Fresher's Fatigue

Stardate: 91336.68

So, it's only two days into Fresher's Week, and I'm already getting tired! Although you hear plenty about it, Fresher's Week really does knacker you out (and for me that's even without riotous nights out!) Your first day is always without doubt just an information overload! But luckily, everyone's just as lost as one other, and still trying to get to know their classmates. Not only that, but if you walk past the Parkinson Building countless people offer you handfuls of vouchers and flyers, some by hand (or in a bag if it's from Dominoes.)

You get welcomed by the staff who'll be teaching you, meet your mentors and have a general look around campus. Our first day went smoothly as a whole... well, after we had a bit of a palaver over a double-booked room. 

Today, however, was our clinical placement visit day. Each group of radiography students went to their respective sites, and learnt more about the place they would be studying. 

We arrived at the first site to meet one of our lecturer practitioners, and have our ID cards issued. Pinning them on suddenly made everything seem a little bit more real, (I know I certainly started to feel a little more professional wearing mine), even though we all know not one of us have a clue what we're doing!

Our mentors gave us tours around both the main teaching sites. Both sites were large buildings and although imposing at first, I'm pretty sure I'll get used to them eventually! The one thing that will need to be learnt quickly is finding my way to the secondary accommodation and back, as well as the bus routes! Nobody wants to get lost on their first few days of placement!

Welcome packs for the sites were also handed out, which told us what we'd be doing on our first two clinical days (spread over a two week period). My week one's clinical day will be spent in Mobiles & Theatre, and week two will be in General X-ray. I seriously can't wait! It'll be so exciting!

Aside from the walking and piling-up information, the day was fun and a nice day out for us all. I may not remember everything I was told, but I definitely can't wait to get out on placement, and really start getting my teeth into being a student radiographer! Hopefully I catch up with the rest of Fresher's Week... it's a little sad when you've barely done anything, and you have to nap at home later on!

LLAP and Geronimo!

Placements Panic!

Okay, so I had a little bit of a freak-out when I found out where my placement was. I soon got over it...

Stardate: 91300.62

Okay! So, us student radiographers at Leeds have finally found out which hospitals we're going to be working in for the next 3 years. There are currently four trusts that the University of Leeds place students at:

• Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust
• York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust

My first reaction was to become upset and start panicking, big time (and I mean, Big Time). Mine is away from Leeds, which means I'll be needing to stay in secondary accommodation. So I'll be living out of a suitcase for half the year, while paying for a rented house, that half the time I won't even be living in!

But despite all the original downsides I saw, I realised it was still a placement, the course is still what I want to do, so I'd have to deal with it.

I looked into everything, and it turns out living in secondary accommodation isn't so expensive (especially as you can claim the travel and accommodation costs back). The two recommended places were about £64-75, and didn't look too daunting. Another upside, is that all of the students on placement will be from your course, and you're all in the same boat, so it'll be easier to make friends and bond (I suppose I can pretend I enjoy leaving my room on occasion!)

After speaking to the university about my concerns, I was paired up with a student mentor who had been in a similar situation to me last year, so it's calmed me down realising I'm not the only one who struggles! I suppose that's the biggest thing to remember, you're not alone, nearly ever NHS student has placement problems at some point!

During our induction week, we'll also be visiting our clinical placements, to receive our ID cards, and to look around, so hopefully I'll warm to my site by the end of the day!

LLAP and enjoy a complimentary jelly baby :)

SoR Membership

"I've got a free membership? Look at how shiny and free it is! Sign me up!"

Stardate: 91281.4

It's getting closer and closer until I start my first year as a student radiographer, and lots of information and forms have been flying about (as was mentioned in my last post). The latest has been an e-mail on behalf of the Society of Radiographers from UCAS, offering all first year students a complimentary membership. Which I plan to take full advantage of!

Now, I've already written a post concerning the Society of Radiographers, but I think it was a little vague, (so this is a little update, really) so what can students can get from it? The membership for first years starts from October 1st 2013 and finishes next year on September 30th 2014. After the first year, membership costs only £4 a month (which is actually rather cheap!)

The SoR membership benefits: 

• latest radiography news 
• a £5 million professional indemnity insurance
• professional magazines and journals
• full access to the Society's website
• an electronic portfolio to record continuing educational activities
• access to documents which will help with those impending assignments (watch out, they're coming!)
• information regarding conferences and seminars, including the annual student conference
• access to the student radiographer magazine StudentTalk
• officer visits to your university
• the SoR's Benevolent Fund - financial support for times of hardship
• Student of the Year award
• and finally, assignment publication

The membership application for first year students link was sent out yesterday, so if you haven't applied for it already, do so!

LLAP and Geronimo!

Loans and Forms and Mail, Oh My!

