BSc (Hons) Therapeutic Radiography

Lauren Todd

When I began looking into health professions, I realised that with Radiotherapy I would be able to develop a technical skill whilst maintaining the care aspect that attracted me to a career in healthcare. It is obviously a specialist area and there are only a handful of universities that offer this course. After researching my options, I found out that University of  Portsmouth students had a good reputation in this field. It was a great city for me to move out of the family home to and it is awesome being so close to the sea.

The course alternates between academic time in lectures and placement in the region’s hospitals.  This puts academic learning into practice in the real clinical environment and it equips you with the necessary skills so that employment on graduation is possible. We’ve had numerous guest speakers talking about subjects relevant to our future careers  It has been interesting and helpful in developing our understanding of our role within the NHS. On graduation, I hope to become employed in my profession.  At some point I will return to education to do my MSc, but I have not decided on my specialism. There are many more career paths than I initially thought on such a discipline-specific course.

The School of Radiography have great facilities to assist in our learning. The University  uses software that recreates the clinical setting (VERT). This improves the students’ confidence and increases technical skill without  a real patient. The lecturers are always on hand to help and everything is focussed on ensuring that we are prepared for our future career. Modules on basic life support and manual handling have been extremely relevant and beneficial.

The University Library is open most hours of the day. It is very helpful for assignment deadlines and has many useful and up to date books for my study. They also have lots of computing facilities and the option to book a study room if there is a group of students working together.  Purple door is a fantastic resource, so my advice to freshers would be to go and have a look. There is ample information on all different career pathways possible from studying different courses, and advice and support on gap years or working abroad and vacation work. They also hold a ‘CV Wednesday’ event, which is very helpful when you are looking for part time work and finding a job on graduation.

The course doesn’t have much free time, but this is due to the vocational design. Not only will you graduate with a degree, but also with registration with the Health Professions Council. This course trains you directly for the job. It does limit the involvement in sports and societies, although I know a few students who have managed it. My main interest is music and I love going to gigs. Portsmouth is very good on this. We have four venues where we can listen to local unsigned artists or well-known, international bands. Southampton and Brighton are nearby and accessible by train, so if a band isn’t playing in Portsmouth, then they will be at either one of these cities.

Everything needed for student life in Portsmouth is close. In both of my years I have lived in a central location.  My lectures, the Library, Students Union, the high street for shopping, Gunwharf Quays for more shopping and a night out, train station, hairdressers and more are all at a walkable distance.  This city is great for me. After moving from a small, rural village, Portsmouth is a compact enough city with all the amenities I need, but without being overwhelming. There is a high student population and when walking around is easy to identify your peers. You will find everyone ends up knowing some of the same people!