Student benefits
Officer visits to your university
Access to professional magazines and journals
Professional indemnity insurance
Access the British Institute of Radiology
Join special interest groups and networks
SoR Work the World competition
Officer visits to your university
During your course one of our officers will visit you at your university three times. The first time will be early on in your first year, the second time will be in your second year (second or third year for students in Scotland) and the last time will be in your final year. During their visit they deliver a presentation on various topics, as shown below, and you have the opportunity to meet them face-to-face to ask any questions you may have. Please make sure you attend each session as they are all very different.
First Year Presentation
The first year SoR presentation introduces new student radiographers to the profession and the professional body, giving them a broad understanding of our role within the profession. This includes explaining the work we do in progressing the profession in terms of career development, education and research, as well as the support and advice that we can provide for students when required.
The benefits and services offered to students are presented so that you have a broad knowledge of what you can expect as a member.
During the first year of training, the SoR’s policy is to offer complimentary membership to allow you to utilise and appreciate the benefits and services that are available before you are asked to start paying for student membership. It is hoped you will take advantage of this opportunity.
You will be encouraged to get involved with the profession, as our view is that students are the future of the profession and, as such, are valued members. We encourage you to join SoR networks and groups, engage with regional SoR student officers and think about actively participating in many of the opportunities that are open for students to become involved.
Continuing Year Presentations
The continuing year SoR presentation is undertaken in year 2 of a 3 year programme or year 2/3 in a 4 year programme. The talk is based upon motivating you about the profession by discussing hot topics currently affecting the health care environment and how we envisage this to look in the future, particularly for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic radiographers. This is particularly important due to the changing nature of health policy direction from the government. The talks are also used to interpret key issues which will affect our profession and discuss how they may change the working environment and conditions.
In addition, we present current work that the SoR is involved with to ensure that you are aware of changes that will be seen in the future.
Key advances in the two radiography disciplines are covered to show what developments in terms of technology, treatments, techniques, etc, are coming.
Time permitting, some key benefits and services of our membership are reiterated to ensure you are aware of those that would be specifically useful during this phase of your training, such as the document library to access publications for your assignments and dissertations, the professional indemnity insurance for elective placements, attendance at conferences and events to add to CVs.
Students are encouraged to raise any questions/issues they may have face-to-face with an SoR officer.
Final Year Presentations
The final year SoR presentation provides you with information and guidance on how to prepare to find your first job. Information is given on where to look for jobs and how to seek positions in departments that may not be advertising jobs at present. Advice is given on preparing CVs, personal statements and cover letters, with tips on ‘getting it right’. Information is presented on how to be successful at interviews by thorough preparation and tips are given on how to stand out from other candidates, as the competition for positions is now hotting up.
Time permitting, some key benefits and services of our membership are reiterated to ensure you are aware of those that would be specifically useful during this end phase of your training, such as the document library to access publications for assignments and dissertations, the professional indemnity insurance for elective placements, attendance at conferences and events to add to CVs.
The process for moving into full membership on graduation is explained and students are encouraged to raise any questions/issues they may have face-to-face with the SoR officer about moving into full employment.
StudentTalk
StudentTalk is our e-zine which is an electronic magazine for student radiographers www.scor-students.org.uk/
It’s delivered to your email inbox on a monthly basis, to coincide with the publication of Synergy and Synergy News our professional monthly publications. It’s full of articles that relate to students, and indeed, many are actually written by students. It’s a great way of sharing experiences and letting students know what’s happening in your university or what personal experience you have had that may interest other students and motivate them to do something different.
We encourage all students to think about writing articles for StudentTalk. If you have an idea/story you want to share why not contact our StudentTalk editor, Emma Abbott, at students@synergymagazine.co.uk and she will be able to assist you.
Student members do not have access to the paper versions of our professional publications so StudentTalk has links which will take you to the latest e-versions. Plus there are links to our website and access to the archive of previous editions of StudentTalk and lots of other useful information.
All student radiographers are able to receive StudentTalk, regardless of whether or not they are in membership with us, but the links will not open up in full unless you are a member.
Access to professional magazines and journals
Now you’ve joined the radiography profession, it’s important that you keep up-to-date with what is going on within it. Radiography is a rapidly developing profession. We publish the following:
Synergy – Imaging and Therapy in Practice
Synergy– Imaging and Therapy in Practice provides in-depth coverage of the latest professional and educational issues that affect the day-to-day working lives of therapy and diagnostic radiographers.
Click here to find the latest edition and archive.
