Is Diagnostic Radiography worth it?
Hi I’ve been really stressed out with my application for uni + my deadline is creeping up fast and I’m worried that I will end up picking the wrong subject. My family don’t really want me to do radiography as they apparently think I could do better but I’ve always had an interest for it. Is it worth my time and will it benefit me in the future once I’m done with my degree? Also is there a higher female:male ratio in this industry?
If there’s anyone that can reply I would really appreciate it as I need someone that I can talk to about it as no one else is helping
Thanks
If there’s anyone that can reply I would really appreciate it as I need someone that I can talk to about it as no one else is helping
Thanks
Scroll to see replies
Original post by Amaan202
Hi I’ve been really stressed out with my application for uni + my deadline is creeping up fast and I’m worried that I will end up picking the wrong subject. My family don’t really want me to do radiography as they apparently think I could do better but I’ve always had an interest for it. Is it worth my time and will it benefit me in the future once I’m done with my degree? Also is there a higher female:male ratio in this industry?
If there’s anyone that can reply I would really appreciate it as I need someone that I can talk to about it as no one else is helping
Thanks
If there’s anyone that can reply I would really appreciate it as I need someone that I can talk to about it as no one else is helping
Thanks
I don't work in radiography but in terms of your question 'Is it worth my time and will it benefit me in the future once I’m done with my degree?', then yes it is worth your time. There is a national shortage of radiographers so you are pretty much guaranteed a job on graduation with the NHS. Radiographers enter the NHS on salary band 5, which is currently £28,407 per year (a bit more in London). There are opportunities for progression with experience and you can specialise in certain areas. The following is a good thread to have a read through that was started by a qualified radiographer and they still pop in to answer questions from time to time:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5978982
https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/pay-scales-202324
Reply 2
Original post by normaw
I don't work in radiography but in terms of your question 'Is it worth my time and will it benefit me in the future once I’m done with my degree?', then yes it is worth your time. There is a national shortage of radiographers so you are pretty much guaranteed a job on graduation with the NHS. Radiographers enter the NHS on salary band 5, which is currently £28,407 per year (a bit more in London). There are opportunities for progression with experience and you can specialise in certain areas. The following is a good thread to have a read through that was started by a qualified radiographer and they still pop in to answer questions from time to time:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5978982
https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/pay-scales-202324
Thanks this helped 🙂
Reply 3
Hey,
If you are passionate and interested in Diagnostic Radiography go for it no matter what other people say!
Diagnostic Radiography is a great career with lots of opportunities.
Here are some pro's and con's for a diagnostic radiography career that may be able to help your decision:
Pros:
Cons:
Watch this video to find out more about life as a Diagnostic Radiographer: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/allied-health-professionals/roles-allied-health-professions/roles-allied-health-professions/diagnostic-radiographer
I hope this helps your decision
If you are passionate and interested in Diagnostic Radiography go for it no matter what other people say!
Diagnostic Radiography is a great career with lots of opportunities.
Here are some pro's and con's for a diagnostic radiography career that may be able to help your decision:
Pros:
•
Diagnose broken bones
•
Discover uncovered illness
•
Work anywhere in the world
•
Good salary opportunities
•
Rewarding career
Cons:
•
Paperwork
•
Can be hard to gain work experience
•
Demanding days (lots of standing)
•
Demanding schedules
Watch this video to find out more about life as a Diagnostic Radiographer: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/allied-health-professionals/roles-allied-health-professions/roles-allied-health-professions/diagnostic-radiographer
I hope this helps your decision
Warning: doom and gloom
I've worked as a radiographer for over 11 years and cannot recommend the job anymore
To lay out some positives, yes it is interesting, yes it is an important job, yes you absolutely can make a difference to patient's experiences, and yes it's a very secure job with lifelong career prospects - and a decent pension if you go NHS.
And now for the but...
There's no care for quality of work. It's all about getting as many patients in and out of the room as quickly as possible. My colleague's interest in the technical and pathology side of things has disappeared, and there's no opportunity for CPD as there are too many patients to see. Demand ever increases, waiting time targets get ever tighter, and inevitably you cut corners to keep up.
If you work somewhere that requires nights, the shift patterns can be awful. Quite often people where I work will get 3 nights and then immediately back into day shifts. No chance to recover and they feel dreadful all week, often coming down ill at the end.
You get paid less every year. There are increments in each band and generally getting to band 6 is quite straightforward after two years. However once you reach the top of the band you get below inflation pay rises every year, which means you are paid less the longer you work, even if you pick up more skills.
