Course overview

Radiography is the controlled use of ionising and other radiations as an adjunct to medicine. This can either be as a treatment for some cancers (radiotherapy) or as an aid to diagnosis (diagnostic radiography). The professional staff practising in these fields are called radiographers; their daily work revolves around the interface of medical technology, medicine and people.

Diagnostic radiography is practised in virtually every hospital in the UK. Therapeutic radiography is found in large specialist centres for the treatment of cancer. Radiography in all its aspects is critical to the Government’s plans for the future of the NHS.

The University of Portsmouth has offered a degree in radiography since 1989 – in fact, we were the first university to run a full time radiography degree programme.

Regulatory body approval

On successful completion of the course, graduates are eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and for full membership of the Society and College of Radiographers.

 

Course content

This course has three main areas of study:

• human anatomy, physiology and pathology
• the science of radiography and radiotherapy
• professional practice

Some elements will form part of core units where diagnostic and therapeutic students are taught together and others will be discipline specific. The curriculum is enhanced by other studies including interprofessional learning, information and communication technology, and research methods.

The course includes a mix of academic study and clinical placements within collaborating hospitals. Each academic year lasts for approximately 35 weeks and includes 9-12 weeks per year of core clinical placements.

The course depends upon clinical placements distant to Portsmouth. Great care is taken to ensure that every student gets a balanced clinical experience. You will have input into the allocation of your clinical placement sites.

You will also be encouraged to undertake an additional placement between your second and third year to extend your experience of specialist practice. Second-year diagnostic students are also able to compete for four partly subsidised elective places in Hong Kong.

Units

Year one

• Physical Principles of Radiography
• Biological Principles and Applications for Diagnostic Radiographers 1
• Biological Principles and Applications for Diagnostic Radiographers 2
• Inter-professional Skills for Radiographers 1
• Applied Physics of Radiography
• Work-based Learning for Diagnostic Radiographers 1

Year two

• Biological Principles and Applications for Diagnostic Radiographers 3
• Employability Skills and Career Development for Radiographers
• Inter-professional Skills for Radiographers 2
• Medical Imaging Modalities
• Principles of Image Interpretation and Locomotor System
• Work-based Learning for Diagnostic Radiographers 2

Year three

• Developing Project Skills
• Management of Professional Practice
• Advanced Medical Imaging Practice 1
• Advanced Medical Imaging Practice 2
• Work-based Learning for Diagnostic Radiographers 3

Teaching and assessment

At the University of Portsmouth our approach to radiography education is based on:

• Early experience of a clinical placement in your first year: this early immersion into the practical aspects provides a context for your academic study and should help to confirm your career choice.
• Integration of theory and practice: the curriculum reflects both current and developing practice. Visiting clinical experts are often used to address specialist techniques and theories, especially in the final year of study.
• Three clinical placements: you will attend three clinical placement sites during the three years to ensure you gain a broad clinical skills base.
• Clinical assessment counts towards degree classification: as you will spend a third of your time in clinical practice, clinical capability is not only assessed, but counts towards your degree classification.
• Academic staff support you in both academic and clinical learning environments: academic staff will regularly visit you on placement. This allows for small group tutorials, clinical assessment discussions and for staff members to deal with any pastoral issues that may occur.

Radiography is a rapidly changing profession, partly driven by the extended scope of practice being undertaken by radiographers and partly by developments in the technology. In addition to the normal standards of proficiency expected of all newly qualified radiographers, you will also develop further skills that will prepare you to interpret images and enable you to use ultrasound techniques on some trauma patients.

Inter-professional learning

You will engage in interprofessional learning with one or more other professional groups.

Career prospects

All our staff are qualified radiographers with a wide range of individual expertise such as ultrasound, nuclear medicine, radiation physics and computed tomography, and are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Staff have also taken a lead at national level in helping to shape the role of the radiographer in the future by contributing to the Standards of Proficiency for Radiography.

On successful completion of the course graduates are eligible to apply for registration with the HCPC and for full membership of the Society and College of Radiographers. Graduate radiographers are well qualified for a range of posts and a high percentage of our graduates are accepted for NHS posts in radiography with start dates soon after graduation. However, some may build on their qualifications to travel the world and work in places such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. Some with appropriate language skills have also gained posts in the European Union.

Qualified radiographers may specialise and obtain postgraduate qualifications. For example, diagnostic radiographers may specialise in medical ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, radionuclide imaging or mammography. There are also good opportunities for management, research, teaching, and in manufacturers' sales and promotions teams. 

Facilities and features

Within Radiography there has been a major investment in resources to support clinical learning. These include:

• a state-of-the-art imaging suite, similar to those used in clinical practice
• a comprehensive electronic film library
• two emergency ultrasound scanners and a high resolution colour portable ultrasound system
• a three-dimensional virtual environment radiotherapy unit (VERT)

These allow you to practise and exercise your clinical skills on campus before venturing into the clinical environment.

All of our teaching units involve online learning, enabling you to access teaching materials off campus or on clinical placement. You will have ready access to our library and multiple computer suites with extensive opening hours. There is also support within the University for study skills, careers advice, academic development, financial and pastoral issues.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BSc (Hons) Radiography (Diagnostic) for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).