Blog

Celebrating our AHP workforce - Brydie shares her story 

I work in the Practice Development Team within the Trust. I am a therapeutic radiographer by background where I spent the start of my career in radiotherapy. I first did a degree in Biomedical Sciences which opened various career paths where I then decided to do a Masters in Radiotherapy. 

Radiotherapy is a very technical job but also has a great deal of patient care and interaction and the mixture of these elements is what led me into radiotherapy. My role in radiotherapy involved planning and delivering innovative cancer treatment to adults and children. Patients would initially attend radiotherapy for a planning CT scan and having permanent tattoos applied as reference marks for their treatment. I was trained in radiotherapy planning using complex software to delineate the intended treatment area from the planning CT scan and adding the correct radiotherapy beam. I would then work on the treatment units delivering radiotherapy treatment operating the Linear Accelerator as well as reviewing and supporting patients throughout their treatment especially when they come to experience side effects of the treatment. This part of the job was most rewarding, as I was able to build a close relationship with patients that would have a positive impact on the experience they had during their treatment.

Being a therapeutic radiographer is exciting as new changes occur regularly through new research and technology advancements. This made me aware of my passion to continuously learn but also to help others learn and progress. My new role in Practice Development allows me to collaborate with various teams and work together to aid personal and professional development. The transferable skills I have acquired through working in radiotherapy has allowed me to integrate myself into a multi-disciplinary workforce which impacts on outcomes for patients in our care.