Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are afraid that this lecture has now been postponed. A new date for the lecture to take place will soon be announced. Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Julie Nightingale is Professor of Diagnostic Imaging Education, joining Sheffield Hallam University in 2017 following a previous position as Professor and Director of Radiography at the University of Salford. Julie is a diagnostic radiographer with over 25 years of higher education experience where her interests have been postgraduate education, academic leadership and innovation.
Working smarter not harder: harnessing educational innovation and workforce research to transform radiography career pathways
In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen identified x-rays, and their properties were rapidly applied to the production of photographic impressions of the body. The early pioneers of this new technology were mainly doctors and physicists, ably assisted by their ‘lay-assistants’; the term ‘radiographer’ was adopted officially in 1920 with the creation of the ‘Society of Radiographers’. Huge technological innovations in imaging technology have since diversified the radiographer’s role, and will continue to do so with artificial intelligence and personalised imaging on the horizon.
Healthcare educators are constantly challenged to ensure their programmes are responsive to developments in clinical practice. This reactive model of delivery, compounded by slow approval mechanisms, often means that education lags behind clinical practice. This presentation, using examples from Prof Nightingale’s radiography career, will explore how well-timed educational innovations can drive changes to the scope of practice, rather than respond to them. It will also explore how the delivery of educational innovations can highlight uncomfortable inconsistencies and gaps in the evidence base, leading to further research opportunities for a proactive educator.
Charting the transition from early role developments through to advanced and consultant practice, Prof Nightingale will also consider some of the future challenges for the radiographer workforce. With 41 million imaging tests performed by radiographers in England in 2016-17, and demand rising year on year, radiology departments are working at capacity. Ensuring adequate supply and retention of an adaptable and flexible workforce is imperative to ensure high quality patient care. Prof Nightingale will highlight several current research initiatives that seek to promote a diverse and effective radiography workforce.
