When first talking to Divia Shah about starting out as a radiographer, she emphasised just how busy that first year was – and no sooner was that explained than it was reinforced, as Divia was called back into theatre mid-interview.

Luckily, Starting Out was able to catch up with her later to hear about how she is handling the pressure of her first job. 

“Transitioning from a student to a full-time radiographer involves a steep learning curve,” says Divia. “Mistakes are part of the process, so use them as opportunities for growth and be proactive in learning from them, as well as not being afraid to ask advice from more experienced colleagues.”

She explains that starting out as a radiographer was both “exciting and overwhelming”.

“The pressure of being responsible for patient care and producing diagnostic images with minimal support compared to when I was a student was the main pressure for me,” she says. “I found that using my time management skills to prioritise tasks and staying organised helped me handle the workload more effectively.

“I was also not afraid of seeking support from fellow colleagues when needed. Asking more experienced colleagues for their guidance was invaluable and really added to my knowledge when approaching different situations.”

Maintaining a good work-life balance was also important, she adds, and spending time with friends and family was “essential”.

Working with a big team at her trust was, nonetheless, an “incredible experience”. Divia tells Starting Out she’d had the opportunity to meet and work with colleagues from all over the UK and indeed the entire world – the diversity has “enriched” her professional journey.

“My colleagues have been exceptionally supportive, always willing to offer guidance and help when needed,” she says. “They create a caring and fun atmosphere that makes even the most challenging days enjoyable. Beyond just professional relationships, I’ve formed some lifelong friendships that I truly cherish.

“Being part of such a supportive, fun and caring team has been one of the highlights of my career so far.”

During that first year, Divia had to train in X-ray, fluoroscopy and theatre radiography – as Starting Out discovered firsthand. Stepping into a full-time role also brought a new level of responsibility and independence, she says. “I had to adapt to a faster-paced environment, manage a more demanding workload and make critical decisions on my own,” Divia explains. “The shift from being a supervised student to an accountable professional required me to build confidence in my abilities and develop a deeper understanding of patient care and imaging techniques. Despite the challenges, this transition was essential in shaping my growth as a competent and confident radiographer.

“Working in a collaborative and supportive environment was a major highlight, as it provided valuable learning opportunities and awareness that you are not alone and it is OK to ask for help.”

Divia emphasises the importance of not shying away from any aspects of the job initially unenjoyable, especially when on placement. Instead, students should see these as an opportunity to learn about different parts of the job and broaden their experience. Most importantly, however, she advises students to learn how to prioritise their self care. “Managing stress and taking time for yourself outside working hours is crucial for maintaining both your physical and mental health,” she says.

“Give yourself lots of self care. You need lots of space to make mistakes, to try new things and to learn. Don’t expect to come out and be perfect – be patient.” Ben Potts has finished his first year as a radiographer wearing many more hats than he started with – not only is he working in emergency and routine X-ray, he is also the social media co-ordinator for the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences and in October will begin his PhD.

But the start of his journey into radiography was no less busy – he says he found the transition between student and new professional “difficult”, and that he had underestimated how hard it would be. “It’s spoken about, when you’re leaving university, as though it’s a bit like learning to drive,” he explains. “I was expecting some difficulties, and some growth, but you quickly realise you’ve still got a lot of learning to do. It took a long couple of months to get through that.

“Suddenly, looking back after a year, I realised I’d come really far. But I couldn’t know at the time.”

For Ben, the opportunity to work autonomously has been a big part of his enjoyment of the process. He explains the satisfaction of receiving a quest, seeing the patient and developing a relationship for the 10 minutes he’s processing the X-ray.

It’s all to do with “freedom and choice”, he says, which allows him to rest easy with the knowledge the patient is receiving the best care and the hospital has gotten the best information. “Meeting patients and knowing you’re playing a part, sometimes a massive part, in their health, and having that input, is so rewarding,” he says. “You know you’re doing something good.”

While the clinical work is immensely satisfying, Ben admits that he can’t keep away from the academic side. Having recently been awarded with very competitive funding, Ben says he was “privileged” to get the opportunity to work part time with his clinical and academic work. While he could have gone back to university full time, he says that he “absolutely loves” that he gets to combine them. “That was always my dream when I was an undergrad,” he adds. “I wanted a way of joining research and clinical – the PhD has allowed me to do that. I can bring what I do in clinical into research, and bring my research into clinical. Having that relationship is brilliant.”

Ben tells Starting Out he went through a period of mental ill-health before deciding to train as a radiographer, where was dealing with addiction while also caring for his grandmother full time. “It was doing that that made me really enjoy just caring for somebody, and having that responsibility while knowing you’re helping somebody,” he says. 

“I have a background in music technology, so the equipment side of things was something I didn’t want to let go of. I got involved with lots of the SoR people even before I started the course, and that meant I already felt welcomed into the radiography community.”