The Student Room Group

I am a diagnostic radiographer - AMA

Hi all

I thought I'd open up a thread for any questions that anyone has about being a diagnostic radiographer.

About me: I have been qualified for over seven years now and recently got a job as an advanced practitioner in MRI and CT. I still occasionally work in x-ray as well.

I'm happy to answer any questions about the career, whether you are just looking into doing radiography, are currently a student, or perhaps recently qualified and have something on your mind.

This might include things like applying for jobs, Band 5/6/7 interview tips, career options, NHS vs private sector, and so on.

I'm probably less useful at helping with university applications but I'll do my best where I can and I'm sure others will chip in too.

I will try to be as objective and honest as possible as I've always found useful information can be difficult to come by, especially when I was originally applying for the course. I won't just be selling the job onto everyone!

Fire away!

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What is an advanced practitioner?
Is your job stressful?
Reply 3
Original post by Notoriety
What is an advanced practitioner?


It's a clinical specialty role, so you're recognised as a source of expertise in the area(s) you work in, probably have postgraduate qualifications (I don't), often deputise for the senior managers when they're not around and generally play a bigger role in running and developing the service, as well as training/supervising/appraising band 5s and 6s.

Think senior clinical role with a bit of management thrown in, basically.
Reply 4
Original post by Yasmin1224
Is your job stressful?


Some days are hectic but thankfully the stress doesn't follow you home at the end of the day. We often work 12 hour shifts so only work on average 3-4 days a week, so despite the unsociable hours the work/life balance isn't as bad as it could be.
Very cool. I’m a student radiographer. I love the course and clinical placements. Wouldn’t change my job for the world 😊
Hi all

I thought I'd open up a thread for any questions that anyone has about being a diagnostic radiographer.

About me: I have been qualified for over seven years now and recently got a job as an advanced practitioner in MRI and CT. I still occasionally work in x-ray as well.

I'm happy to answer any questions about the career, whether you are just looking into doing radiography, are currently a student, or perhaps recently qualified and have something on your mind.

This might include things like applying for jobs, Band 5/6/7 interview tips, career options, NHS vs private sector, and so on.

I'm probably less useful at helping with university applications but I'll do my best where I can and I'm sure others will chip in too.

I will try to be as objective and honest as possible as I've always found useful information can be difficult to come by, especially when I was originally applying for the course. I won't just be selling the job onto everyone!

Fire away!

I have been meaning to ask this question from A radiographer. If I recall correctly, You guys deal with diagnosing diseases through radioactive isotopes, right? What I want to ask is Why the isotope isnt very dangerous? I mean If it has high rate of decay at first, why doesnt it cause horrible mutations like cancer in the first hour or so?
Reply 7
Original post by AnythingWorks
I have been meaning to ask this question from A radiographer. If I recall correctly, You guys deal with diagnosing diseases through radioactive isotopes, right? What I want to ask is Why the isotope isnt very dangerous? I mean If it has high rate of decay at first, why doesnt it cause horrible mutations like cancer in the first hour or so?


That method of diagnosing diseases is only a small part of radiography called nuclear medicine.

The isotope isn't too dangerous if handled correctly. Procedures are in place for transporting, handling and disposing of the radioactive isotopes.

The isotopes are stored in lead containers, and when injected a lead shield is placed on the syringe so the radiographer doesn't get exposed to too much radiation.

The half-life of the most commonly used isotope is around 6 hours, so after 24 hours the relative amount of radioactivity still present is quite low. Combine that with the patient excreting the isotope whenever they go to the toilet and they don't stay 'hot' forever.

We only ever use the smallest amount of radioactivity that gets the information we need.

