16/01/2022
Hello! Apologies that we’ve been inactive for the past few months, we’ve been busy on our 2nd year clinical placement. I recently met some of the 1st years on placement and thought it would be very beneficial to offer some DO’s and DON’Ts advice as you set foot in your first placement.
DO’s:
• Be proactive! – The supervising radiographers that you will work with for 3 years will acknowledge and appreciate students who are very enthusiastic and eager to learn. Things you can do to show eagerness and attentiveness is to clean the x ray room after the radiographer has discharged the patient, restock the consumables such as gloves, aprons etc. when you notice the stock is running low, es**rt patients back to the appropriate area, get patients changed if require but MOST IMPORTANTLY! GET STUCK IN!!
• Know your stuff! – If you can understand the basic anatomy and projections, you shall be grand. Don’t overload yourself before hand as you’ll learn during your clinical placement.
• Be punctual – Arrive according to your rota as the clinical site coordinators appreciate students who have good time keeping. If you are running late, let the department know so that they are aware rather than arriving late without any notice in place.
• Create a positive rapport with the radiographers and all members of staff that you encounter in the Imaging Department as you’ll be in the same hospital for the whole duration of your course, so it is advisable to be respectful, professional, and courteous.
• Ask questions – No question is stupid! If you have a question, don’t be hesitant to ask the radiographers as they’ll be glad to support you in any shape or form, it’s better to ask rather than not knowing the answer.
• Bring a pocketsize notebook – It is wise to bring a pocketsize note pad that you can scribe and read at any time. If you have any books such as Clark's Pocket Handbook for Radiographers, bring those too!
• Speak to other students. In your 1st clinical placement, you will be assigned to a 3rd year student who will act as a “buddy”. If you don’t want to ask the radiographer a question, speak to the 3rd year students as they’ll be able to offer you advice and tips that they’ve collected throughout their time on placement.
• Remember you are in a hospital environment – This refers to being professional at all times, not exposing confidential information and be considerate when dealing with patients.
DON’Ts:
• STRESS!!!!! – This is the most important advice; anyone can give you! It is normal to make an intentional mistake every now and then, you are undertaking clinical placement to learn and develop your clinical skills. If you ever feel stressed or worried, take a 5-minute breather and reflect on the event or situation that you’ve experience and speak to the radiographer.
• Leave your portfolio last minute!!! – This is very important. Throughout your 1st clinical placement, you’ll be creating your first portfolio which demonstrates your ability to undertake appendicular examinations and clinical skills. Speak to your allocated mentor or clinical site coordinator if you are unsure on what to complete or do.
• Stand behind the screen, get involved in undertaking x rays otherwise you won’t learn. It is normal to stand behind the screen in the first couple of weeks but attempt to ask questions and undertake examinations independently. I recommend watching a few x rays that you are unsure of and then undertaking them when the x ray comes, this was our way of learning adequately.
• Be quiet – If you aren’t enjoying your clinical placement, speak to your clinical site coordinator or university mentor who can listen to your concerns and offer a resolution.
If you have any queries, want some advice, or simply want to hear our experiences whilst we undertook clinical placement, feel free to message us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
On the behalf of the Radiography Society, we hope you enjoy your 1st clinical practice and take as much opportunity as you can.
Best Wishes,
Ashleigh, Miguel, Mya & Victoria.
