Yat Man Tsang

What is your current role?

I am a Consultant Therapeutic Radiographer employed as the clinical and technical expert leading the specialised radiotherapy service at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC) in Middlesex. In addition, I hold the position of Associate Professor (clinical academic careers) at London South Bank University’s Institute of Health and Social Care to support the delivery of clinical academic career provision for healthcare professionals outside of medicine.

I am a senior member of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Radiotherapy Trials Quality Assurance (RTTQA) Group, with experience in designing and implementing QA programmes for NIHR clinical trials. My executive committee memberships of the UK Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy Consortium and National Cancer Research Institute Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research Working Group have enabled evidence-based practice and research to be introduced into clinical practice. Being a member of the
European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) Radiation Therapist Committee, I am accountable for leading and organising international radiotherapy-specific projects.

In my role as consultant radiographer at MVCC I act both as a clinical and technical expert to lead and coordinate the strategic planning of the trust’s specialised radiotherapy service, including stereotactic radiotherapy. I am responsible for delivering and developing the technical standards for the radiotherapy service at MVCC. As the first consultant therapy radiographer accredited by the College of Radiographers (CoR), I always strive to demonstrate my experience and expertise across the four pillars of consultant level practice and consultancy.

How did you reach this position?

In 2002, I obtained my BSc in radiotherapy at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. My interest in radiotherapy dosimetry arose from my original BSc thesis, which compared the dose distribution from a tailor-made wax compensator and a universal aluminium compensator in the head and neck region for total body irradiation. It involved the use of thermoluminescent dosimeters for in vivo measurements and the construction of phantoms.

My first job in the UK as a therapy radiographer at MVCC consolidated my professional knowledge and clinical experience in radiotherapy. In 2003, I began to pursue the academic part of my career and enrolled on an MSc in healthcare informatics and technologies at City, University of London.

The degree was a holistic approach to healthcare technology comprising seven modules: healthcare computing; healthcare data analysis; imaging for radiotherapy; operating systems and networking; research methods; total quality management; and healthcare database and electronic patient records.

My MSc dissertation involved the implementation of a database solution for interim quality assurance (QA) data analysis for a clinical breast trial. This opened the door to the world of clinical trials QA. I was appointed as a trial QA radiographer within the National Institute of Health Research Radiotherapy Trials QA (NIHR RTTQA) Group in 2006.

My career progression to RTTQA radiographer brought me an entirely new opportunity for research and development. I have evolved as a clinical and technical expett in advanced radiotherapy technology, and now design and implement QA programmes for clinical trials that require the effective introduction of advanced radiotherapy in UK centres. Through my trials QA work, I have been heavily involved in the national development of changes in fractionation for breast cancer and the clinical implementation of advanced radiotherapy in the UK. These are evidenced by a number of publications arising from this work, which formed the basis for my PhD thesis. My national and international contributions to new knowledge in this area are validated through the citations of these publications.

What support has been helpful?

I have been extremely fortunate to have the support of my multiprofessional (clinical oncologist, medical physicist and therapeutic radiographer) clinical academic mentors on my career development journey.

What do you find most rewarding?

Across radiotherapy services, there has been national acknowledgement in documents such as the Cancer Reform Strategy for England, that the radiography career progression model, including the highest level of practice at consultant level, should be introduced across radiotherapy centres to meet local service need.

From my consultant practitioner’s scope of practice, I always demonstrate my experience and expertise across the four core pillars of consultant practice through my clinical practice, professional leadership and consultancy, research and education. This has been further evidenced by my Fellowship of the College of Radiographers award, showcasing my significant positive contributions on advancing the radiography profession nationally. All of these have been extremely rewarding.

Do you have any advice for others?

Don’t ever box yourself in! Obviously, you won’t know what career will be right for you till you give it a go. But you should never force yourself into something that doesn’t feel right to you. Just step back and think of another alternative path to the goal. Or you can even walk away and try something new!