Any source of ionising radiation has the potential to cause cancer, but by following the correct protocols you mitigate the risks. Part of the role of a radiographer is justifying the radiation dose the patient will receive: is the increased risk of cancer greater than the risk of not knowing what is wrong with the patient? The lifetime risk of developing cancer is 1 in 2 anyway, so increasing this risk by a further 1 in 1,000,000 (just an indicative figure) if doctors suspect the patient has cancer spreading through their bones is quite easy to justify, for example.
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 8
Hi there, I’ve been looking into studying radiography myself but I can be quite squeamish when it comes to blood. Will this be an issue in this career?
Also, how did you find adapting to doing nights and unsociable hours?
Many thanks in advance :smile:
Not unless you're in A&E or Theatre, which you will be especially as a general radiographer.
Original post by Lizcol
Hi there, I’ve been looking into studying radiography myself but I can be quite squeamish when it comes to blood. Will this be an issue in this career?
Also, how did you find adapting to doing nights and unsociable hours?
Many thanks in advance :smile:
Reply 10
Original post by Lizcol
Hi there, I’ve been looking into studying radiography myself but I can be quite squeamish when it comes to blood. Will this be an issue in this career?
Also, how did you find adapting to doing nights and unsociable hours?
Many thanks in advance :smile:

Hi, apologies for the slow reply!

As above really, there is blood to be seen whenever you work in A&E or in theatre. You're also regularly exposed to putrid smells and other things not very nice to look at (sores/ulcers). If you can learn to enjoy a bit of gore then it would help.

Nights are tough regardless of how busy you are. If you are busy then you get worn out, if you're quiet then you're just sitting around all night, and that can be equally exhausting. The key with nights is to ensure you get a decent rest the day before and after. I think people with young families struggle as their timetables still start early in the morning and you don't get the sleep you need the following day.

Nights are also the worst place to be if you are even slightly ill. A light cold will get significantly worse come 3am and you feel dreadful the following day.

A sensible rota is important. It's no good jumping between long/early/late/night shifts constantly over the course of a week as you can't get into any kind of routine. I think most places have this sorted but you can be expected to cover any range of duties if staff levels require you to.
The worst smell is when you ask a patient to take off their moonboot and they’ve not been cleaning their foot. Omg the smell. Makes me gag.

Like ffs. The whole point of a moonboot is so you can take it off!
Hi, apologies for the slow reply!

As above really, there is blood to be seen whenever you work in A&E or in theatre. You're also regularly exposed to putrid smells and other things not very nice to look at (sores/ulcers). If you can learn to enjoy a bit of gore then it would help.

Nights are tough regardless of how busy you are. If you are busy then you get worn out, if you're quiet then you're just sitting around all night, and that can be equally exhausting. The key with nights is to ensure you get a decent rest the day before and after. I think people with young families struggle as their timetables still start early in the morning and you don't get the sleep you need the following day.

Nights are also the worst place to be if you are even slightly ill. A light cold will get significantly worse come 3am and you feel dreadful the following day.

A sensible rota is important. It's no good jumping between long/early/late/night shifts constantly over the course of a week as you can't get into any kind of routine. I think most places have this sorted but you can be expected to cover any range of duties if staff levels require you to.
Reply 12
Thanks guys for the advice. I’m a bit weird when it comes to my squeamishness, smells, pus, ulcers etc don’t phase me but something like a paper cut can make me go weak at the knees! I guess I just need exposure to some of these things to see how I cope. I’ve arranged to shadow a radiographer at my local hospital in 2 weeks time so hopefully this will give me a good insight into the profession. Any recommendations on what to ask while I’m there?
Hi there. I'm starting as a band 5 radiographer this week. Feeling quite nervous for my first few days, do you have any tips for a newly qualified radiographer? The idea of having all the responsibility and having to justify my own images and requests is daunting. Also, what would be a good answer for when you are doing mobile x-rays and the patient in another bed bay asks you why everyone else is told to move away when you're x-raying but not them. Thanks!
Reply 14
Original post by woonisha
Hi there. I'm starting as a band 5 radiographer this week. Feeling quite nervous for my first few days, do you have any tips for a newly qualified radiographer? The idea of having all the responsibility and having to justify my own images and requests is daunting. Also, what would be a good answer for when you are doing mobile x-rays and the patient in another bed bay asks you why everyone else is told to move away when you're x-raying but not them. Thanks!

