Radiography / Radiotherapy insights please!

[hampshiremum321]

Is anyone here a radiographer, radiotherapist, or training to be either of those? I would love to hear some honest opinions about these careers - warts and all.
What do you love about your job?
What don't you like?
What are the hours like and is this a career you would recommend to others?
It is very difficult to get shadowing experience in the pandemic.
Appreciate any insights - thanks!

Understaffed, under valued and under paid 🤣.
I kind of fell into radiography as I couldn't think of anything else to do and at the time there was no tuition fees and you got a bursary. I'm not sure I'd go to uni knowing I'd come out with so much debt.
Would I recommend it? Maybe...working in a hospital can sometimes be fun- there is always a large amount of people and generally I have found most people to be lovely and have made some great friends. Radiography has become a bit of a conveyor belt of patients, there is huge pressure to scan/X-ray as many people as possible. You don't really get much chance to actually do much patient care now.
When you first qualify the hours are generally shift work and you'll nearly always end up working some nights, weekends and some part of Christmas (most places do try to be fair though and only share out equally).
There are many plus points- you'll always have a job. There are never enough radiographers
Maternity pay...
And you could probably get part time hours if you wanted, however you may struggle to get set days and if you do they often come with on call as extra.
As an NHS job there are much worse options, I just think working in the NHS at the moment isn't much fun.

My niece is a diagnostic radiographer. There's a lot of pressure as there's always rota shortages and the rota must be staffed. She will never be short of work and has made decent money, bought a flat 8 years ago and moved to a house 2 years ago, she's only just 30. She enjoys the job itself.

The training was hard and there were a lot of dropouts because the course she was on didn't require physics as an entry qualification - she did have good ability in physics and did better than most. So id say look very carefully at the course.

I am a radiographer and have been for many years. It’s a good job and very interesting and there are lots of areas you can branch out into once you qualify.
The that I like are no two days are the same (this can be a good thing or a bad thing)
You are allways learning something new.
Cannulas- I love putting them in. I’m a weirdo!!
I can cover lots of different areas so my weeks are varied. For example a few days in Ct, then a few days in Cath lab so it doesn’t get too monotonous.
I have some cracking colleagues and great friends because of it.
The Nhs has good benefits, like sick pay, may pay etc.
Things I don’t like:
Chronic and I mean chronic understaffing.
Expection to scan more and more patients with no extra resources.
Really difficult to get annual leave, Rota allways late.
You now don’t get a bursery to train like
I did so you’ll have a massive student loan when you qualify.
Having to pay £200 + a year to the HCPC just to be able to work also annoys me.
Like the poster said above you’ll have to work long shifts. I used to do a 16 hour night shift some please near me still do. Lots of nights and weekends, public holidays, xmas and new year.
Everyone will think your are a nurse who takes x-rays while your male colleagues get a thanks doctor!!
Other professions in the hospital have no idea what you do and how you do it and will
mostly ignore you until you are needed. And if you are not there the exact moment they need you (25 seconds after you have put the phone down to then asking you to attend resus, theatre etc) they will call back and ask where you are!!!
There will allways be a shift needing to be covered so if your a hard worker there will allways be extra money to be made.
You will deal with a lot of different patients, drunk people, cancer patients, people with dementia, people in ITU attached to lots of medical equipment, people who have been in horrific accidents you need to make sure you can handle seeing things like that on a daily basis.
I think it is a good job I do enjoy it most of the time. I think if i had to pick a course at uni again I would pick radiography. I’m definitely not doctor material and would not want to be a nurse.

My post is very long sorry but i thought of something else I like about my job when I leave I can forget all about it. Which some of my friends who have office jobs cant due to deadlines, prep for meetings etc. It’s good to be able to switch off completely.

Radiotherapists are medics who specialise in cancer treatment.

I was encouraging my DD to look into Diagnostic Radiography in the future as I have previously worked with radiographers and they seemed a happier group than other clinicians. Through investigations, we did hear that angry (drunk) patients and repetitive strain injuries can be issues.

I'm a diagnostic radiographer and I honestly can't think of another job I'd rather do.

Training is tough especially with placements but you will 100% have a job when you qualify, in your field which is hard to say for a lot of the people I went to uni with who studied other degrees.

Work wise you will be expected to do shifts, overtime will most likely always be available as there is a shortage but using the shortage to your advantage- progression has become easier and tends to happen quicker.

Lots of areas to specialise in. I've specialised now and in my area there are no night shifts or oncalls.

As others have said: no one will know what you do and call you a nurse which is annoying I remember a nursing student at uni who was disgusted to find out that we would start on the same pay band because all I do is push a button

You have to register with the HCPC which costs just under £100 a year (paid every two years) and you'll likely want to join the society of radiographers which is around £24 a month

I think it's a different experience for everyone regarding their hospitals, we have a great rota which is rolling so I know what I'm expected to work well in advance, no problem getting annual leave and generally a happy place to work.

I didn't have to pay Tuition fees but if I did it wouldn't stop me doing it again.

Good luck on your journey

@DPotter

Radiotherapists are medics who specialise in cancer treatment.

No they aren't. Oncologists are medics who specialise in cancer treatment. Radiologists do scans, x-rays etc. And analyse them. They are different roles.

@DPotter

Radiotherapists are medics who specialise in cancer treatment.

Clinical Oncologists are doctors who specialise in cancer treatment using radiotherapy.