In spite of this, registration fees go up consistently above inflation. We've just had HCPC renewals come through and need to pay £232 for the privilege of continuing to work. This is over double what I paid when I first started and yet the bottom of band 5 has only gone from 21k to 28k in that time. One of the conditions of registration is you have indemnity insurance. The Society of Radiographers offers this and is the main union for radiographers in the UK. They take £25 a month and are absolutely useless. They consistently fail to represent radiographers or promote radiography but I have to pay them in order to stay registered. Their Facebook page routinely advertises for radiographers to move to New Zealand!
I work in MRI and CT and there's a general push to run scanners with 1 radiographer and an assistant rather than 2 radiographers. This means you have to work harder with more stress, shoulder more responsibility, and there are certain things an assistant can never do, which means you never have the opportunity to train colleagues to make the work more level. And of course you don't get paid any more for doing this.
I work in an acute hospital setting. Thanks to the brilliant idea of opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs), lots of radiographers have left the acute setting to see easier patients. 95% of the patients I see now are more complex - either in their presentation (physical disability, learning disability, dementia, etc) or in the type of imaging they require. I enjoy the more complex imaging which is why I stay, but I don't get paid any more for doing it - I could work 3 days on a van scanning spines and knees and turning away anyone that requires extra help, but I don't think this is right and would not want to be in that situation. If we all wanted an easy life the tricky patients wouldn't have anyone to see them.
Nursing and other AHP collegues have no idea what we do. When I went to uni I spent 2 weeks working with nurses to see what they do day to day. It was interesting. Do nurses spend any time in radiology when they train? No, and they have absolutely no understanding of why we ask for certain things when their patients need to come for imaging. It is a constant argument and we are regularly accused of being obstructive. This is very demoralising when all we are trying to do is the best for patients.
There is a ceiling to how far you can progress. This varies from very low to half decent, depending on where your interests lie and what you are good at, but the most money comes from management and sales, neither of which you need a radiography degree or clinical experience to do.
It is phyically taxing and you spend a lot of time moving overweight patients, dodgy hospital beds, and ancient x-ray kit around. Bad backs are commonplace.
Doom and gloom over. Maybe I'll come back on another day and change my mind, but the downhill trend has been going on a while and now sign of slowing down
I've worked as a radiographer for over 11 years and cannot recommend the job anymore
To lay out some positives, yes it is interesting, yes it is an important job, yes you absolutely can make a difference to patient's experiences, and yes it's a very secure job with lifelong career prospects - and a decent pension if you go NHS.
And now for the but...
There's no care for quality of work. It's all about getting as many patients in and out of the room as quickly as possible. My colleague's interest in the technical and pathology side of things has disappeared, and there's no opportunity for CPD as there are too many patients to see. Demand ever increases, waiting time targets get ever tighter, and inevitably you cut corners to keep up.
If you work somewhere that requires nights, the shift patterns can be awful. Quite often people where I work will get 3 nights and then immediately back into day shifts. No chance to recover and they feel dreadful all week, often coming down ill at the end.
You get paid less every year. There are increments in each band and generally getting to band 6 is quite straightforward after two years. However once you reach the top of the band you get below inflation pay rises every year, which means you are paid less the longer you work, even if you pick up more skills.
In spite of this, registration fees go up consistently above inflation. We've just had HCPC renewals come through and need to pay £232 for the privilege of continuing to work. This is over double what I paid when I first started and yet the bottom of band 5 has only gone from 21k to 28k in that time. One of the conditions of registration is you have indemnity insurance. The Society of Radiographers offers this and is the main union for radiographers in the UK. They take £25 a month and are absolutely useless. They consistently fail to represent radiographers or promote radiography but I have to pay them in order to stay registered. Their Facebook page routinely advertises for radiographers to move to New Zealand!
I work in MRI and CT and there's a general push to run scanners with 1 radiographer and an assistant rather than 2 radiographers. This means you have to work harder with more stress, shoulder more responsibility, and there are certain things an assistant can never do, which means you never have the opportunity to train colleagues to make the work more level. And of course you don't get paid any more for doing this.
I work in an acute hospital setting. Thanks to the brilliant idea of opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs), lots of radiographers have left the acute setting to see easier patients. 95% of the patients I see now are more complex - either in their presentation (physical disability, learning disability, dementia, etc) or in the type of imaging they require. I enjoy the more complex imaging which is why I stay, but I don't get paid any more for doing it - I could work 3 days on a van scanning spines and knees and turning away anyone that requires extra help, but I don't think this is right and would not want to be in that situation. If we all wanted an easy life the tricky patients wouldn't have anyone to see them.
