Day in the life of a (trainee) radiotherapy physicist

I've had a very busy day today full of an eclectic mix of tasks so I thought it might be a good day to do a bit of "day in the life of"/ reflecting. It's also Healthcare Science week so the perfect opportunity to share! 07:20 Arrive at work. I'm "on the early" which means … Continue reading Day in the life of a (trainee) radiotherapy physicist →

Future life tips

Creating a new category to add my thoughts on management, leadership and teaching so I can document best practice and have a place to refer back to it in the future! Today's pointer is about the importance of being an open and welcoming senior member of staff. If you want (very) junior members of staff … Continue reading Future life tips →

Ion chamber change

This week's excitement involves an ion chamber change on one of our Linacs. The ion chamber is an integral part of the Linac.... Our old ionisation chamber being removed from the Linac head. Fun fact- the blue cable ties are more radio-resistant than the black and white cable ties and so don't become as brittle … Continue reading Ion chamber change →

Nightingale Induction

The only induction I would recommend to a friend.Me, yesterday, even before we got the toiletries goodie bag! I don't know about you but I've been to many a pointless induction in my time. The induction to NHS Nightingale London was revolutionary in that I came away from the day feeling buoyed up, supported and … Continue reading Nightingale Induction →

“To save patients’ lives!?”

3 months in radiotherapy and I still have my patient empathy. Perhaps a little too much. We had lectures last week and as part of one on radiation safety, the Radiation Protection Advisor asked, “Why do we do what we do?”. Now I’ve worked with him previously and he’s lovely and so without any hesitation … Continue reading “To save patients’ lives!?” →

Ode to brachytherapy

It's my second month in my specialist placement and so I've moved on from a dosimetry rotation into a brachytherapy rotation. Seeing a brachytherapy operation in my rotational placement was the first time I thought "maybe I want to be a radiotherapy physicist" and so this was a big deal for me! Brachytherapy uses sealed … Continue reading Ode to brachytherapy →

Radiotherapy Physicist Week 1

My new desk detritus! I'm one whole week into my career as a radiotherapy physicist! I've got my professional hedgehogs mug, my bunnies 2020 calendar, my homemade diary cover and I am ready to smash it! I have learnt an astonishing amount in just one week, from the uses of in-vivo dosimetry to the use … Continue reading Radiotherapy Physicist Week 1 →

General Ultrasound

#MedicalPhysicistOnTourPart3 Christmas Eve Eve saw me heading to General Ultrasound. I've had a good few ultrasounds in my time but never on my liver so it was very interesting to watch a specialist sonographer and radiology consultant who specialises in ultrasound performing liver ultrasounds in advance of a liver clinic later on in the morning. … Continue reading General Ultrasound →

Vascular ultrasound

#MedicalPhysicistOnTourPart2 Today in Medical Physics on Tour Part 2, I spent the morning in Vascular Ultrasound. Vascular scientists perform routine and urgent ultrasounds on the vascular (blood vessel) system all over the body to diagnose and rule out a range of conditions including Deep Vein Thrombosis, aneurysms and checks on fistulas used for kidney dialysis. … Continue reading Vascular ultrasound →

Echocardiography

#MedicalPhysicistOnTourPart1 One of the great things about the STP is the ability to parachute into other departments to have a look at how your decisions as a clinical scientist would affect the department's working life. It also enables you to have a further insight into the workings of other parts of the hospital and how … Continue reading Echocardiography →