drop out from universities are simply wastage because
they cannot be certified in any of the competences as a result of the
fragmented courses.
Ø
The existing curriculum does
indicate about student work load which is very important for students’ success
in their academic life; only the contact hour that the instructor uses for the
classroom is mentioned. Hence student workload is one of the central points in
the modularization.
Ø
There is a loose connection
between the world of education and the world of work because of the inherent
problem of the existing curriculum. Furthermore, the traditional curriculum
focused on the teacher rather than the learner. However, in recent years there
has been a paradigm shift taking place, moving the emphasis from teaching to
learning and a more student-centered curriculum. This change has impacted on
the curriculum design process with a greater emphasis on the learning in terms
of knowledge, skills and competencies within courses and modules. The focus is
on how learners learn and the design of effective learning environments.
In
general, modularization is believed to increase degree comparability and
compatibility, curriculum flexibility, and student mobility. It also
strengthens the relationship between the world of education and the world of
work.
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