Lindsay Sparks

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

My current role as Practice Educator in Radiotherapy is varied and challenging, the main aspect of my role involves the pre-registration degree apprenticeship. When I became a practice educator the role and course were in their infancy with very little guidance.

I have worked alongside the university and the trust to ensure the apprentice's clinical placements are aligned with modules being taught and enhance their learning. This requires me to attend and provide feedback to the university in course review meetings. I arrange placements both within the department and externally so that the apprentices learn from other disciplines and gain an interprofessional education. Alongside this I ensure they spend time with the research team so that they can gain an understanding into the importance of evidence-based-practice and the role it plays in ensuring treatments and technology are current and constantly evolving.

Alongside arranging apprentice placements, I also act as their recruiter, line manager, appraiser and work-based mentor, facilitating tripartite reviews with the work-based coach, providing pastoral support and ensuring they feel supported and valued with regular catchups. I regularly review their competencies and progress, making action plans where needed. Along with this I also facilitate teaching sessions; both classroom-based using a PowerPoint presentation and practical sessions that are more hands on using the equipment and technology so they have the opportunity to gain their confidence and skills on occasion without the pressure of treating a patient.

I regularly meet other practice educators to share experience and ideas and to ensure I am aware of any course changes. With most practice educators in roles being funded by NHS England currently, I have recently been involved in a small group researching the importance and value of practice educators across all healthcare professions, so that we can provide evidence and a business case for trusts to ensure the role continues if funding ceases.

Other aspects of my role include working closely alongside our Training and Development Superintendent to look after the undergraduate therapeutic radiography students. Between us we take care of their wellbeing and ensure they are getting the same learning and development opportunities as the apprentices both from a clinical and educational perspective. Since being in role, I have created and introduced an introduction pack and workbook for both students and apprentices when they enter the department that provides both useful information about the trust and department and gives them the opportunity to ask staff questions and start conversations.

We are very aware of how at-risk therapeutic radiographers are as a profession and actively promote it as a career via departmental open days, along with trust and school career events to children, school leavers and prospective mature students.

Part of the role involves practical teaching both with students/apprentices and newly qualified radiographers when they start, teaching them in aspects such as machine QA and image matching, I maintain my clinical competencies and ensure my knowledge is up-to-date in order to do this. Alongside this myself and the Training and Development Superintendent teach 4^th year medical students and registered professionals from other disciplines to provide an insight into radiotherapy. We also work together to provide work experience placements for prospective learners and other professionals, and to ensure all newly qualified staff receive a preceptorship when they join the trust.

Alongside educating students and apprentices as a department we understand and value the importance of progression and how this can aid retention of the workforce. I assist in identifying opportunities for CPD and have developed two training packages for band 5's and 6's to aid their progression, build CPD through reflection on their practice and provide evidence that will hopefully ensure success at interview. 

What steps did you take to get to this role?

My journey was not your typical route, I started working in the NHS in 2006 as a GP receptionist and decided after a few years that I wanted something more that was patient facing and would help cancer patients. A member of my family had recently received radiotherapy, and I was so impressed by the care they received I wanted to be a part of such a caring profession. I decided to do an Access to HE course at a local college to achieve my goal, and achieved high grades that ensured I could successfully enrol at Birmingham City University.

As a mature student at 37 I found it had its advantages and disadvantages, many of the younger students would come to me for advice and I was voted by the class as a Student Ambassador for the second and third year. I knew doing the course alongside having a young family was going to be tough, but I proved that hard work can ensure success and I was proud to gain a first class honours degree.

Following qualification in 2016 as a band 5 therapeutic radiographer I was involved in mentoring and assessing students, and knew this was an area I was passionate about and wanted to pursue. This evolved into assessing junior members of staff when I progressed to band 6.  I then undertook a practice educator preparation course via eLearning For Health and the Edward Jenner Leadership course before interviewing for the role.  I am currently studying towards a Post-graduate Certificate in Education and Advance HE Fellowship status.  Having successfully completed the first module and gaining Advance HE Associate Fellowship, I am also currently in the process of gaining Practice Educator (PEAS) accreditation with the College of Radiographers.

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

I have had a lot of support throughout my career whether this be from colleagues, my current manager and university lecturers. They have allowed me the time to study and facilitated opportunities to enhance my teaching skills and progress in my career.

When I first took on the role I got a lot of support from the Training and Development Superintendent and the management team, this has continued as the role has evolved and changed and their support has been invaluable to me.

I have also had support from other practice educators throughout the midlands, knowing how important this support is has resulted in myself and a fellow work-based mentor setting up a support group that now meets regularly and enables us to share experience and ideas for work-based mentors for the apprenticeship. This group has resulted in the sharing of placements so that apprentices can gain a wider knowledge and use of technology than that restricted to their own departments.

What is the most rewarding thing about your role?

I think the most rewarding thing for me is knowing that I am making a difference and helping the continuation of a struggling workforce and a profession that is vital to ensuring patients receive the best care and treatments available. Seeing an apprentice or student succeed and become qualified or even a colleague achieving a promotion makes me feel proud that I have been a part of their journey no matter how big or small.

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

I would say if your passion is education then go for it, but it is not an easy role and has come with many challenges. Therefore, I would say it is vital someone wanting to do it must genuinely want to teach and support students/apprentices needs clinically, academically and pastorally, acting as a role model for the future workforce. 

My other piece of advice would be to take any opportunity offered if you can as the experience gained will be invaluable and may present avenues you never thought possible. Also never give up if at first you don't succeed, learn from the experience and try again.