Radiotherapists are radiographers who subspecialise in delivering radiation treatment ( such as high energy x-rays and radioiodine) and managing toxicities of treatment.
Generally (I think) radiotherapists have a better work life balance than diagnostic radiographers as there is less shift/ on call work but I don't know how that affects pay.

@crazyhairbear I can only dream one day to work somewhere that has a rolling rota!! We are lucky if ours comes out 4 weeks in advance :(

20yr qualified radiographer here. Great job, I've not regretted my career choice. There are two types: diagnostic or therapeutic, I'm diagnostic. Lots of opportunity to specialise in diagnostic eg; CT, interventional, paediatrics, ultrasound, to name but a few, so can be very varied. Some require postgraduate qualifications, there's always something new to learn! I love the patient interaction mixed with technology, and mixing with different staff groups around the hospital ( I knew most of the team who operated on my son in an emergency situation!). The hours can depend on your specialism eg; ultrasound is often more regular 9-5 mon-fri working hours, general x-ray/ CT will involve shifts, weekends, bank holidays etc (thats one downside)
I travelled overseas easily with it, earnt well, and there are many many job opportunities around the UK (perpetually understaffed like most allied health professionals). I have a solid reliable job and good nhs pension. The pandemic has been hard, we've been expected to cover a million locations (eg; theatre, A&E, CT, ICU) whilst being short staffed. The NHS cogs turn slowly so sometimes being recognised for what you do doesn't match your payscale, and there is always more work than staff/hours to do it. Patient demands and expectation is the hardest aspect for me personally.
Contact your local uni who offer the course and see if they can assist with work experience. Do you know someone who works at your local hospital to ask in the dept directly? Also look at the Society of Radiographers website for advice.
Hope this helps, good luck.

I can't really add much more to what's above :)

It's a good job. Never boring. It can be physically hard work at times (night shifts on your own, lifting heavy patients etc both of which are technically not supposed to happen, but due to staff shortages they do)

You will never be without a job. There are vacancies all over the country.

Career progression is reasonable. Starting wage is about £25k now (?) And you work your way up the bands. Most people get up to a 6/7 (£32-46). Some people progress to band 8

Shift working is tough for parents. (In my area it's difficult to find part time positions)

The course of quite physics heavy, but the actual job isn't.

We get called 'x-ray' a lot... Instead of people using our actual names 😡

Thank you so much to everyone for their insights!
It is something that I am seriously considering
I would be a (very) mature student and it was only upon attending university open days with my daughter over the last year or so and looking at a variety of healthcare courses that it dawned on me that this could actually be a possibility. It seemed that older people were accepted on healthcare courses all the time. The retirement age seems to be increasing and this would be a chance to have an interesting career where I could make a real difference. There is still time - but it's now or never. I am physically fit and have recent study experience (science with the OU). I find physics and technology very interesting. My only worry would be whether I would be able to cope with the job - especially drunk patients, etc. I was told by 3 different universities that shadowing would be "impossible" right now. However, I think volunteering in a hospital would be a possibility as my daughter will be doing that shortly, but it probably won't be anything to do with radiography.
I believe there are a lot more radiography than radiotherapy roles - I don't know if this means it would be harder to get a job as a radiotherapist. I am torn between the two.
I was pleased to hear that it is an interesting and varied job. As someone said, people tend to think of radiographers as button pushers - no glad to hear that it is not so.
Thanks again for the insights and if anyone has anything further to add I would be pleased to hear it!

Also OP it looks like diagnostic Radiographers are about to get Independent Prescribing rights 🎉

The role is ever expanding and we are gaining more autonomous roles. It's quite an exciting time.

About half on my course (2010) were mature students.

Thank you Jinglebellsoncake
It all sounds very intriguing!
I think I would definitely be the oldest student there . It is too late for me to apply for this year (Ucas deadline end of this month), so I'd be looking at 2023 entry - even older still . But at least I'd have time to prepare and make sure it's definitely for me.

What's the oldest radiography student you have come across in your working life?

Unsure what you mean by radiotherapist? Someone who does radiotherapy? Far more niche? Do you mean a therapeutic radiographer? Delivering radiotherapy?

LowlyTheWorm - yes, I guess "therapeutic radiographer" would be another way of putting it. Some unis advertise their courses as "Radiography (Radiotherapy and Oncology)" for example.

@LowlyTheWorm
There are a few different job titles for the exact same role 😀

Radiotherapist = Therapeutic Radiographer
These are the same job. Using radiation to treat cancer.

Generally a radiotherapist works more normal 'office hours'. Although I'm sure there is scope for weekend work and evening clinics. They aren't required to work on call as their work isn't emergency.

Diagnostic rads are needed 24/7 as imaging is needed at all times for emergencies. CT heads, chest x-rays in resus, trauma theatre cases e.t.c

@hampshiremum321my son started Uni on a Radiotherapy and Oncology degree in September, he’s really enjoying it so far, he loves the anatomy side but not so much the physics! He’s done one placement in hospital so far and loved it. He did say the department and staff were quite laid back not rushing around everywhere like other departments, he has another 13 week placement coming up in March and he gets an NHS training bursary of £5000 plus £1000 every year of degree as there is a shortage of trained staff.

No they aren't. Oncologists are medics who specialise in cancer treatment. Radiologists do scans, x-rays etc. And analyse them. They are different roles.

I'll let my DP know - he is a medic, an oncologist and a radiotherapist as he prescribes and plans the radiotherapy, which is given by specialist radiographers

We have had a few mature students in their late 40s and even one who was 50. It’s never too late!!