Is there a relationship between how MRI is learned and knowledge?

Rationale: The aim of this study was to discover whether a specialized undergraduate degree in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a better way of educating MRI practitioners than experiential methods, and how necessary it is to first qualify as a radiographer to practice. This study compared the knowledge between individuals who qualify as a radiographer and then only learn MRI experientially (experiential practitioners), to those who learn only via a specialised undergraduate degree in MRI and enter practice directly without first qualifying as a radiographer (graduate practitioners). Method: Forty-eight participants (graduate practitioners n=25, experiential practitioners n=23) from four different clinical sites in the United States of America (USA) were recruited. An objective, structured, clinical examination (OSCE) was used to compare knowledge on the key topics. Results: Graduate practitioners consistently achieved a higher percentage of correct answers than the experiential group in all five sections of the OSCE. The total score in the graduate group was statistically significantly higher than for the experiential group (p=0.018). Means scores were graduate 63.18%, (SD 11.03), experiential 53.58% (SD 16.24) There was a correspondingly large Cohen’s effect size (0.697) which indicated that the specialised undergraduate degree in MRI does have an impact on knowledge. Conclusion: A specialized undergraduate degree may be a beneficial way of learning MRI and it may not be necessary to first qualify as a radiographer to practice competently.