Transformation of additional professional education for laboratory medicine specialists. Analysis of opinions of specialists of clinical diagnostic laboratories

Background: Additional professional education ensures that an employee’s qualifications correspond to changing working conditions and the social environment, allows them to update knowledge and acquire the necessary new skills. To improve the quality of educational services, it is necessary to systematically analyze the requests of specialists regarding training, but there is no unified methodology for solving this problem.

Aim: To assess the need of specialists in clinical laboratory diagnostics for advanced training.

Materials and methods: In the period from 10/25/2024 to 11/20/2024, an anonymous online survey of 400 specialists in clinical laboratory diagnostics on professional development issues was conducted. The collection of votes was carried out on a voluntary basis. The questionnaire was developed using Google Forms and consisted of 8 basic open and semi-closed single and multiple choice questions. The results were entered into an electronic database with subsequent processing using the Microsoft Office Excel 2018 program and presented in the form of tables and graphs.

Results: 400 specialists between the ages of 20 and 80 participated in the survey. Among those surveyed, 62% ( n =248) of respondents have higher medical education, 38% ( n =152) have higher non–medical education. Work experience in the specialty is less than 5 years for 10% ( n =40) of respondents, from 5 to 20 years for 44% ( n =177), more than 20 years for 46% ( n =183). The vast majority of 95% ( n =382) of the respondents claimed to work in a state laboratory, 5% ( n =18) — in a private one. The majority of the participants preferred a mixed learning format — 41% ( n =164), 34% ( n =134) of the respondents stated their desire to study remotely, 25% ( n =101) — full-time. The duration of professional development of 144 hours or more was chosen by 47% ( n =188) of respondents, 63% ( n =212) preferred shorter courses. 16% ( n =62) of respondents are ready to finance their own education, the vast majority are ready to study at the expense of the Federal Budget or the funds of the organization in which they work — 84% ( n =338).

Conclusion: The emergence of innovative research methods, the introduction of new technologies, and the improvement of the regulatory framework all dictate the need for continuous training and advanced training, especially in such a practice-oriented specialty as clinical laboratory diagnostics. The content and format of professional development programs should be updated on a regular basis, depending on the needs of specialists.