Factors impacting clinical laboratory science program directors' decision to use distance education

Abstract

Hospitals are experiencing a labor shortage of qualified laboratory professionals. Multiple problems have contributed to this issue including a reduction in the number of clinical laboratory science programs nationwide. One way to address the shortage is by increasing the number of distance programs within the clinical laboratory sciences. The purpose of this study was to examine motivating and inhibiting factors impacting clinical laboratory science program directors' decision to use distance education. Of 467 clinical laboratory science program directors listed on a national registry, 163 responded to an online survey utilizing a four-point Likert scale. Results indicated directors are motivated by intrinsic factors centered around the concept of flexibility. Directors with distance education experience were intrinsically motivated by students-centered factors, while directors without experience were intrinsically motivated by personal-centered factors. Several significant differences existed between group comparisons of inhibitors for directors with and without experience and when divided into programmatic setting creating three groups: medical laboratory science program directors in university settings, medical laboratory technician program directors in technical college settings, and hospital-based program directors. Directors without experience and those hospital-based found more factors to be inhibiting.