Plus-Hex CLINICAL

DOI : https :// doi . org / 10.56496 / VPSY5647

Nicholas Taylor , MSc ( Science ), BSc ( DiagRad ), BSc ( Open ), RVN

Eastcott Veterinary Referrals , Wiltshire

ENVELOPE nicholas . taylor @ eastcottvets . co . uk

Nicholas is an RVN and diagnostic radiographer . He has been involved in the veterinary profession and diagnostic imaging for almost 40 years , including 18 years as a veterinary nurse and over 20 years as a diagnostic radiographer within the NHS . Nicholas currently works as a radiographer for Eastcott Veterinary Referrals .

ABSTRACT The author began his career as an RVN before retraining to become a radiographer in the NHS . In this article , he reflects on his later return to the veterinary profession as a radiographer in a referral hospital .

The article also discusses the skills that are transferable between the veterinary and human healthcare professions and what the two professions can learn through collaboration .

Keywords career , opportunities , radiography , veterinary , human healthcare , NHS , transferable skills , One Health

Just over 21 years ago , with nearly 18 years ' experience as a veterinary nurse ( VN ), I left the profession to retrain as a diagnostic radiographer and work in the NHS . This transition and the early years in my role have been covered in articles published in VNJ [ 1 ] and Veterinary Record [ 2 ] .

Over the subsequent years , I built on the skills , knowledge and experience gained in my veterinary nursing career . I integrated this expertise into my role as a diagnostic radiographer in the NHS , and now apply it to my role as a radiographer at a veterinary referral hospital in Wiltshire .

Radiography in the NHS

In veterinary nursing , no two days are the same , and shifts can involve weekends , bank holidays , nights and being on call . Working in an NHS radiology department is equally varied and could involve imaging patients from the accident and emergency department , clinics , GP referrals , wards , elective procedures and trauma cases . Mobile X-ray and other radiographic examinations may also be needed elsewhere in the hospital , such as in resuscitation , intensive care , the special care baby unit and theatre recovery . Radiographers are regularly required to perform examinations on patients undergoing a variety of surgical procedures in operating theatres , using mobile image intensifiers . This requires familiarity with theatre protocols , sterility and infection control .

With additional training , radiographers can use – and become specialists in – other imaging modalities , such as computed tomography ( CT ), magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ), dual X-ray absorptiometry ( DEXA ), nuclear medicine , interventional radiology , cardiac catheter labs and ultrasound . Good IT skills are needed to operate imaging systems , computers and communication systems in hospitals . Radiographers also acquire troubleshooting skills ( in other words , they work miracles on equipment when it stops working for no apparent reason !). They are also involved with quality control and audits , and interpret images to ensure they are of diagnostic quality .

Volume 39 ( 3 ) • June 2024

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