Nurturing doers and translators: A new approach to advancing research training among undergraduate rehabilitation professions students

Excerpt

Background: Undergraduate (UG) education of rehabilitation professionals requires research methodology (RM) modules. Unfortunately, (1) these modules are often separated into individual programmes within the different academic divisions, prohibiting the development of a critical mass of practice-ready workforce with the potential to strengthen the health system, and (2) a rethought, broader, interdisciplinary rehabilitation research agenda is increasingly important, as ongoing developments in rehabilitation research rigour suggest changes regarding the traditional components of evidence-based rehabilitation.

Aim: This chapter describes the development and design of an interprofessional RM module for undergraduate rehabilitation students in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (DHRS), Stellenbosch University (SUN) (Divisions of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy).

Methods: We describe the interprofessional development process according to the Knowledge to Action (KTA) Framework.

Findings: We first sought leadership buy-in, input and consensus to inform module revision. To further aid the construction of a guiding set of core competencies, we then reviewed research competencies required for rehabilitation undergraduates using a scoping review. Concurrently, we performed a document review of existing RM course content offered across the DHRS. These processes culminated in defining a set of core competencies for the module. The findings from these processes also highlighted challenges and facilitators to implementation, similarities among programme content and opportunities for shared learning experiences. We developed a revised module that is envisaged to be an enhanced offering for undergraduates (UGs) across rehabilitation sciences.

Conclusion: We propose the shared learning environment of an inter-divisional RM module with a focus on knowledge translation as one strategy for laying the foundation for a collaborative practice-ready workforce, especially in the context of lower-resourced countries with complex disease burdens and related disabilities.