"Are you sure I've sent all the correct forms? Even the DBS one? What about the placement form?"

Stardate: 91276.61

One thing I've learnt since I began to receive correspondence from all the universities I applied to is: keep on top of everything they send you (e-mails included)!

You would think I would have learnt the first time around that every letter is important until you're actually at university! I've managed to lose my DBS reference number, so that resulted in a long telephone conversation chasing up my certificate's status; I managed to put the wrong postcode on my placement form, but not my student mentor form and so the problems persist! 

Considering I'm one of those people who consistently checks everyday to see if I'm the recipient of any form of post whatsoever, (nothing compares to that feeling when you get mail!) losing track of it is ridiculously easy.

So, to solve that problem, I invested in a mini-folder just to keep track of all my correspondence, and anything else to do with university: letters from Leeds, student finance, Occupational Health, the welcome packs; everything!

I'm being serious, the amount of times you lose that one important letter you need is amazing. And you always seem to find it after you need it! 

In terms of replying, try to complete and send back any forms the university sends you as soon as you can. Especially things like placement forms, as they're usually first-come-first-served based. DBS and Occupational Health forms are also important to get out of the way, as they can hinder your application and registration with the university if they're late! Honestly, you don't want to leave everything until the last minute, it takes longer to rectify!

Oh also, make a note of important dates down in diaries and post-its, just to make sure you don't forget about them. You never know, if you lose the letter, there's a note somewhere else to jog your memory! 

At least this way it's all in once place, right? It's also great to keep insurance documents with these letters. Actually, just keep everything to do with university together (clearly not your class notes... unless you don't like being over-organised... like me).

Two weeks to go until my Induction week!

LLAP and Allons-y!

Welcome Packs Abound

My face when I saw how much some of the textbooks on Leeds reading list cost!

Stardate: 91270.91

So, both the welcome packs have arrived from the University of Leeds and the time for moving into my new house is rolling around swiftly (September 17th, with Induction Week starting September 23rd)! We received information regarding the placement hospitals we could be working in, Fresher's Week, student ID numbers, an annual block timetable telling us when we'd be on placement, holiday weeks etc., a rough timetable for Semester 1 and 2, and finally... reading lists! And boy has that reading list got some expensive books on it! To name but a few:

• Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy Research
• Essential Physics for Radiographers
• Medical Imaging: Techniques, Reflection & Evaluation
• Digital and Radiographic Imaging: A Practical Approach
• Human Anatomy and Physiology

I'm tempted to invest in some of the textbooks, but as I already own Clark's Pocket Handbook for Radiographers (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clarks-Pocket-Handbook-Radiographers-Charles/dp/0340939931; reviewed with 5 stars by students) and around 5 anatomy and physiology textbooks, I may only purchase the 'Essential Physics' and one other, as from experience and advice, we can get these books from the university library.

I'm beginning to get excited about starting. I'm stuck in that limbo some of us get trapped in when we know we're on our way to new places, but aren't quite at that point of departure yet. I can't wait to get back to learning (I know I sound sad, but never mind!) and it'll be great to finally be doing what I want!

I'm still unsure whether I'm going to get myself down to any of the Fresher's Week events. I'm not much of a party animal, as I'd much prefer sitting at home with a cup of coffee watching Star Trek, Doctor Who or House! Who knows, I may push myself out of my 'comfort zone' and experience 'student life'... but it's called a comfort zone for a reason! We'll see! Maybe I'll make some good friends who'll try to convince me otherwise... maybe.

The timetable isn't too bad either. Although it is a rough one - but looking at it, I'll have Wednesday and Friday afternoons off! Not bad, not bad. The only downside to being a student radiographer seems to be the shorter holiday periods. We get about 7 weeks of holiday a year. But I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end!

Anyway, good luck to all you other student radiographers starting this September!

LLAP and Geronimo!

Good News Everyone!

Stardate: 91230.09

Good news, everyone! 

It's been a while, but here's the final update from all that UCAS application fiasco, results etc.. I got more than expected in my results! Which means, as of this September, I will become an official Student Radiographer at the University of Leeds!

Welcome packs are being sent out soon, and the Fresher's Madness will begin again. I'll get to pick where my placement will be, and the fun will begin, and I will finally be able to start putting useful and more interesting posts onto this blogs. As we all know, I will also be writing about student life, but from a student radiographer's view.

I've even been looking at which societies and clubs I'm interested in. So far, it's been narrowed down to: the Taekwon-do club, the Chess club, the Radiography Society (RadSoc), possibly the Physics society, the Sci-Fi and Fantasy society, and finally... the Archery club! I know I won't make it to all of them, but the first 3 are a must for little old me! 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting back into fully writing this blog, and I hope I write stuff that keeps my readers entertained!

LLAP guys!

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!