Rupert Maclaren

What is your current role?

I’m a Diagnostic Radiographer (band 5) at Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset. I work predominantly in computed tomography (CT) but also rotate through projectional X-ray, including theatre imaging and fluoroscopy, as well as plain film for inpatients, outpatients and trauma (A&E), and lone working in peripheral hospitals.

In addition, I am involved in running audits, quality assurance and supporting students, apprentices and assistant practitioners in their learning and development. I also undertake roles as a student assessor and as a workplace mentor for our final year apprentices. Until recently, I have been seconded to the University of Exeter one day a week to work as an academic mentor and associate lecturer, supporting students on the diagnostic radiography apprenticeship programme. I have since taken on a clinical tutor role with the university supporting their undergraduates whilst on placement.  

Alongside my main ‘day job’, I am the Society of Radiographers (SoR) industrial relations rep for the hospital, which requires me to liaise with management and support my colleagues with a variety of issues as well as representing them at staff side and regional committee meetings. I am the newly qualified representative on the SoR Diagnostic Imaging Advisory Group, which helps advise UK Council on policy changes.

What did you do before?

After 17 years in the wine trade, and with a master’s degree already, I went part time and returned to college to complete an Access to Higher Education (Science) course. This enabled me to go back to university, graduating in 2020 with a BSc in medical imaging from the University of Exeter. Yeovil was one of my placement sites as a student and I started there soon after my graduation.

How has your previous experience and development helped?

Running sales teams previously has helped me take on mentoring roles and my work as an SoR student rep allowed me to step up as industrial relations rep for the department soon after joining. In-house CT training consisted of achieving a number of detailed competencies, both per protocol-led scanning and additional elements such as post-processing, reconstructions, quality assurance (QA) and biopsies. I have separately also completed the eLearning for Health CT colonoscopy course as part of my CPD which enabled me to undertake our in-house training in this specialist area, which I completed very recently.

What support have you had?

As I returned to one of my previous placement sites, I already had good relationships with the team when I started. I have a very supportive manager who allows me to explore my interests in audit, mentoring and teaching as well as enabling me to move into CT less than a year after graduating. 

There are several exceptional radiographers who I work with and to whom I have been able to turn for advice regarding my career path. I often feel like a kid in a candy store, there are just some many opportunities and I want to try them all. At the same time, I often feel the pressure of my age, not having as much time on my side to achieve my career goals as some of my colleagues, but being reminded that narrowing my focus in the short-term is likely to be more beneficial has helped immensely.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

The wide variety of patients, cases and technology and the constant stream of new information to learn and adapt to is extremely rewarding. The main reason I made my career change was that I wanted to feel good about myself at the end of the day and feel that I had made a positive difference. A key part of my role is to identify abnormal from normal, working as part of a close team, be it in A&E or theatre, for example, where good communication is vital, and knowing that I have helped the patient receive the appropriate care gives me exactly what I was looking for in a career. However, I am also finding that teaching and supporting others on their journey in radiography is equally satisfying. Whether through mentoring apprentice or student radiographers, or supporting my colleagues through the SoR, delivering CPD sessions on a paper I’ve read or an audit I’ve run, or delivering webinars or lectures, it feels great to make even the smallest difference.

What advice would you give other people in a similar position?

Get involved. There are so many opportunities for student, apprentice and newly qualified radiographers out there, you just have to grab them. Ask questions, despite how stupid you might think they are; I can guarantee you that there will be others who are wondering the same thing. Put your hand up and be counted. Take on a rep role and help shape the future of the profession into the image that you and your colleagues will want to be part of.