The Dean, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Yaw Amo Wiafe, has urged Allied Health Professionals to make lifelong learning a topmost priority throughout their professional life.
“Whether you are a medical laboratory scientist, sonographer, radiographer or radiotherapist or any other line of professional discipline, the knowledge and skills you have from your university education is just a foundation that must be built upon”, he said
He said currently we live in a world where medical knowledge, diagnostic technologies and treatment as well as professional standards were changing at an unprecedented pace.
Induction ceremony
Professor Amo made the remarks while addressing the induction and oath swearing ceremony for newly qualified Allied Health graduates at the Great Hall, KNUST in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region last Thursday.
It was on the theme: “Setting the standard: Regulating service, safety and excellence across universal health coverage”.
He told them that what they had learnt during their university education might not be sufficient to sustain them throughout their professional career, saying “therefore, you must develop the habit of continuously updating, refining your skills and adapting to emerging evidence technologies”.
Motivation
However, he emphasised that their motivation for lifelong learning should not simply be the desire to acquire additional degrees and get license renewed, stressing “the greatest motivation should be to serve your patients better”.
“Every new skill you acquire, every scientific paper you read and every professional training programme you attend should ultimately translate into better clinical decisions, improve patient safety and better health outcomes” he stated.
He stated that today’s patients were more informed and empowered with information readily available through social media, online medical resources and artificial intelligence platforms and said patients were increasingly able to question the quality of care they receive and seek clarification when their expectations were not met.
Aspire for other opportunities
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, who was the guest of honour, advised the graduates not to get stuck in whatever they studied at the undergraduate level but should aspire for other opportunities in their respective fields.
He said “the seriousness you attach to the responsibilities that will be entrusted to you during your internship will go a long way to define other opportunities that may come your way in your professional trajectory”.
Standard
The Registrar, Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC), Professor Shirazu Issahaku, said universal health coverage required people to be able to obtain the care they needed and whether it was safe, competent and worthy of their trust.
This year, he said, the council had focused on inspections nationwide to ensure compliance, saying “standards must be visible in the places where people are trained and where services are delivered.’
The Board Chair, AHPC, Professor Eric Desmond Kotei Addison, who chaired the event, said healthcare delivery was now patient-centred as the patient had the right to receive care in a conducive environment created for them by health professionals.
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