Nursing and other AHP collegues have no idea what we do. When I went to uni I spent 2 weeks working with nurses to see what they do day to day. It was interesting. Do nurses spend any time in radiology when they train? No, and they have absolutely no understanding of why we ask for certain things when their patients need to come for imaging. It is a constant argument and we are regularly accused of being obstructive. This is very demoralising when all we are trying to do is the best for patients.
There is a ceiling to how far you can progress. This varies from very low to half decent, depending on where your interests lie and what you are good at, but the most money comes from management and sales, neither of which you need a radiography degree or clinical experience to do.
It is phyically taxing and you spend a lot of time moving overweight patients, dodgy hospital beds, and ancient x-ray kit around. Bad backs are commonplace.
Doom and gloom over. Maybe I'll come back on another day and change my mind, but the downhill trend has been going on a while and now sign of slowing down
Reply 5
Original post by FXX
Warning: doom and gloom
I've worked as a radiographer for over 11 years and cannot recommend the job anymore
To lay out some positives, yes it is interesting, yes it is an important job, yes you absolutely can make a difference to patient's experiences, and yes it's a very secure job with lifelong career prospects - and a decent pension if you go NHS.
And now for the but...
There's no care for quality of work. It's all about getting as many patients in and out of the room as quickly as possible. My colleague's interest in the technical and pathology side of things has disappeared, and there's no opportunity for CPD as there are too many patients to see. Demand ever increases, waiting time targets get ever tighter, and inevitably you cut corners to keep up.
If you work somewhere that requires nights, the shift patterns can be awful. Quite often people where I work will get 3 nights and then immediately back into day shifts. No chance to recover and they feel dreadful all week, often coming down ill at the end.
You get paid less every year. There are increments in each band and generally getting to band 6 is quite straightforward after two years. However once you reach the top of the band you get below inflation pay rises every year, which means you are paid less the longer you work, even if you pick up more skills.
In spite of this, registration fees go up consistently above inflation. We've just had HCPC renewals come through and need to pay £232 for the privilege of continuing to work. This is over double what I paid when I first started and yet the bottom of band 5 has only gone from 21k to 28k in that time. One of the conditions of registration is you have indemnity insurance. The Society of Radiographers offers this and is the main union for radiographers in the UK. They take £25 a month and are absolutely useless. They consistently fail to represent radiographers or promote radiography but I have to pay them in order to stay registered. Their Facebook page routinely advertises for radiographers to move to New Zealand!
I work in MRI and CT and there's a general push to run scanners with 1 radiographer and an assistant rather than 2 radiographers. This means you have to work harder with more stress, shoulder more responsibility, and there are certain things an assistant can never do, which means you never have the opportunity to train colleagues to make the work more level. And of course you don't get paid any more for doing this.
I work in an acute hospital setting. Thanks to the brilliant idea of opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs), lots of radiographers have left the acute setting to see easier patients. 95% of the patients I see now are more complex - either in their presentation (physical disability, learning disability, dementia, etc) or in the type of imaging they require. I enjoy the more complex imaging which is why I stay, but I don't get paid any more for doing it - I could work 3 days on a van scanning spines and knees and turning away anyone that requires extra help, but I don't think this is right and would not want to be in that situation. If we all wanted an easy life the tricky patients wouldn't have anyone to see them.
Nursing and other AHP collegues have no idea what we do. When I went to uni I spent 2 weeks working with nurses to see what they do day to day. It was interesting. Do nurses spend any time in radiology when they train? No, and they have absolutely no understanding of why we ask for certain things when their patients need to come for imaging. It is a constant argument and we are regularly accused of being obstructive. This is very demoralising when all we are trying to do is the best for patients.
There is a ceiling to how far you can progress. This varies from very low to half decent, depending on where your interests lie and what you are good at, but the most money comes from management and sales, neither of which you need a radiography degree or clinical experience to do.
It is phyically taxing and you spend a lot of time moving overweight patients, dodgy hospital beds, and ancient x-ray kit around. Bad backs are commonplace.
Doom and gloom over. Maybe I'll come back on another day and change my mind, but the downhill trend has been going on a while and now sign of slowing down
I've worked as a radiographer for over 11 years and cannot recommend the job anymore
To lay out some positives, yes it is interesting, yes it is an important job, yes you absolutely can make a difference to patient's experiences, and yes it's a very secure job with lifelong career prospects - and a decent pension if you go NHS.
And now for the but...
There's no care for quality of work. It's all about getting as many patients in and out of the room as quickly as possible. My colleague's interest in the technical and pathology side of things has disappeared, and there's no opportunity for CPD as there are too many patients to see. Demand ever increases, waiting time targets get ever tighter, and inevitably you cut corners to keep up.
