Personal Statement:Diagnostic Radiography 1

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Diagnostic Radiography Personal Statement

The education, work experience and interests in my life to date have been quite varied. I have lived and worked in Germany, Spain and France as well as in the UK. Recently, I have thought extensively about changing my career and been drawn to radiography as it offers attractive opportunities to apply skills and personal qualities that I consider I possess, to provide an immediately tangible and satisfying contribution to people’s health.

I have considered how diagnostic radiography applies highly technical science using complex equipment to generate detailed images of inside the human body in order to check for absence of or discover anatomical problems. Working in diagnostic radiography appeals to me primarily because I consider it will enable me to carry out important tasks with skill and precision for a directly visible benefit to people. Secondly, I am an active and physically fit person, I can work well with technical equipment, I like variety of tasks and I have a calm and composed approach to problem solving, four things which I think are important attributes of a radiographer. Furthermore, in my employment experience, I have developed and demonstrated effective communication skills and worked well as an individual in collaboration with a team, two staff attributes that are essential for a radiography department to function properly. I consider that my personality, personal qualities, attributes and transferable skills match me very well to the requirements of working in radiography.

The variety of work in diagnostic radiography with its potential career opportunities to specialise, is another aspect of the profession that highly appeals to me.

Having spent three days in hospital imaging departments, two at ***** **** and one at ******** ** ******, I have talked to different grades of diagnostic radiographers and observed and gained a very positive impression of their profession in action. With radiography students and staff, I attended a study morning of case studies. In x-ray rooms, I observed different positioning techniques being used with varied patient types according to the body parts being x-rayed and saw varying doses of radiation used according to tissue density to generate high quality images of bones to check their condition. I witnessed a difficult case of an immobile patient having neck x-rays taken when the radiographer obtained the best possible images under the physical limitations. I also saw other equipment, including dental x-ray and radionuclide imaging in action. I saw how radiographers carry out instructions of doctors and liaise with them over the results. It is evident that diagnostic radiography provides a vital support role in its own department with general out-patients as well as in Accident & Emergency, the Operating Department and on wards. Therefore I am aware that the work is flexible and varied regarding techniques, location and working hours to meet hospital needs. I am convinced that I would thoroughly enjoy a career in diagnostic radiography, finding it personally stimulating and rewarding.

Being a practical hands-on person who loves to apply his learning, I am very keen on the fact that diagnostic radiography courses are very vocational, spending about 50% of course time in practical clinical training. I understand the importance and benefits of reflective practice in learning from experience and continued professional development, as ways of producing highly capable practitioners that maintain and improve performance standards as well as progress with innovations in this dynamic health profession.

In preparation for university, I intend taking some Access to Science course credits to revise my prior knowledge of Human Biology, Physics and Chemistry. I believe that I will easily be able to relate to and build upon this in my study of radiography. Furthermore, before university, I am hopeful of gaining work experience as a bank imaging department assistant.

--Polyglot 13:44, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

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