Hi,

I just started my job as a band 5 radiographer 2 weeks ago and I’m finding it quite stressful as I’m working somewhere I didn’t train at so I’ve been trying to adjust to their equipment, protocols etc at the same time trying to make sure my x-rays are up to scratch lol. They won’t chuck you in the deep end straight away but it’s important to speak up if you’re not sure of something or comfortable doing something by yourself straight away.

For the original poster, I’m just wondering if it’s normal for me to feel this stressed so early in the job, I loved it as a student but now I’m wondering if it’s the right career for me, at the same time it has only been 2 weeks so maybe I’m overreacting lol
I am planning on studying a Diagnostic Radiography course. What sort of content do you cover in the course?
What do you do as a radiographer? Do you only take X-Ray, CT and MRI scans?
Original post by James1908
I am planning on studying a Diagnostic Radiography course. What sort of content do you cover in the course?
What do you do as a radiographer? Do you only take X-Ray, CT and MRI scans?

You cover all diagnostic procedures, the physics regarding the diagnostic equipment, you will get what we call Ospreii exams where you will identify the anatomy, type of view used as well as diagnose any pathology, and you will get a Viva exam as well which is basically where you get given an image and you need to discuss it and appraise the image. You will also get a written diagnostic exam every year and a written physics exam.

What you do as a radiographer depends what you specialise in. You will start out in general Radiography though as a graduate so you’ll most likely do rotations in plain film, CT, theatre, A&E, MRI and ultrasound.
Original post by Fermion.
You cover all diagnostic procedures, the physics regarding the diagnostic equipment, you will get what we call Ospreii exams where you will identify the anatomy, type of view used as well as diagnose any pathology, and you will get a Viva exam as well which is basically where you get given an image and you need to discuss it and appraise the image. You will also get a written diagnostic exam every year and a written physics exam.

What you do as a radiographer depends what you specialise in. You will start out in general Radiography though as a graduate so you’ll most likely do rotations in plain film, CT, theatre, A&E, MRI and ultrasound.

How is the course assessed? Do you need to do oral presentations?

Is the radiography course heavily based on physics then? Is there lots of maths and equations involved with the course?
Original post by James1908
How is the course assessed? Do you need to do oral presentations?

Is the radiography course heavily based on physics then? Is there lots of maths and equations involved with the course?

You will be required to do presentations of some sort throughout the year. There will be a module called “Interprofessional Education” or something similar where you will be teamed up with other allied health professions and need to complete a presentation of some sort along with essays. All medical courses have this to demonstrate competency with other AHP’s and understanding of teamwork.

Other than that you will have to do oral discussions as I mentioned on my above post where you will be presented with a series of images and you need to discuss them with the examiner.

Yes there is quite a lot of physics involved. You’ll be assessed on the physics behind the equipment and how it all works. Often you get difficult patients who actually ask you how the x rays work and how “dangerous” the radiation is and you need to be able to competently explain so you can get on with the examinations.

I’ve explained the other methods of assessment on the above post. Also, I forgot to mention that you will be assessed on clinical placements as well by the supervising radiographer so you’re signed off to be fit to practice.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by N_a123
Hi,

I just started my job as a band 5 radiographer 2 weeks ago and I’m finding it quite stressful as I’m working somewhere I didn’t train at so I’ve been trying to adjust to their equipment, protocols etc at the same time trying to make sure my x-rays are up to scratch lol. They won’t chuck you in the deep end straight away but it’s important to speak up if you’re not sure of something or comfortable doing something by yourself straight away.

For the original poster, I’m just wondering if it’s normal for me to feel this stressed so early in the job, I loved it as a student but now I’m wondering if it’s the right career for me, at the same time it has only been 2 weeks so maybe I’m overreacting lol


I’m in the same boat, except I started working as a newly qualified radiographer for 5 months now and I’m still stressed, didn’t particularly enjoy the degree and even moreso the job and don’t foresee myself doing it in the near future so I’m likely to leave the profession.

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