Radiography
Radiography is widely recognised as a vital part of modern healthcare delivery and has two major branches: Diagnostic Radiography and Radiotherapy. As the largest radiography education centre in Wales, the department provides opportunities for undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education for radiographers throughout the UK and overseas. The primary aim of the department is to be acknowledged as a centre of excellence for the provision of undergraduate (pre-registration) education in diagnostic and therapeutic radiography. A further aim is greater collaboration between other departments in the school, wider University, and clinical partners, in the development of postgraduate and research activities. The department had been commended by the Health Professions Council for its enthusiastic support for students and an excellent image resource used for student education.
Learning and Teaching
Undergraduate
It is our aim to promote and prepare the students for lifelong learning as a professional radiographer. The learning and teaching strategies have been designed to meet the aims of the course and include lecture, demonstration, discussion, case study, tutorial, self directed learning, practical, clinical education, video, seminar, role play, simulation and enquiry based learning methods.
The department has been successful in its bid for funding to install Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training (VERT) at Cardiff University. Students would be in a training set-up similar to that of the real clinical situation, the benefit of which is a greater amount of time available to practise than may sometimes be possible within a busy clinical environment.
Our degree schemes cover the two main areas of Radiography and in addition we offer a Certificate of Higher Education in Assistant Radiographic practice. This one year course is the only one of its kind in Wales and is designed for NHS support personnel who wish to develop their skills and role as a member of the radiography team.
Postgraduate
To underpin the recognised career pathway in radiography, we offer a variety of courses to facilitate the extended role of the radiographer. These include:
- Practical Radiation Protection and Applied Radiobiology
- Fundamentals of Image Appreciation and Radiographic Reporting
- Appendicular Image Appreciation
- Axial Image Appreciation
- Adult Chest Image Appreciation
- Advanced Applied Imaging
- Appendicular Reporting
- Axial Image Reporting
- Adult Chest Reporting
- Clinical Competence in Mammography
- Development in Mammography Practice
Depending on the number of credits gained, students can exit with a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Science degree.
Research
The department is actively dedicated to realising and sustaining excellence in research. It is our aim to positively influence the delivery of healthcare and in particular impact on the role that radiographers play within the multidisciplinary team. This will be achieved by considering three main themes:
- Measuring effects of diagnosis and treatments
- The impact of radiography on lifestyle
- Service delivery and evaluation
A supportive community exists for both staff and students to participate in scholarly ventures within these themes which reflect our key strengths.