Therapeutic radiographers are one of the 15 Allied Health Professions.
Therapeutic radiographers are trained to treat cancer, alongside other healthcare professionals. They use very high energy X-Rays to zap unhealthy, cancerous cells that are making people feel poorly. They use a big machine that costs around £2,000,000 that delivers the treatment. There is special equipment on the treatment bed that helps the patient lie very still. The machine moves around the patient and delivers the treatment. Although the X Rays are delivered on the outside of the body, they push through the skin and land on the unhealthy, cancerous cells inside the body.
As part of the radiotherapy team, you will help care for and support the patient before, during and after their treatment, and will play a vital role in helping them cope with the negative side effects they may experience.
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Therapeutic radiographers will be based in hospitals that deliver radiotherapy treatment. In North West London, this is:
- Charing Cross Hospital
- Hammersmith Hospital
- Mount Vernon Hospital
Therapeutic radiographers (TRad) can have a range of different start times. If I am on an early shift I will start at 8am. At this time the laser and machine checks have already been completed by the radiographer and the two of us become the ‘early team’.
We will generally treat patients with different cancers and side effects. Our job is not only to treat the cancer but to kindly look after our patients to ensure they feel as comfortable as they can be. Each patient is unique and therefore each experience will be different. Side effects will also be personal to each patient depending on a range of factors such as skin tone.
In the afternoon, there is a lot of what we call ‘offline tasks’. These include re-checking the images we took before treatment, ensuring everyone is receiving the correct treatment and managing the digital queue of patients. Completing these tasks allows the team to run smoothly, efficiently and on time.
During the treatment planning and delivery, therapeutic radiographers work as part of a team with a range of other professionals and support staff, including:
- Physicists
- Engineers
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Dieticians
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Administration staff
- Porters
- Domestic Staff
- Review Radiographers
- Pre-Treatment Radiographers
- Planning Radiographers
A degree in therapeutic radiography
You will require a university degree in therapeutic radiography to practice. Generally, you will need three A-levels including either maths or sciences to gain a place on the degree course. You can complete a BSc degree in therapeutic radiography – this is usually 3 years long and includes completing placements in healthcare settings for practical learning.
A master's degree
If you complete a different university degree, you can go on to complete a 2-year master's degree in therapeutic radiography.
A degree apprenticeship
Another route is to complete a degree apprenticeship. This route allows you to work as an apprentice in a radiotherapy setting, earning an income for part of the week, as well as studying at university for the other part of the week to complete a degree in dietetics.
You can find out more here: Explore | UCAS
A newly qualified therapeutic radiographer will enter at band 5 on the NHS Agenda for change pay scale. This has a salary between £28,000 to £34,500. In addition, NHS roles in North West London attract an extra 15-20% of pay as a high cost area supplement, meaning the salary in one of our eight boroughs starts from £32,200.
Support workers are usually employed at NHS agenda for change pay bandings 3 and 4. Salaries can range from £22,000 to £27,500. Including the high cost area supplement, salaries in North West London start from £25,300.
AHPs can move up the agenda for change pay bands as they progress in their career. To see what the salaries are for more experienced staff, you can view the salary bands here.
The NHS also has other employee benefits such as annual leave of between 27 - 33 days, plus bank holidays; an excellent pension scheme; and other payment schemes during periods when staff are off work e.g. maternity and sickness.