Inspirational Story

What did you study at School and College?

School: 

I left secondary school in 2013 with GCSEs in the following subjects: Mathematics, Mathematics Statistics, English Literature, English Language, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, History, Religious Studies, French, Citizenship, Physical Education 

College:

I left college in 2015 with A-Levels in the following subjects: Mathematics, Physics, Biology. 

What influenced your choice of profession?

During my first year of college I did not know what I wanted to do when I left.

I was always given advice to experience as much as I can and to follow things that align with my interests. Therefore, I enjoy maths and sciences so I pursued career options that aligned with my interests.

I went to a careers fair at Preston Hospital with the intention of looking for biomedical science unfortunately they were no longer around and had left early. I decided that I was not going to travel all this way for nothing and was determined to get something out of it so I had a look at the other stalls and that is when I first heard of the words “Radiotherapy and Oncology” and “Therapeutic Radiographer”. 

My biggest struggle when deciding what degree to do was if someone asked me “what job would you do after the degree?” I always struggled to come up with an answer. Yes I might do biomedical science but, what comes next? I did not have an answer.

After a conversation with the person running the radiotherapy stall, for the first time I could see a career at the end of university, I was inspired to undertake further research around the topic and this is where my journey into radiotherapy began. 

What were your expectations of the profession?

The beauty of the radiotherapy and oncology degree is that you are given a large amount of time on placement, where you are learning how to do the role you will be qualified for.

This is invaluable because you get to see and experience first hand what it will be like once qualified and it is as close as you can possibly get before you actually start the job. 

My expectations of the role was that it would be mentally and emotionally demanding. When you think of a cancer department you would be forgiven for thinking that it is all doom and gloom.

However, this is quite the opposite, the majority of my days as a student and working on the treatment floor were filled with positive experiences and a large part of this are the patients themselves.

You will undoubtedly come across some sad cases for sure however the majority of the patients you meet are brilliant individuals and building up a rapport with them and looking forward to them coming to the department was a real joy within the working day. 

Were there any lightbulb moments during your course/while working? 

During the course as previously mentioned you get lots of placement opportunities.

The first placement, the expectations for students to get involved is understandably lower because for some students it is the first time they have entered a radiotherapy department.

During the summer of my first year we had 12 weeks of placement split with two, two week holiday slots. This summer block provided consecutive placement time and for me this is where a lot of the theory and practical really fell into place and I felt I had my first major lightbulb moment and felt that I was making a lot of progress.  

When qualified and working at Cambridge my lightbulb moment arrived here when I saw several advanced practitioners and consultant radiographers.

These people were in positions where they could run their own clinics, prescribe medication, prescribe treatments and this was a true moment of inspiration because all these individuals were therapeutic radiographers who had started like I was starting and worked their way up.

What does your current role look like day to day?

Currently I am a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University on the Radiotherapy and Oncology degree programme.

My current day to day can vary massively depending on the time in the academic year. I can either be teaching lectures, seminars, practicals or I can be visiting Nottingham City Hospital where I look after the students there, or I can be marking or I can be involved in the recruitment process of the next cohort of students. 

When I was working on the treatment floor a typical day meant a 7.5 hour shift where the machine could treat anywhere between 30-40 patients a day.

The beauty of being a therapeutic radiographer is that due to delivering radiation and ensuring we are safe, we must always deliver treatment in a team of two. Therefore the comradery between staff members makes a huge impact on the job satisfaction as you will spend a lot of time with the team you are working with on that machine. 

You can also see a varying range of patients both in terms of diagnosis and also as individuals, some patients will talk your ear off and some will be quiet and reserved and some will cover every aspect in between.

Each patient is unique and different and the ability to see a person everyday for their treatment over a period of several weeks and build that report is truly a very enjoyable aspect of the job.

How did you come to be in the position you are in now?

I am northern and my whole life is up north therefore staying at Cambridge (despite really enjoying my time there) was never a sustainable long term plan as the closest relative or friend (outside of the department) was 3 hours away.

That is why I decided to move up to Leeds when the job role came out.

A huge aspect of the job of being a therapeutic radiographer is education. Whether that is education of staff, students or patients – you can always find some aspect of education.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with students assisting their learning and development and I took great enjoyment watching their professional skills develop and watching them progress.

When the role of lecturer at Sheffield Hallam came open I was advised to apply for it by a close friend who had looked after me during my time in Middlesbrough (my clinical placement site).

The first job was posted in November 2019 which I just narrowly missed out on achieving. I was advised to undertake some guest lectures at the university to enhance my experience and I also undertook an education MSc module as part of my own MSc progression.

The next job advert was out in December 2020 and therefore I used my previous interview experience and guest lecturing as learning and this time I was successful in achieving the role of lecturer.

What do you love about your role? 

To put it simply – the impact you can have on a patient’s life. 

These patients are at such a crucial time and point within their own lives and as therapeutic radiographers we are in such a privileged position to make a huge impact.

We are not family or friends and once treatment is done they will most likely never see you again therefore we are in a position where they can open up to us, offload and problems to use and discuss detailed, personal and complex problems with us. 

Every patient is grateful and most of the time they will give the machine a thank you card expressing their gratitude which is always appreciated by the staff.

On some occasions if you have made a real individual impact on a patient they might go out of their way to recognise you as an individual.

I have two cards from patients that I kept because one of them was a long message in a handwritten card expressing their gratitude for my personal contributions to their care whereas another card was a congratulations card and they had learned I was due to graduate from the course.

These moments provide joy and satisfaction like no other and really make me love my profession. 

Within my current role of lecturer I am able to work with students and help them develop their skills and knowledge so that they can go on to make this impact for patients’ lives and so that they can experience this same satisfaction and joy.