When Gavin Cain was employed as a trainee assistant practitioner at Colchester General Hospital in 2004, he was determined to make the most of the opportunity.
Fast forward nine years and Gavin is an advanced practitioner, due to start further postgraduate training in clinical reporting.
So how did this impressive progression come about? “I was working as a healthcare assistant in the hospital and knew I wanted to do more,” he explains. “But GCSEs were my highest academic achievement and without going to college – which I could not afford to do at the time – a university degree was not an option.”
Gavin began training as an assistant practitioner and – with the help of the radiographic staff and management at Colchester and hard work – he achieved a first class honours degree from Anglia Ruskin University. He was also awarded the Dean’s prize for the highest average mark within the department of allied health professions.
He has been published in peer-reviewed journals and is now aiming to increase his scope of practice by contributing to a high-quality, efficient and cost-effective clinical reporting service locally.
Colleague Alison Willett says: “We are very proud of Gavin and his achievements. He has gone above and way beyond all our expectations and now happily gives advice to the department on x-ray reporting. His brain is the size of a planet!”