If you work somewhere that requires nights, the shift patterns can be awful. Quite often people where I work will get 3 nights and then immediately back into day shifts. No chance to recover and they feel dreadful all week, often coming down ill at the end.
You get paid less every year. There are increments in each band and generally getting to band 6 is quite straightforward after two years. However once you reach the top of the band you get below inflation pay rises every year, which means you are paid less the longer you work, even if you pick up more skills.
In spite of this, registration fees go up consistently above inflation. We've just had HCPC renewals come through and need to pay £232 for the privilege of continuing to work. This is over double what I paid when I first started and yet the bottom of band 5 has only gone from 21k to 28k in that time. One of the conditions of registration is you have indemnity insurance. The Society of Radiographers offers this and is the main union for radiographers in the UK. They take £25 a month and are absolutely useless. They consistently fail to represent radiographers or promote radiography but I have to pay them in order to stay registered. Their Facebook page routinely advertises for radiographers to move to New Zealand!
I work in MRI and CT and there's a general push to run scanners with 1 radiographer and an assistant rather than 2 radiographers. This means you have to work harder with more stress, shoulder more responsibility, and there are certain things an assistant can never do, which means you never have the opportunity to train colleagues to make the work more level. And of course you don't get paid any more for doing this.
I work in an acute hospital setting. Thanks to the brilliant idea of opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs), lots of radiographers have left the acute setting to see easier patients. 95% of the patients I see now are more complex - either in their presentation (physical disability, learning disability, dementia, etc) or in the type of imaging they require. I enjoy the more complex imaging which is why I stay, but I don't get paid any more for doing it - I could work 3 days on a van scanning spines and knees and turning away anyone that requires extra help, but I don't think this is right and would not want to be in that situation. If we all wanted an easy life the tricky patients wouldn't have anyone to see them.
Nursing and other AHP collegues have no idea what we do. When I went to uni I spent 2 weeks working with nurses to see what they do day to day. It was interesting. Do nurses spend any time in radiology when they train? No, and they have absolutely no understanding of why we ask for certain things when their patients need to come for imaging. It is a constant argument and we are regularly accused of being obstructive. This is very demoralising when all we are trying to do is the best for patients.
There is a ceiling to how far you can progress. This varies from very low to half decent, depending on where your interests lie and what you are good at, but the most money comes from management and sales, neither of which you need a radiography degree or clinical experience to do.
It is phyically taxing and you spend a lot of time moving overweight patients, dodgy hospital beds, and ancient x-ray kit around. Bad backs are commonplace.
Doom and gloom over. Maybe I'll come back on another day and change my mind, but the downhill trend has been going on a while and now sign of slowing down
Woah that’s opened my eyes. I’ve heard and seen some experiences from people and on online which were mainly bad. It’s pretty much the main reason my family doesn’t recommend it, my cousin is a radiographer, but don’t think she’s a fan of it because of how draining it can be. I think she’s going into teaching instead. However no one’s told me how bad it can be, until I seen this!!
By the sounds of the things it’s almost as though radiographers are not appreciated enough which is quite sad, with all the grafting they have to put in. Sorry to hear that for you. But appreciate the honesty. I will definitely take this into account. Thank you
Reply 7
yes, honestly radiography is the only degree i have seen people enjoy
I would argue too much doom and gloom. Though, you do sound like many I work with so perhaps it's me!
I would counter:
Quality of work depends on what you put in to it. I too work on an acute site where ambulances spend more time parked up outside than they do on the road. I too have stroke nurses trying to get in ct heads, surgeons demanding ct abdo mr spines out of hours and medics with endless ctpa requests but managing and balancing those priorities has always been part of the job.
CPD depends on where you work and how much you fight. Where I work is quite good. Stoke and the JR Oxford are good in this regard too as are some London trusts.
Agreed to crappy staffing and silly shift patterns.
Having worked on the otherside of the fence, I would argue that it is radiographers who don't appreciate the bigger picture. We don't have to juggle 5 dementia patients at once like RNs do on acute medical wards. We don't have to manage 20+ different patients all with long complex medical and social needs on a 12hr shift (when there is flow). Just as you get the nursing pack and introduce yourself to the patient, the ward sister asks you to handover to another ward etc. So when your patient comes to dept without cannula for iv contrast or without the competence to answer mr safety questions, spare a thought for the nursing staff.
Despite all that we still have the nerve to piggy back of their unions/their voice when it comes to agenda for change because as you rightly state, neither the SoR or radiographers on the whole have any testicular fortitude!
Good and bad days in any job.
In the context of the nhs and healthcare, radiographers have one of the easier jobs.
