Kools Farah R W, Fox Christine M, Prakken Berent J, van Rijen Harold V M
Center of Education and Training, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Room Number HB 4.04; Internal Mail No HB 4.05, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, Netherlands.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Dec 18;24(1):1439. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06473-0.
The translational domain is a complex subfield of the biomedical life sciences focused on bridging the gap between scientific research and clinical application, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care through healthcare innovations. Professionals in this field, ranging from researchers to clinicians and industry experts, require specific core competencies. These include communication, collaboration, boundary crossing, innovation, and the ability to integrate diverse scientific domains.
We investigated the translational competencies acquired most by life science students who participated in a six-month challenge-based course at a Dutch graduate school. Seventeen students were part of the 2021 cohort, supervised by five biomedical experts serving as their clients. Quantitative and qualitative student survey data (n = 10), and semi-structured expert interview data (n = 4) were collected after completion of the course in 2021. Two existing translational competency frameworks were used to categorize and rank the acquired competencies, highlighting those most developed and relevant during the translational challenge-based course.
Communication was the most listed competency category by both students and experts, and a new competency category was identified named Self-Development Tools, which included competencies related to decision-making, reflection, feedback, and creative thinking. Student data also showed that the course influenced their choice in pursuing a translational career path.
This study provides insight into key translational competencies acquired by students during a six-month challenge-based course and insight into competencies that may be part of their continued education after graduation from both student and expert perspectives. These findings are relevant for both educators and prospective employers in the translational domain as they apply a novel ranking to the existing literature on translational competencies and elaborate on how to prepare life sciences graduates towards a translational career.
转化医学领域是生物医学生命科学的一个复杂子领域，专注于弥合科研与临床应用之间的差距，其最终目标是通过医疗创新改善患者护理。该领域的专业人员，从研究人员到临床医生和行业专家，都需要特定的核心能力。这些能力包括沟通、协作、跨越边界、创新以及整合不同科学领域的能力。
我们调查了参加荷兰一所研究生院为期六个月的基于挑战的课程的生命科学专业学生所获得的转化能力。17名学生是2021届学员，由5名生物医学专家作为他们的客户进行指导。在2021年课程结束后收集了定量和定性的学生调查数据（n = 10）以及半结构化专家访谈数据（n = 4）。使用两个现有的转化能力框架对获得的能力进行分类和排名，突出那些在基于转化挑战的课程中最发达和相关的能力。
沟通是学生和专家列出最多的能力类别，并且确定了一个新的能力类别，名为自我发展工具，其中包括与决策、反思、反馈和创造性思维相关的能力。学生数据还表明，该课程影响了他们在追求转化职业道路上的选择。
本研究从学生和专家的角度深入了解了学生在为期六个月的基于挑战的课程中获得的关键转化能力，以及这些能力可能成为他们毕业后继续教育一部分的情况。这些发现对于转化医学领域的教育工作者和潜在雇主都具有相关性，因为它们对现有的转化能力文献应用了一种新颖的排名，并阐述了如何使生命科学专业毕业生为转化医学职业做好准备。
