Rationale: COVID-19 has spread around the world. Its effects go far beyond health care: education has to be conducted so as to prevent infection among students and faculty. Accordingly, changes have occurred in Japan's educational institutions, including methods related to examinations for nuclear medicine. To assess the quality of training for radiological technologists, we investigated the related changes undertaken at educational institutions. We investigated the lecture format for teaching nuclear medicine technology at Japanese institutions during COVID-19 and also efforts to ensure the quality of conventional education. Methods: We sent a questionnaire to 19 Japanese institutions. It addressed the lecture format and initiatives in examinations for nuclear medicine technology in the first and second semesters of 2020. Results: We obtained responses from 17 institutions. In the first semester of 2020, the lecture format for nuclear medicine technology included remote, hybrid (combination of remote and face-to-face), and video-on-demand lectures. To reinforce the effect of the new teaching formats, institutions adopted various methods, such as enhancing the possibility for students to ask questions, increasing the number of quizzes during lectures, delivering lectures to YouTube, and introducing an e-learning system. In the second semester of 2020, the lecture format included face-to-face, remote, hybrid, and video-on-demand lectures. In that second semester, the number of institutions providing face-to-face lectures while taking thorough measures against infection showed a marked increase. Conclusion: The institutions introduced various educational techniques and initiatives. They prioritized students' understanding of lecture content and applied what they considered the best teaching methods. Sharing information about the changes adopted at different institutions should help promote good radiological technologists-even during a pandemic.
Changing methods of education during a pandemic: questionnaire survey about examinations for nuclear medicine technology at educational institutions in Japan