I would counter:
Quality of work depends on what you put in to it. I too work on an acute site where ambulances spend more time parked up outside than they do on the road. I too have stroke nurses trying to get in ct heads, surgeons demanding ct abdo mr spines out of hours and medics with endless ctpa requests but managing and balancing those priorities has always been part of the job.
CPD depends on where you work and how much you fight. Where I work is quite good. Stoke and the JR Oxford are good in this regard too as are some London trusts.
Agreed to crappy staffing and silly shift patterns.
Having worked on the otherside of the fence, I would argue that it is radiographers who don't appreciate the bigger picture. We don't have to juggle 5 dementia patients at once like RNs do on acute medical wards. We don't have to manage 20+ different patients all with long complex medical and social needs on a 12hr shift (when there is flow). Just as you get the nursing pack and introduce yourself to the patient, the ward sister asks you to handover to another ward etc. So when your patient comes to dept without cannula for iv contrast or without the competence to answer mr safety questions, spare a thought for the nursing staff.
Despite all that we still have the nerve to piggy back of their unions/their voice when it comes to agenda for change because as you rightly state, neither the SoR or radiographers on the whole have any testicular fortitude!
Good and bad days in any job.
In the context of the nhs and healthcare, radiographers have one of the easier jobs.
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 9
Original post by username6615526
Hi I’ve been really stressed out with my application for uni + my deadline is creeping up fast and I’m worried that I will end up picking the wrong subject. My family don’t really want me to do radiography as they apparently think I could do better but I’ve always had an interest for it. Is it worth my time and will it benefit me in the future once I’m done with my degree? Also is there a higher female:male ratio in this industry?
If there’s anyone that can reply I would really appreciate it as I need someone that I can talk to about it as no one else is helping
Thanks
If there’s anyone that can reply I would really appreciate it as I need someone that I can talk to about it as no one else is helping
Thanks
Hi there,
If its something you want to do then go for it don't let external influences affect you like that. I didn't know myself I was in between nursing and radiography and for me honestly radiography was the best choice.coming from a final year student hope that helps😃
Reply 10
Original post by FXX
Warning: doom and gloom
I've worked as a radiographer for over 11 years and cannot recommend the job anymore
To lay out some positives, yes it is interesting, yes it is an important job, yes you absolutely can make a difference to patient's experiences, and yes it's a very secure job with lifelong career prospects - and a decent pension if you go NHS.
And now for the but...
There's no care for quality of work. It's all about getting as many patients in and out of the room as quickly as possible. My colleague's interest in the technical and pathology side of things has disappeared, and there's no opportunity for CPD as there are too many patients to see. Demand ever increases, waiting time targets get ever tighter, and inevitably you cut corners to keep up.
If you work somewhere that requires nights, the shift patterns can be awful. Quite often people where I work will get 3 nights and then immediately back into day shifts. No chance to recover and they feel dreadful all week, often coming down ill at the end.
You get paid less every year. There are increments in each band and generally getting to band 6 is quite straightforward after two years. However once you reach the top of the band you get below inflation pay rises every year, which means you are paid less the longer you work, even if you pick up more skills.
In spite of this, registration fees go up consistently above inflation. We've just had HCPC renewals come through and need to pay £232 for the privilege of continuing to work. This is over double what I paid when I first started and yet the bottom of band 5 has only gone from 21k to 28k in that time. One of the conditions of registration is you have indemnity insurance. The Society of Radiographers offers this and is the main union for radiographers in the UK. They take £25 a month and are absolutely useless. They consistently fail to represent radiographers or promote radiography but I have to pay them in order to stay registered. Their Facebook page routinely advertises for radiographers to move to New Zealand!
I work in MRI and CT and there's a general push to run scanners with 1 radiographer and an assistant rather than 2 radiographers. This means you have to work harder with more stress, shoulder more responsibility, and there are certain things an assistant can never do, which means you never have the opportunity to train colleagues to make the work more level. And of course you don't get paid any more for doing this.
I work in an acute hospital setting. Thanks to the brilliant idea of opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs), lots of radiographers have left the acute setting to see easier patients. 95% of the patients I see now are more complex - either in their presentation (physical disability, learning disability, dementia, etc) or in the type of imaging they require. I enjoy the more complex imaging which is why I stay, but I don't get paid any more for doing it - I could work 3 days on a van scanning spines and knees and turning away anyone that requires extra help, but I don't think this is right and would not want to be in that situation. If we all wanted an easy life the tricky patients wouldn't have anyone to see them.
Nursing and other AHP collegues have no idea what we do. When I went to uni I spent 2 weeks working with nurses to see what they do day to day. It was interesting. Do nurses spend any time in radiology when they train? No, and they have absolutely no understanding of why we ask for certain things when their patients need to come for imaging. It is a constant argument and we are regularly accused of being obstructive. This is very demoralising when all we are trying to do is the best for patients.
