Supporting Your Child’s Career in Therapeutic Radiography
Is your child considering a career in healthcare? Therapeutic Radiography offers a unique and fulfilling path where they can combine compassion with cutting-edge technology to make a real difference in people’s lives.
Therapeutic radiographers are key members of the cancer care team, delivering targeted radiotherapy treatments and providing emotional support to patients during their journey. It’s a career that’s as rewarding as it is challenging.
Why Therapeutic Radiography?
- Job Security and availability: The demand for therapeutic radiographers is growing, both in the UK and abroad.
- Competitive Salaries and attractive benefits: Starting salaries in the NHS are attractive, with clear progression opportunities. There are also other benefits including an excellent pension scheme and parental leave opportunities
- Life-Changing Work: Your child will have the chance to help others during some of the most difficult times in their lives.
What You Should Know
- Education Pathway: There are many pathways including apprenticeships or a three or four-year BSc degree in Therapeutic Radiography. In addition, there is a MSc pathway for people who have already completed a degree in relevant subjects (biosciences, biomedicine, physics, chemistry, biology and more)
- Placement Opportunities: Students gain practical experience in clinical settings as part of their degree.
- Financial Support: NHS bursaries and other funding options are often available for healthcare students.
Encourage your child to explore this meaningful career path. It’s a decision they – and their future patients – will thank you for.
“I studied at BCU and trained at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire from 2005-2008. I then worked clinically for 15 years before starting at Birmingham City University as a Lecturer where I now support and train students to become Therapeutic Radiographers.
“I specialised in my role and took on the role of Treatment Review Radiographer.“A Review Radiographer is a Therapeutic Radiographer with extensive experience and expertise in the field of radiotherapy and the management of radiotherapy-related side effects.
“My primary role involved evaluating the physical and emotional needs of patients as well as providing support, guidance, and information on a wide array of issues.”
Mariam Kalsoom, Lecturer in Therapeutic Radiography.
“People often confuse therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers. That’s the largest misconception. “So the diagnostic radiographers, obviously, they take x-rays, CT scans, MRIs to diagnose problems within the body. What we do is we actually treat cancer with high energy radiation.”
Ben Hubbard, Therapeutic Radiographer, Royal Stoke University Hospital.
“I didn’t know about therapeutic radiography as a profession. So when I went to college to study midwifery, I became aware of it at a careers event and suddenly found that that was the job for me but I was a mature student going back to university.
“And so for me looking for a new role and a new adventure, I really wanted a job that was going to enable me to help people. And that was really the main thing I was looking for.
“A university course offered a placement based training program because I felt that that was the best way I could learn. Working in training in the Midlands was really important to me. I had two very young children.
“My youngest daughter was just about to start primary school on the same day I started university so it was really important for me to be able to study locally and be able to have my placement in my local hospital.
“It really gave me the flexibility to be able to drop my children off at school, come to placement, but also be able to get to university relatively easily too.”
Mercia Edwards, Therapeutic Radiographer at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
Start your journey today!
Explore universities offering Therapeutic Radiography courses and take the first step towards an inspiring career; speak to your careers advisor or speak to the Radiotherapy Practice Educator at one of our hospitals in the Midlands.