Publish date: 6 November 2024
I’ve had an interest in anatomy and physiology since studying sport and biology in sixth form and because of this, I was leaning towards sports physiotherapy as a career choice. However, after attending an Allied Health Professional’s open day I was hooked on becoming a radiographer.
After sixth form in 2020, I studied at Sheffield Hallam University. I enjoyed my time at university, especially the placements as this gave me experience in many departments including operating theatres, CT scanning, mammography and the specialist children’s department.
I began my journey at Northumbria Healthcare in September 2023 as a radiographer based at Wansbeck General Hospital, but I also work across different sites at The Northumbria in Cramlington, Morpeth, Alnwick and occasionally Berwick.
There’s no such thing as a ‘typical day’ in radiography. Some days we’re rushing around trying to get every patient seen and provide them with images to help with their diagnosis and treatment. There are other days that are calmer seeing outpatients who may require specialist views on their scans.
A part of my job that I really enjoy is working with paediatric patients as I find this the most challenging, but very rewarding when you can help them with a diagnosis.
I’ve marked a year of working as a radiographer and now I am in a CT scanning training position. It’s good because the learning doesn’t stop as soon as you start working and developing my knowledge in scanning is something I am proud of.
A key moment in my career that I am proud of is recently in Alnwick I x-rayed a young girl who had broken both her wrists after falling at a park. I was working with a child in a lot of pain and a worried dad who was by her side. With the help of one of the nurses from the minor injury’s unit, we managed to get diagnostic images and she was able to get her wrists set in the correct position to make a full recovery. This was rewarding as I had the chance to put my training to good use and work with staff from other departments to help my young patient.