‘Don’t be afraid to try something different’ – Grace Bird on the value of changing course in radiography
The Diagnostic Radiographer has applied her training across various roles. Here, she tells Marese O’Hagan about her career journey and the advice she would give to those considering switching trajectories
By Marese O'Hagan
By Marese O'Hagan
Grace Bird is a Diagnostic Radiographer who knows the value of changing course in your career. Now a senior lecturer in medical imaging at Teesside University, Grace’s career has taken a number of unexpected twists and turns, ranging from a brief spell as a veterinary radiographer to fulfilling a lifelong dream of working on a hospital ship to deliver essential healthcare in Africa.
Through all the changes in trajectory, Grace’s passion for radiography has remained a constant, and each new step has helped her develop her skills, discover more about her own motivations and of course deliver exceptional patient care.
Grace tells Synergy about her varied career, her love for animals and how growth can come from all directions.
Where it all began
Grace studied diagnostic radiography at the University of Liverpool from 2012 to 2015, which included a placement at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. “I was interested [in diagnostic radiography] from sixth form because I liked nursing and I liked photography,” she explains. “So it seemed like a strange mix of the two.”
After graduation, Grace spent several years working in the NHS. Her first job out of university was in Ormskirk District General Hospital, where she worked as a Band 5 radiographer in X-ray and CT until 2017, when she moved into a specialist radiographer role at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital to chase her dream of specialising in paediatrics.
Until this point, Grace’s career followed a fairly typical path. But after a stint as a vaccinator in 2020, the following year she made an unexpected move into veterinary radiography. Grace moves fairly frequently with her husband, Pete, because of his job, and her turn into veterinary radiography was spurred on by such a move – this time to Scotland. “When I was studying at Liverpool, we had a lecture from a veterinary radiographer and I remember thinking ‘that’s such a cool thing’. And he did say: ‘It’s quite rare; there’s only a few of me in Liverpool.’ That was when I was in my third year of study, and I didn’t really think much of it.”
Vetinerary radiography is an often overlooked area of the profession
Vetinerary radiography is an often overlooked area of the profession
When the opportunity to move into veterinary radiography came up, the appeal was obvious for Grace, who has two dogs and loves animals. But there was a lot to learn when it came to scanning animals versus humans. “You obviously have to change the way you communicate,” Grace tells Synergy. “They don’t talk back. They can’t tell you when they’re in pain, when they don’t like something. But that was really only something that we had to deal with when we worked with the animals who were conscious at the time.”
And to placate the animals, Grace always made sure to keep a few tricks up her sleeve, being “quite willing to be covered in barium, dog food, fur and saliva most of the time”.
Helping hands
In her role as a veterinary radiographer, Grace’s responsibilities were varied. She enjoyed carrying out swallow studies, a diagnostic imaging procedure using fluoroscopy to view an animal’s swallowing mechanism from mouth to stomach, which gave her the opportunity to interact both with the animals – which would have been conscious for the process – and their owners.
She also enjoyed studying anatomy, where the smallest aspects of bodily make-up can vary from animal to animal. “Understanding the difference in the shape of a kneecap between a cat and a dog, for example,” says Grace. “The shape of the patella for a cat is really specifically tear shaped compared to a dog’s one, which sounds a bit strange. But those little things are really interesting.”
Grace found an interest in animal anatomy during her spell as a veterinary radiographer
Grace found an interest in animal anatomy during her spell as a veterinary radiographer
It’s clear Grace embraces the dynamic nature of radiography and how – and where – it can be applied. It was this outlook that made her an ideal candidate to work for Mercy Ships, a Christian charity that sends hospital ships to sub-Saharan Africa. The ships bring surgeries and life-saving healthcare mainly to Africa’s coasts in partnership with the countries themselves.
As a Christian, Grace had aspired to join Mercy Ships since she was a student – but needed at least two years’ healthcare experience before she could sign up. In 2023, she sailed away on the Global Mercy ship to Dakar, Senegal. “It took a while to get on board, as such,” she jokes.
On Global Mercy, Grace worked as a radiology technician in the ship’s radiography department. “There was about three of us who served at that time,” she recalls. “One of us always carried the bleep to be on call overnight. But when you weren’t on call and you were off shift, you could leave the ship and go and explore the local area if you wanted to, which was great.
“And then when you were on shift or on call, you were there doing a lot of surgery planning – scans for orthopedic and maxillofacial, mostly.”
On the ship, Grace worked alongside healthcare professionals from a host of countries, including the US, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and France. “So you learned loads about how they did healthcare in those countries as well,” she says. “And then you also lived and socialised with them. It was a really lovely community.”
Teaching and learning
Grace joined the ranks of Teesside University in 2025. This was motivated by another move with her husband, this time to the north east. Going into teaching was a no-brainer for Grace, who enjoyed working with students during her time in the NHS and as a veterinary radiographer. “I was looking for jobs and this one popped up, and I thought it was an interesting and exciting opportunity to have a go at,” she says. “The team is really lovely and the students are fab. You learn a lot from them, and hopefully they learn a lot from you, too.”
Taking radiography skills beyond healthcare
Humanitarian work is one of Grace’s passions. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, she worked as a radiographer in a field hospital set up at the event. Inspired by this experience, in 2025 she signed up to become a reserve officer cadet Diagnostic Radiographer with the British Army.
Joining the reserves is indicative of Grace’s willingness to use her abilities to help others in any capacity. “I really enjoy the adaptability and problem-solving side of radiography, and the reserve role offers that in another setting,” she explains.
Though Grace has covered a lot of ground in her career, she ensures she carves out time for her hobbies. She takes part in canicrossing, a type of exercise where a runner wears a belt around their waist that is attached to their dog’s harness by a bungee cord, so they can run together. Ever the leader, when she moved to Edinburgh Grace ran a series of canicross lessons, which she likens to Couch to 5k. “I thought I’d have a go at being an instructor and sharing that with other people who wanted to spend time with their dog and get a bit active,” she says. “It was really fun. It was a nice way to get to know people. A lot of chaos, but it’s good fun.”
Grace's love animals led her to canicross, running events with a dog in tow
Grace's love animals led her to canicross, running events with a dog in tow
‘Don’t be scared to get it wrong’
Grace is more than qualified to speak on the intricacies of shifting career trajectories. She hasn’t been afraid to pursue her passions, using radiography as a vessel to get her to where she wants to go. To any radiographers considering branching out, her advice is simple: take the leap. “Number one, you never know until you try,” she says. “Always be willing to have a go and don’t be scared to get it wrong.”
The fact that radiography is naturally a dynamic profession also helps. Whether you enjoy interacting with patients or would be happier spending your days analysing scans, Grace’s career moves prove that there’s something for everyone.
And she believes that not every career movement needs to be upward, with seemingly sideways steps sometimes proving the most effective. “I read something the other day that I thought was really fab: ‘Growth doesn’t just come by going uphill, it also comes by going sideways,” Grace concludes. “So just because something doesn’t come with a really obvious promotion or a [pay] increase, it doesn’t mean that you won’t learn tons from it.
“Don’t be scared to take what appears to be a sideways step, because that’s usually a growth opportunity.”
More about the SoR’s Education and Career Framework
The Education and Career Framework (ECF) outlines guidance for radiographers who wish to learn more about the career opportunities available across the radiography workforce. It covers different levels of practice and the standards of education attached to them.
Centrally, the ECF aims to improve patient outcomes by developing the radiography workforce.
To read the latest edition of the ECF, click here.