There is a ceiling to how far you can progress. This varies from very low to half decent, depending on where your interests lie and what you are good at, but the most money comes from management and sales, neither of which you need a radiography degree or clinical experience to do.
It is phyically taxing and you spend a lot of time moving overweight patients, dodgy hospital beds, and ancient x-ray kit around. Bad backs are commonplace.
Doom and gloom over. Maybe I'll come back on another day and change my mind, but the downhill trend has been going on a while and now sign of slowing down
I've worked as a radiographer for over 11 years and cannot recommend the job anymore
To lay out some positives, yes it is interesting, yes it is an important job, yes you absolutely can make a difference to patient's experiences, and yes it's a very secure job with lifelong career prospects - and a decent pension if you go NHS.
And now for the but...
There's no care for quality of work. It's all about getting as many patients in and out of the room as quickly as possible. My colleague's interest in the technical and pathology side of things has disappeared, and there's no opportunity for CPD as there are too many patients to see. Demand ever increases, waiting time targets get ever tighter, and inevitably you cut corners to keep up.
If you work somewhere that requires nights, the shift patterns can be awful. Quite often people where I work will get 3 nights and then immediately back into day shifts. No chance to recover and they feel dreadful all week, often coming down ill at the end.
You get paid less every year. There are increments in each band and generally getting to band 6 is quite straightforward after two years. However once you reach the top of the band you get below inflation pay rises every year, which means you are paid less the longer you work, even if you pick up more skills.
In spite of this, registration fees go up consistently above inflation. We've just had HCPC renewals come through and need to pay £232 for the privilege of continuing to work. This is over double what I paid when I first started and yet the bottom of band 5 has only gone from 21k to 28k in that time. One of the conditions of registration is you have indemnity insurance. The Society of Radiographers offers this and is the main union for radiographers in the UK. They take £25 a month and are absolutely useless. They consistently fail to represent radiographers or promote radiography but I have to pay them in order to stay registered. Their Facebook page routinely advertises for radiographers to move to New Zealand!
I work in MRI and CT and there's a general push to run scanners with 1 radiographer and an assistant rather than 2 radiographers. This means you have to work harder with more stress, shoulder more responsibility, and there are certain things an assistant can never do, which means you never have the opportunity to train colleagues to make the work more level. And of course you don't get paid any more for doing this.
I work in an acute hospital setting. Thanks to the brilliant idea of opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs), lots of radiographers have left the acute setting to see easier patients. 95% of the patients I see now are more complex - either in their presentation (physical disability, learning disability, dementia, etc) or in the type of imaging they require. I enjoy the more complex imaging which is why I stay, but I don't get paid any more for doing it - I could work 3 days on a van scanning spines and knees and turning away anyone that requires extra help, but I don't think this is right and would not want to be in that situation. If we all wanted an easy life the tricky patients wouldn't have anyone to see them.
Nursing and other AHP collegues have no idea what we do. When I went to uni I spent 2 weeks working with nurses to see what they do day to day. It was interesting. Do nurses spend any time in radiology when they train? No, and they have absolutely no understanding of why we ask for certain things when their patients need to come for imaging. It is a constant argument and we are regularly accused of being obstructive. This is very demoralising when all we are trying to do is the best for patients.
There is a ceiling to how far you can progress. This varies from very low to half decent, depending on where your interests lie and what you are good at, but the most money comes from management and sales, neither of which you need a radiography degree or clinical experience to do.
It is phyically taxing and you spend a lot of time moving overweight patients, dodgy hospital beds, and ancient x-ray kit around. Bad backs are commonplace.
