Investing in radiography: Q&A with Lucie Armson

Can you tell us about your radiography apprenticeship?

I’m working at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, mainly based at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. I’ve just started the third year of my diagnostic radiography apprenticeship in March, which is through the University of Exeter.

This year I get to choose what modality I spend most of my time in, so I’ve chosen MRI. Before this I was spending two days a week in MRI, which is just blowing my mind. Now I’m at the beginning of year three, so I’m in the calm before the storm. 

I’ve also got a fair amount of assessments to do, but that’s for a bit later on in the year. At the moment, I’m just trying to get to grips with spending more time in MRI.

How have the first two years of your apprenticeship been?

The first year is very X-ray based, you’re learning all about bone anatomy, how anatomy appears on images, the physics of how X-rays are produced. You also learn about radiation safety and the relevant legislation. You learn so much, but it’s all presented to you in an easy way.

I work four days a week at the hospital, and then I have one study day every week. On my study days, I take care of all the academic work that the university gives me. There’s a lot of theory behind what you’re doing in the day to day.

Then you have one particular module which ties in all theory with your day to day, so you can understand why you do certain things at work. The first year was all very X-ray based, making sure you’re getting fully competent in X-rays.

The second year was very modality-based. You’re still in X-ray, because that’s when you start modifying your technique, and start doing more difficult X-rays like major trauma. 

You also start spending more time in CT, MRI and ultrasound, in nuclear medicine, we go up to dental, and we do a bit of mammography as well. 

It’s quite a big step. In year two, you get so much information thrown at you – all the different modalities, how every single one of them works, and you spend more time in those modalities. You learn how to do a CT scan, how to do an MRI. It’s pretty intense, but I’ve really enjoyed it. The support from the university and my colleagues has been really good. 

What were you doing before your apprenticeship?

I did a lot of working abroad and travelling. I was previously a holiday rep, so I definitely lived my 20s to the fullest! I had a bit of a background in finance, so when I finished travelling abroad, I got a job in an office.

I just needed a job at the time, it was close to where I lived – I didn’t really plan on staying there for two years. I knew I didn’t want a desk job for the rest of my life, but I just never knew what I wanted to do, even from when I left school.

I never really thought about sorting out a proper career, because I just wanted to travel, and see the world a bit. So I came back and worked in finance for a bit, and then lockdown happened. 

No one was allowed to leave our houses, I was at my desk all day long, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. 

Radiography was never anything that crossed my mind. I kind of just stumbled across it randomly as I was researching different careers. I was looking at everything – engineer, electrician, I looked at so many different careers. Then I spotted radiography when I was looking on the NHS Jobs website. 

It just sparked my interest. It was literally the only thing I could imagine myself doing. I did a lot of research into it, and found out I had to do an Access to Higher Education Diploma (AHED). I didn’t have any UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) points, I didn’t even have any A-Levels.

I completed the diploma, which was specifically in radiography, online in the evenings and the weekends while I was in my finance job. That gave me a really good basic understanding, because it went into some of the physics of radiography. 

I’m from Hertfordshire, so I originally applied to be a traditional student through the University of Hertfordshire, but I really wanted to do the apprenticeship, I knew it would suit me better.

I applied for it in Taunton, and I got it, so I just kind of picked up my life in Hertfordshire and moved it down here for the apprenticeship.

How have you found that change?

It was a huge change, but that’s just how badly I wanted to do the apprenticeship rather than the university route. Being more hands-on and getting experience on the job is a huge bonus.

But for me, it was more the financial side. I am a paid employee, I get paid every month, I have annual leave that I can use whenever I want. I’m not getting into any kind of student debt, I’m not getting any maintenance loans or anything. It made more sense financially to literally pick up my life and move to a different part of the country to do the apprenticeship, rather than becoming a student.

What attracted you to radiography?

I was just kind of drawn to it. Most people looking at this image of an X-Ray, it would just be blobs on a screen. I found it so fascinating that someone was able to actually look at that and say, “this person has this pathology, they need to be on this pathway.” I was drawn to it and amazed by it all. 

I didn’t even look at any other Allied Healthcare Profession roles. It didn’t even cross my mind.

I remember I was about to press the button to sign up to the AHED, and then I sat there for five minutes, thinking about whether I really wanted to do it. If I pressed that button, there was no going back. 

I’m so happy I bit the bullet and did it. Everything has gone so well, I’m happy with where I am now, and I love the job.

What’s the best part of being in radiography?

Obviously, our interactions with patients can be quite short sometimes. They come in for their X-ray, or their MRI, and we do get a bit more time with them. But I think that makes your interactions with them even more important. 

Someone can come in for their X-ray, and then they’re off again. You may never see them again. But that just means your patient care has to be even more on point – because you won’t get a chance to redeem yourself, if you didn’t have the best experience.

I like that we are very patient-care focused, especially when they come in for longer examinations, like in an MRI scan. Sometimes patients come in and they’re quite nervous or scared. You have to be really empathetic, encouraging, compassionate and caring. 

I’ve never really had anything like that in any of my previous jobs. You have customer service skills, and so on, but it's very different to actual care. 

I always felt like I had caring to give, and I didn’t get to in my previous role. That’s why I always wanted to do something healthcare related.

Is there any experience you feel you got in your previous roles that you could bring to radiography?

When I was working abroad and travelling, it was very fun and carefree. I suppose you could bring a bit more fun to the healthcare world! But it’s hard to do.

We have been affected by the workforce crisis going on at the moment. As an apprentice, I don’t really feel the brunt of that much. I’m someone who always has to be supervised by someone else. I’m not on the rota as a real radiographer yet – I don’t really see so much of the short-staffed, stressed, overworked radiographers, but I hear them talking about it.

It is difficult for them, because they’re just constantly working all the time. I know it will be the same for me when I qualify next year. I’m not dreading it, because obviously I would love to be qualified, but I do hope the staffing problems are sorted out by then. 

What hobbies do you have outside of work?

Well, currently I’m decorating my flat, which has taken up a lot of my time. Really, to wind down I probably just watch telly! In the last month, with the apprenticeship really starting to pick up, I have lots of essays to write and assessments coming up. My life has just gotten taken over by that. 

What advice would you give to those just starting out on their radiography journey?

Be as organised as you can. You’ve definitely got to be organised, because at some point you’re going to have several different deadlines in one week. Organisation is a top priority.

But also – don’t be scared to ask questions. Don’t be scared to just get stuck in with some of the practical sides of the job. I see a lot of students who come into their placements, and they just sit there and take a back seat. But it’s even more important for them to get stuck in as much as they can, because they have less clinical placement time. 

Don’t be scared to get out of your comfort zone, because you’re always going to be supervised by someone as well, there’s always going to be someone there that you can ask lots of questions. I’m always asking questions – I’m surprised people aren’t sick of me!

An apprenticeship is good for people who have families who have kids at home – one of our apprentices has three children at home, and she’s still doing really well in the apprenticeship. You can come from any background, and you don’t necessarily have to have previous experience in healthcare.

It’s free and it’s open to anyone as long as you can find the right path to get you onto the apprenticeship. 

It’s an amazing opportunity, it’s an amazing pathway into the career, you get so much support from your colleagues that you work with every single day, I’ve had so much support from the University of Exeter as well – they’ve been amazing. My colleagues have been amazing. Everyone is just so supportive, they really want you to succeed.