Alex Partner

What is your current role?

I’m Assistant Head of Diagnostic Imaging, Operating Department Practice and Osteopathy at the University of Derby.

This is a varied role. I strategically lead and operationally run the discipline area, which covers three main professional activities. Diagnostic imaging is one of these. It houses the pre-registration radiography programmes but also the postgraduate reporting programme, apprenticeships, foundation degree, ultrasound and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provision. I directly line manage academic staff and associate lecturers. I am involved in decision-making around budgets, procurement, portfolio reviews, quality, action planning, audit, validation and approval. I still maintain an academic and student-facing role, meaning I undertake module leadership, teaching, personal academic tutoring, marking and assessment moderation. This is a good balance for me of undertaking leadership, management and research while maintaining student contact.

My role has taken me into research, and I’ve found this particularly rewarding. I enjoy undertaking projects to evaluate pedagogical methods or aspects of patient care. This is an area I see my role expanding into, which also allows me to motivate and encourage my staff to do the same.

I have various external roles that enhance my professional knowledge, communication and experience. I am a fitness to practise panel member at the Health and Care Professions Council, an external examiner at another university and a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) adoption and impact reference panel member. I am also a College of Radiographers (CoR) assessor and a member of the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) Diagnostic Imaging Advisory Group. I’m on the editorial board of SCoR’s Insight magazine and on the Radiography journal international advisory board, and deputy chair of the Heads of Radiography Education group.

How did you get to this position?

I moved from clinical practice into education parttime as a clinical academic, where I worked for nearly two years. I found dipping my toes in while keeping a clinical role was the best way for me to see if I could do it and if I liked it. I undertook a postgraduate certificate in higher education and became a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (now Advance HE). I then plunged into higher education full-time and took on the role of programme leader for BSc (Hons) diagnostic radiography. I found there was lots of support from mentors and continual professional development on offer.

I enrolled on a master’s in health and social care course, gained senior fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and then progressed to start a PhD by publication. I also completed Advance HE’s Aurora women in leadership programme, which boosted my confidence and drive. I really found that by volunteering for tasks or projects that were for more senior roles this put me in a good position for progression.

What support has been helpful?

I was fortunate that I had a supportive line manager and good peer support. I networked across conferences and other professional groups, building a good range of role models for myself and people who could offer advice and support. I think earlier research support would have been helpful, so it is great to see this is on offer through the College of Radiographers.

What do you find most rewarding?

Students’ gratitude for supporting them with their studies and seeing how they grow with confidence is truly rewarding. I also like seeing new staff transition from clinical practice into academia and to be able to support them to develop. My goal is to always affect clinical practice for radiographers and patients positively and I am fortunate to have many ways of doing this.

What advice can you offer?

I would say, push yourself – it is OK to have ambition or a goal you would like to achieve. Take every opportunity you can to progress, whether that is shadowing someone, having a mentor or doing a course or formal piece of study. Get involved in research at an early stage by working with other more experienced researchers first. If you remember why you are doing something – for the students or for patients, for example – then it is difficult to go wrong.