Doom and gloom over. Maybe I'll come back on another day and change my mind, but the downhill trend has been going on a while and now sign of slowing down
hello 🙂
i know it's only been 8 months since you posted this comment but are things still as bad as you've described? i'm currently in year 13 and want to do diagnostic radiography undergrad at university. my main goal is to become a physician's associate (pa) however i've heard that the course is very competitive so just in case i don't get in i'll have my radiography degree to fall back on and hopefully i can become a radiographer. any information you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated 🙂
also there's a lot of controversy surrounding pa's at the moment, i'm assuming since you work in a hospital you may have some knowledge about this? if you do could you please tell me whether it's worth becoming a pa or not. thank you 🙂
Original post by Zahra_Ahmed
hello 🙂
i know it's only been 8 months since you posted this comment but are things still as bad as you've described? i'm currently in year 13 and want to do diagnostic radiography undergrad at university. my main goal is to become a physician's associate (pa) however i've heard that the course is very competitive so just in case i don't get in i'll have my radiography degree to fall back on and hopefully i can become a radiographer. any information you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated 🙂
also there's a lot of controversy surrounding pa's at the moment, i'm assuming since you work in a hospital you may have some knowledge about this? if you do could you please tell me whether it's worth becoming a pa or not. thank you 🙂
i know it's only been 8 months since you posted this comment but are things still as bad as you've described? i'm currently in year 13 and want to do diagnostic radiography undergrad at university. my main goal is to become a physician's associate (pa) however i've heard that the course is very competitive so just in case i don't get in i'll have my radiography degree to fall back on and hopefully i can become a radiographer. any information you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated 🙂
also there's a lot of controversy surrounding pa's at the moment, i'm assuming since you work in a hospital you may have some knowledge about this? if you do could you please tell me whether it's worth becoming a pa or not. thank you 🙂
Hi there. No, the core issues haven't really changed. Too much demand not enough capacity. No funding to open capacity further. Poor conditions means it is difficult to attract good staff, in turn your life gets harder as you can't trust the people you work with.
I will say however that there are lots of opportunities that are better, if you look for them. I mentioned diagnostic centres, which I believe have made the service in the acute sites worse by pulling good staff away, but as an option to work in, they are quite good. Typically they'll be 9-5 or 3x12 days with no nights or on call commitments. You may be employed privately rather than NHS but much better work life balance and same pay. The ownership of these hubs may change over time but I think the principle of keeping well patients outside the acute setting is going to stay long term.
As for PAs. We have had them training at our hospital but I don't believe many if any have been employed. Advanced care practitioners seem to be the way it's going where I work. I don't really know a great deal about it but I wouldn't be comfortable working towards a PA role. It seems like they're still at the point where the plug could be pulled overnight.
Reply 12
Original post by FXX
Hi there. No, the core issues haven't really changed. Too much demand not enough capacity. No funding to open capacity further. Poor conditions means it is difficult to attract good staff, in turn your life gets harder as you can't trust the people you work with.
I will say however that there are lots of opportunities that are better, if you look for them. I mentioned diagnostic centres, which I believe have made the service in the acute sites worse by pulling good staff away, but as an option to work in, they are quite good. Typically they'll be 9-5 or 3x12 days with no nights or on call commitments. You may be employed privately rather than NHS but much better work life balance and same pay. The ownership of these hubs may change over time but I think the principle of keeping well patients outside the acute setting is going to stay long term.
As for PAs. We have had them training at our hospital but I don't believe many if any have been employed. Advanced care practitioners seem to be the way it's going where I work. I don't really know a great deal about it but I wouldn't be comfortable working towards a PA role. It seems like they're still at the point where the plug could be pulled overnight.
I will say however that there are lots of opportunities that are better, if you look for them. I mentioned diagnostic centres, which I believe have made the service in the acute sites worse by pulling good staff away, but as an option to work in, they are quite good. Typically they'll be 9-5 or 3x12 days with no nights or on call commitments. You may be employed privately rather than NHS but much better work life balance and same pay. The ownership of these hubs may change over time but I think the principle of keeping well patients outside the acute setting is going to stay long term.
As for PAs. We have had them training at our hospital but I don't believe many if any have been employed. Advanced care practitioners seem to be the way it's going where I work. I don't really know a great deal about it but I wouldn't be comfortable working towards a PA role. It seems like they're still at the point where the plug could be pulled overnight.
so basically if i become a diagnostic radiographer i shouldn't work for the nhs 😭
(edited 7 months ago)
Original post by Zahra_Ahmed
so basically if i become a diagnostic radiographer i shouldn't work for the nhs 😭
It just depends. I'm speaking from working in a medium sized DGH in a coastal town. There is no investment yet an expectation to offer similar levels of service to a London hospital.
If you work in a big city hospital, things will be different.
If you work in a specialist tertiary centre, things will be different again.
And same again if you work in a smaller community unit.
Private sector varies a lot as well but generally speaking won't be doing anything cutting edge. Private hospitals exist to make profits so there will be different kinds of challenges.
If you find the right job in the right place it can be fine, but there's a lot of unattractive roles out there.
