Jamie Sewell

What do you do in your current role/area of expertise?

My current role covers a mix of working clinically as a Senior Radiographer in CT, MRI and X-ray as well as being a Senior MSK X-ray Reporting Radiographer and Deputy Radiography Reporting Team Lead, in addition to holding a practice education role as the Radiology Training and Educational Lead.

I always strive to provide exemplary, evidence based, and policy driven care.

I believe as a Practice Educator it is important to practice what I preach. This helps to instil confidence in my colleagues and learners, which builds mutual respect and contributes to a healthy learning culture.  I draw on my clinical expertise to inform my practice educator role. As a Reporting Radiographer and educator, I am heavily involved in the training and education around image quality in X-ray, and image interpretation for reporting post-registration learners.  

I embed self-reflection in all elements of my life. I believe that regardless of experience or qualification, there is always something to learn or improve on and I actively look for those opportunities.  

Education:

In 2020 I completed a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) as an in-post compulsory teaching requirement.  From this PGCE I gained an understanding of learning theory, specialist educational needs, learning styles and motivational contributors. I utilise this knowledge daily in my educator role.  

I’m truly passionate about learning and I believe that training and education are the foundation cornerstones of quality. If we lay those initial blocks correctly, we create a solid platform on which exemplary, evidence-based practice can be built, and continuously expanded upon for the benefit of our service users.

Within my training and educational lead role I undertake and contribute to a wide variety of activities. 

I manage the trust apprenticeship programme within Radiography alongside managing pre-registration students’ clinical placement experience. This has included setting up and managing a student support team of radiographers in radiology who help to support the student's experience and wellbeing. As part of this role, I also hold responsibility for the management of student placement capacity, which I am pleased to have been able to increase since being in post.

I work very closely with multiple educational providers for the benefit of student/apprentice placement/work experience. This has allowed me to act in an advisory role, providing consultation on curriculum design of new radiography and radiology nursing educational programmes with local universities as a clinical partner. I support workforce development strategy through training and education in addition to mentoring and coaching staff and apprentices. 

I contribute to the development of advanced practice through both my clinical role and educator role. I manage the Radiology educational funding and apply for additional funding opportunities through NHSE and charitable contributors- completing applications.

Have presented on various topics relevant to clinical practice, both internally and externally to the trust. This includes being a guest lecturer for local higher education providers; lecturing within our radiology department for quality improvement drives, staff CPD purposes as well as more widely within the Trust for the benefit of interprofessional colleagues’ CPD- E.g. providing image interpretation education for Emergency Nurse Practitioners working within A/E; and presenting/contributing to relevant networks such as the Thames Valley Network, the BOB Faculty and wider NHSE Networks.

Within the trust I manage and present at the monthly academic schedule, actively seeking external speakers, and educational opportunities to support staff development. I have developed online educational resources available to staff for the benefit of their CPD. E.g. Monthly “Subtle Scorchers”.

I have presented at the national Achieving Excellence in Radiographic Education and Research Conference 2023.

I regularly participate in outreach activities, such as collaborating with our school’s engagement team to design and manage a work experience programme for young people in school wishing to learn more about careers in Radiography. I present and host the radiology element of our BHT Teacher Encounters programme, which works to align school’s curriculum with healthcare careers in addition to attending careers events, and open evenings/days to promote the Radiography and wider AHP professions, both internal and external to the trust.

Leadership and Management

I believe that to lead is to inspire others to reach their full potential, engaging with staff to learn about them as people, their needs, and aspirations. I always seek to promote a healthy culture of reflective learning and actively challenging any behaviours that undermine that. To develop my knowledge and skills around leadership and management I have completed a number of courses which relate to this pillar- These include Peak 1 and Peak 2 Leadership and management training (I am booked onto Peak 3 in Jan 2025), the Kings Fund Leadership course as well as engaging in coaching and mentoring of staff, and direct line management of staff and apprentices.  

My educator role requires me to have considerable management responsibilities and oversight of a number of learner programmes both within the trust and in conjunction with local Higher Education Institutions. 

Within my roles I try to lead by example and encourage staff to demonstrate professional, exemplary practice and behaviours.  I always seek to provide constructive feedback within my educator role to inspire and empower learners in practice.

I contribute to strategic planning: workforce development, services and more widely within NHSE networks and work to establish solid, and healthy working relationships with my radiology, interprofessional and networking colleagues. I am a member of the Senior Management Platform within Radiology contributing to Service Strategy and a member of the Trust’s AHP Leadership Platform, collaboratively working to amplify the AHP voice within our Trust and affiliated networks.

Research and development:

Within my educator role I always seek to ensure my teaching is based on current literature and research.  This requires that I keep abreast of new developments both from a clinical perspective, but also from a practice education point of view.

I strive to embed innovation into practice through facilitating relationships between the Radiology department and Simulation team. Working collaboratively, we designed a CT Emergency simulation programme that is now delivered four times a year to all Radiographers.  I also teach a Radiographic Positioning simulation workshop every month, available to all students, apprentices, and staff, using a full body x-ray phantom, that I managed to obtain the funding for. I have been able to embed this workshop into the clinical rota, so the learning has become protected for all that attend.

I am very active in the auditing processes within our department and actively work to encourage other Radiology staff members to engage with audit as this is a key element of ensuring good clinical governance, quality monitoring and evaluation.  

What steps did you take to get to this role?

Since I was young, I have always enjoyed teaching. I was a Sea Cadet from the age of 10 to 24 and during that time, I fulfilled roles of teaching other cadets in areas such as drill, uniform presentation, weapons handling instruction, basic Royal Navy theory, and Sailing. 

Within Radiography my passion for teaching continued and I have always taken an active role in mentoring. In my first year of qualifying, I volunteered to take up the student support role (I was working at the Luton and Dunstable Foundation Trust during this time).

I have proactively engaged with all learning opportunities that I was fortunate to have come my way, and I have approached these with an open mind and reflective intent.

Through continuous reflection I have identified my strengths, as well as highlighting any areas of development within myself, which I then use to guide my next steps of learning and development.

I have always informally engaged with teaching throughout my career, and I jumped at the chance to do a PGCE. This qualification has been key in underpinning my education role. Since then, I have thrown myself into all forms of practice education experiences, as well as wider collaborative working and networking.

What support did you have along the way or would have been helpful to have had?

My manager Andrew Wainwright is very supportive of education, and he created my role to enable me the resources to succeed.

I also had an incredible mentor during my PGCE- Gail Fairey- who has now become my collaborative practice educator colleague, and very good friend. We have achieved so much in terms of training and education together in the last 2 years.

The biggest element that has helped me achieve in this role is being promoted into a Senior Band 8a position and being given the autonomy of decision making. Having the trust from my manager enables me to make significant traction within my role.

Another great help is being on any Senior Management or Leadership platforms. This has enabled me to collaborate with peers and more senior colleagues so I can learn and grow within my band 8 leadership role.

Finally, networking has absolutely contributed to the success I have had in this role. Collaboration cannot be underestimated in the benefits it brings, and I have loved every minute of it.

What is the most rewarding thing about your role?

Seeing the overall educational culture within BHT Radiology shift and the morale in the department boost as a result. Also, celebrating my colleagues’ successes in their own career developments. It is so uplifting to see measurable positive change in the services we provide as a result of my work within Training and Education.

What advice can you give to others who might want to work towards this role or follow a similar pathway?

Throw yourself at all learning opportunities, build on presentation and public speaking skills, always approach your work with reflective curiosity and be dedicated to improvement opportunities.