Day In The Life Of A BCU Diagnostic Radiography Student On Placement

Hey Guys, welcome to my day in the life whilst on placement as a third-year student radiographer.

05:30–06:00: Morning Devotion
I like to give myself some time in bed to do my morning Bible devotional and meditation. This helps me gain motivation for the day and feel recharged rather than going straight into my morning routine.

06:00-07:00: Morning Routine
I typically spend no more than an hour getting ready in the morning because maintaining this discipline is crucial; otherwise, I risk missing my train. To save time in the mornings and make my life easier, I now prepare my lunch the night before.

07:00-08:45: Commute to Placement Site
My commute to placement typically takes about an hour, provided the trains are on time, and everything goes smoothly, but that's not always the case! So, to avoid being late, I prefer to leave earlier than necessary to account for any unexpected delays, especially since I need to take two
trains. Fortunately, as a healthcare student, there are provisions in place to claim back my travel expenses to placement.

09:00-17:00: Placement
My shift patterns vary depending on the department I'm assigned to. For instance:
• Emergency Department and General X-ray 8am-8pm: As a third-year student, I can participate in numerous examinations, which is crucial for completing my assessments
• CT/MRI Department 9am – 5pm: I mostly observe and make notes as CT and MRI require additional specialised training. However, I make myself useful by being proactive and conducting patient safety questionnaires before examinations and assisting radiographers with patient preparation and room setup
•8pm - 8am - Similar duties to the day shift, but during night time hours
• There are other shifts I haven't listed, I can go into more detail about my shifts if you want to know more :smile:

All the shifts highlight the duties and responsibilities of a radiographer, and it all helps academically, too, as the hands-on experience helps me put the content taught in lectures and seminars into practice.
17:00-18:45: Return home
Once I get home, I make it a priority to enjoy some downtime to relax and spend quality time with friends and family. Since moving back home for third year, I've been fortunate to have a strong support system. My mom always prepares dinner for me, allowing me to unwind and focus on other activities without the stress of cooking.
19:00-20:00 University work
With assignments and a dissertation to complete, I sometimes dedicate regular time to my university work, even when on placement. As a third-year student, the academic year is already moving quickly, and I want to avoid letting my workload pile up. So I try to make an effort when I've had a short shift at placement.
21:00:30: Go to sleep
Due to the demands of my course, I've always valued my sleep. I don't want to oversleep in the morning, so I go to sleep quite early to wake up early.

Thank you for following me along.

If you have any other questions about my experience on placement as a student radiographer. Please feel free to ask. See what BCU's like for yourself at one of our open days: https://bit.ly/4aHFLz5

Mercy
BCU Student Rep

(edited 1 month ago)