Original post by Zahra_Ahmed
hello 🙂
i know it's only been 8 months since you posted this comment but are things still as bad as you've described? i'm currently in year 13 and want to do diagnostic radiography undergrad at university. my main goal is to become a physician's associate (pa) however i've heard that the course is very competitive so just in case i don't get in i'll have my radiography degree to fall back on and hopefully i can become a radiographer. any information you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated 🙂
also there's a lot of controversy surrounding pa's at the moment, i'm assuming since you work in a hospital you may have some knowledge about this? if you do could you please tell me whether it's worth becoming a pa or not. thank you 🙂
i know it's only been 8 months since you posted this comment but are things still as bad as you've described? i'm currently in year 13 and want to do diagnostic radiography undergrad at university. my main goal is to become a physician's associate (pa) however i've heard that the course is very competitive so just in case i don't get in i'll have my radiography degree to fall back on and hopefully i can become a radiographer. any information you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated 🙂
also there's a lot of controversy surrounding pa's at the moment, i'm assuming since you work in a hospital you may have some knowledge about this? if you do could you please tell me whether it's worth becoming a pa or not. thank you 🙂
dont go for PA.
No one trusts them, no defined scope of work. They are a massive liability. Only exception in my experience is an American PA I worked with at royal orthopaedic in Birmingham but he trained in the USA.
Better off just doing any allied health profession and then graduate medicine if you are so inclined.
Original post by saarah2018
Hi there,
If its something you want to do then go for it don't let external influences affect you like that. I didn't know myself I was in between nursing and radiography and for me honestly radiography was the best choice.coming from a final year student hope that helps😃
If its something you want to do then go for it don't let external influences affect you like that. I didn't know myself I was in between nursing and radiography and for me honestly radiography was the best choice.coming from a final year student hope that helps😃
hi im currently in that situation rn and idk whether to go for Nursing or Radiography, what made you choose Radiography
Original post by jfear
dont go for PA.
No one trusts them, no defined scope of work. They are a massive liability. Only exception in my experience is an American PA I worked with at royal orthopaedic in Birmingham but he trained in the USA.
Better off just doing any allied health profession and then graduate medicine if you are so inclined.
No one trusts them, no defined scope of work. They are a massive liability. Only exception in my experience is an American PA I worked with at royal orthopaedic in Birmingham but he trained in the USA.
Better off just doing any allied health profession and then graduate medicine if you are so inclined.
Have you heard about the regulation that's going on, it's said be finished by the end of this year.Do you think ,as a healthcare worker, that this regulation will change things for PAs? I'm coming from a place of genuine curiosity
Reply 17
Original post by username6615526
Hi I’ve been really stressed out with my application for uni + my deadline is creeping up fast and I’m worried that I will end up picking the wrong subject. My family don’t really want me to do radiography as they apparently think I could do better but I’ve always had an interest for it. Is it worth my time and will it benefit me in the future once I’m done with my degree? Also is there a higher female:male ratio in this industry?
If there’s anyone that can reply I would really appreciate it as I need someone that I can talk to about it as no one else is helping
Thanks
If there’s anyone that can reply I would really appreciate it as I need someone that I can talk to about it as no one else is helping
Thanks
Hey there 🤗
First off, I’m really sorry to hear that you’re feeling so stressed right now. It sounds like there’s a lot of pressure coming from all sides. It’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed when making such a big decision
My best advice would be to really listen to your own feelings, because at the end of the day, it’s you who will be attending university and shaping your career. It’s so important to follow a path that feels right for you, rather than doing what others think you should. Choosing a course that genuinely interests you is a huge advantage. It means you’ll be building your future around something you’re passionate about, without spending time and energy on something that doesn’t feel right for you.
Radiography is a really important field, and if you’ve always had an interest in it, that passion will likely drive you to excel. It’s worth considering what you want out of a career, as you’ll be the one working in it every day. It’s a rewarding job that plays a crucial role in healthcare, and there’s a growing demand for skilled radiographers, so there are definitely good career prospects once you finish your degree.
As for the female-to-male ratio, from what I’ve read, radiography tends to have more women than men in the field, though that’s starting to balance out a bit.
I hope it was helpful 💪 Feel free to reach out if you have any questions 😉 You can also chat with me or other students directly through The Ambassador Platform.
Take care,
Julia
Psychology student
De Montfort University
The OP was made 10 months ago in the last application cycle, so I expect they will be at uni by now.
Reply 19
Original post by jfear
dont go for PA.
No one trusts them, no defined scope of work. They are a massive liability. Only exception in my experience is an American PA I worked with at royal orthopaedic in Birmingham but he trained in the USA.
Better off just doing any allied health profession and then graduate medicine if you are so inclined.
No one trusts them, no defined scope of work. They are a massive liability. Only exception in my experience is an American PA I worked with at royal orthopaedic in Birmingham but he trained in the USA.
Better off just doing any allied health profession and then graduate medicine if you are so inclined.
Physician associates in the USA hold a very different role to the one in the UK and are trained very differently.
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