A Phenomenological Inquiry into Radiologic Technology Interns for Their Performance in Public and Private Hospital Environments

Radiologic technology interns encounter varied clinical environments that may significantly influence their performance, yet empirical evidence on differences between public and private hospital settings remains limited. This study aimed to explore how variations in clinical training environments across hospital settings shape intern learning outcomes, skill development and professional growth. A phenomenological research design with transcendental phenomenological data analysis was utilized. Purposive sampling was used to select 6 senior radiologic technology interns from Calamba Doctors’ College, with 3 participants from public hospitals and 3 from private hospitals. The following criteria were applied: (1) interns currently deployed in their clinical internship sites; (2) interns with at least three months of clinical exposure; and (3) interns willing to share their lived experiences. The study revealed that radiologic technology interns gain diverse and valuable experiences in both public and private hospitals, particularly concerning workload, supervision, learning opportunities, and the challenges they encounter. Public hospitals were characterized by higher patient volumes, which, in most cases, resulted in physically demanding and sometimes toxic work environments. Yet, the heavy workload enabled the interns to have a lot of hands-on experience, especially dealing with trauma and other complex cases. Conversely, the workload in private hospitals was lighter because of fewer patients and a quicker workflow, which made the work environment less stressful and provided more exposure to advanced imaging modalities, but offered fewer opportunities due to stricter supervision.