Saturday 18 May 2013

The Society of Radiographers

The Society of Radiographers was founded in 1920.

Stardate: 90983.56

Okay, so I decided that it was about time I wrote a properly Radiography-related topic. So, I decided to research the Society of Radiographers

The SoR represents 90% of all the diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers in the UK. Their objectives are:
  • to promote and develop the science and practice of radiography and radiotherapeutic technology for the public benefit
  • to promote, study and research work in radiography and radiotherapeutic technology
  • to further public education
  • to protect the honour and interests of those engaged in the practice of radiography and radiotherapeutic technology 
The College of Radiographers (CoR) is a subsidiary of the SoR, that are directed towards education, research and other activities in support of the science and practice of radiography. It assesses the programmes of both pre-registration courses, post-registration training and ongoing professional registration

The SoR issues different publications including:
  • Imaging and Therapy Practice - provides coverage of the latest professional education issues that affect the day-to-day lives of therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers. 
  • Synergy News - a news digest of what is currently happening in the world of radiography and wider healthcare area. It covers a wide-range of issues such as: career progression, role development, pay, research and equality issues.
  • Radiography - an international peer-reviewed journal of diagnostic radiography and radiation therapy.
  • Imaging & Oncology - an annual publication that will coincide with the United Kingdom Radiology Congress.
The SoR also maintains grants and awards, including:
  • Overseas Placement Award - established in 1988. Supports a number of radiography placements in developing countries.
  • Fellowship of the College of Radiographers Award -  an honorary title, bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contribution to the radiographic profession.
  • and many others coinciding with outstanding contributions to the radiography field.
Looking into it, joining the SoR when you become a Radiography student is quite beneficial, as they offer access to magazines and journals, a downloadable document library, attendance to conferences and events, a benevolent fund and certain awards.

I'm sure when you start a university course, the SoR will be mentioned, but it's always good to look at what's out there, in terms of having a little preparation before everything begins!

Coping with Work-load!

So this film was just amazing. It was one of the things that convinced me to finish my assignments!

Stardate: 90983.56

Good evening readers!

I know you're all hoping that today's post will entail something radiography related, but once again, I apologise, but I'm limited in what I can post at the moment, due to my time being pretty much split up into college, part-time work, Taekwon-do classes, exercise sessions and then college work. So I'm a little thin-on-the-ground when it comes to radiography topics, but I promise when I start university, I will back on track. I know my main interest for this blog should be what I originally started it for, but it's also an outlet for myself, too.

Anyway, as the post image suggests, I have found my coping mechanism has come in handy greatly at the moment. College has chosen to culminate all of our final assignment deadlines on the same week, so in order to cope, I've turned to my favourite thing... Star Trek. Of course, as some of you may know, the new film came out in May. I urge you all, watch it!

But really, this post is literally about finding your way to cope with work-load. As I've been informed by many university radiography course leaders, finding a way to relax after a long day, (especially when on placement) is incredibly important for those working in health-care. It can range from anything: reading, watching TV, sports, or even rock-climbing (if that's your thing!) As long as you gain satisfaction and a "get-away" feeling from it, it's good for your mental-coping!

This doesn't just apply to those in health-care, it applies to everyone who has a sufficient amount of work and tasks they do through the week. Without relaxation, stress builds, and with stress, comes a less effective immune system

So in summary, don't feel guilty when you take time out for yourself! It's good for you! (It's also a brilliant excuse for a little procrastination from time to time!)

Saturday 4 May 2013

University Choices Confirmed

You can never plan too meticulously, as I've found out...

Stardate: 90944.89

Well, to begin with, today happens to be May 4th.... so May the Fourth be with you, guys! 

Anyway, I decided to not update anything until I'd finally made my final decision about universities. As some of you already know, my heart was always set on going to the University of Leeds, for varying reasons, but all the universities I applied to would have made me just as happy, as I would be studying a course I wanted to! 

It took me a good while to choose out of the other 3 offers I'd received as to which would be my insurance choice. I had a really good range of choice, but after hours/days of deliberating and really thinking hard, I chose to insurance the University of Salford.

So now all I have to do is pass the Access Course..... with 45 credits at Distinction... not setting myself any difficult targets or anything, right? But seriously, if I hadn't set myself such a high aim, I would never have ended up doing the Access course in the first place, and I'd still have been stuck in a rut studying Japanese and Health Studies. Don't get me wrong, the courses are fine... for those who want to continue a career with Japanese... Which wasn't me.

I like learning languages, it's a great hobby of mine, and I gain great pleasure from using them, but... my heart is most definitely focused on the sciences

But back on topic...

In about 4 months I'll be starting university. And I'll be a student radiographer. And I'll be able to write about student life properly. And how I cope with life as a student health professional! I'm still also planning to study abroad with these courses, so I'll be able to talk about what it's like to study radiography in other countries! I got that excited about everything recently I spent 2 hours researching PhD programmes... talk about getting carried away...