Synergy News
Synergy News is a lively news digest of what is happening in radiography and the wider healthcare arena. All the hot topics are reported, including role development and career progression, pay and conditions, research, CPD and health and safety and equality issues.
Click here to find the latest edition and archive.
Radiography
Radiography is an international, English language, peer-reviewed journal of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy. Radiography is the official professional journal of the College of Radiographers and is published quarterly. The journal aims to publish the highest quality material, both clinical and scientific, on all aspects of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy and oncology.
Click here to find the latest edition and archive.
Imaging and Oncology
Imaging & Oncology is an annual title published to coincide with the United Kingdom Radiology Congress (UKRC). The publication's remit is summed-up in the introduction to the first issue: "The authors were invited to write not because they have the power to peer into a crystal ball and divine our futures, but because they have the abilities to lead and anticipate."
Click here to find the latest edition and archive.
Clinical Oncology
A special edition of Clinical Oncology has been published and is now available to all SoR members. The issue, which was produced by the UK Radiotherapy Development Board, is devoted to IMRT delivery in the UK.
Click here to find the publication.
Professional indemnity insurance
Professional indemnity insurance is an insurance policy providing monetary protection in the event of legal action being taken against an individual who has caused damage or loss arising from malpractice.
Each Society member is covered up to £5,000,000 in respect of any one accident or series of accidents arising out of one originating cause (inclusive of costs and expenses).
The professional indemnity insurance provided to full members of the Society of Radiographers is also provided to cover UK student members with the proviso that they operate under supervision of a qualified radiographer.
Elective placements are covered by this insurance. However, overseas working by students must be part of an elective placement, which is part of a programme of study approved by the College of Radiographers. Such elective placements are consequently covered by the insurers, provided the student works under supervision.
Indemnity cover is worldwide, with the exception of work in the USA and Canada.
Please refer to the professional indemnity insurance page for more specific detail.
Log on to CPD Now
The Society and College of Radiographers expects all members to engage in continuing professional development (CPD) and provides a range of resources to support this.
We provide a web-based CPD tool, CPD Now, to enable all members to plan, undertake and record their CPD activities. As well as being available to all members, enabling the user to have their individual CPD portfolio accredited by the College of Radiographers, it is available for students to use to build up a portfolio as part of their coursework. This can be an excellent resource for student radiographers who are developing portfolios during their course. It offers tips and examples on recording your development and how to reflect on your learning.
Please visit the CPD Now page on this site.
Our website
The public side of our website has information relating to careers or general information. However, as a member with full access much more is available!
Apart from Student Zone, which is dedicated to students, there is a wide range of briefings, advice and guidance material, resources to support practice, career planning advice, learning resources, online job advertisements and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) support, amongst a whole host of other information.
Visit it often to make sure you don’t miss anything. It’s regularly updated and is the place to look for anything to do with radiography in the UK.
Downloadable document library
Our digital document library consists of a comprehensive list of publications outlining policy and providing information and guidance on a whole array of areas of practice within the field of radiography.
Whilst the document library that can be viewed via the general side of the website allows access to a range of documents, the members’ side of the website provides access to all of our published documents and is regularly updated as new publications are released.
This is a fantastic resource to help you with your assignments because it has the key documents that relate to the profession. You can download and save all the documents you need to help with your studies. The excellent search engine is simple and easy to use and helps you locate the documents you are interested in.
Please click here to start searching.
Access to the British Institute of Radiology
The Society and College of Radiographers has a close and longstanding association with the British Institute of Radiology (BIR). We share services to the mutual benefit of our members. The College makes a major investment each year in the BIR library to benefit radiographers and students alike.
The BIR Information Centre incorporates a reference library and provides services to members of the College of Radiographers and to anyone with a need for information about radiology and its allied sciences. It has a specialised postgraduate collection, primarily dealing with current research, but it also possesses historical and archival material in its archives collection dating back to the end of the last century. This is a great resource to help with your assignments and dissertations.
For further information click http://www.bir.org.uk/ or why not visit The British Institute of Radiology which is located at:
36 Portland Place
London
W1B 1AT
United Kingdom
Please arrange a convenient time to visit with the BIR information manager.
Annual Delegates Conference
The Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC) takes place in April each year and lasts for two to three days. It’s a forum where members can raise subjects for debate that will influence the UK Council’s policy plans for the Society, and also debate and vote on topical issues affecting the profession and/or its members.
Each Regional Committee and National Council sends a delegation to ADC. Delegates are elected within the constituency. The equality network (Equalise) and the UK Council of the Society of Radiographers may also submit motions for debate.
Student members are welcome to join the delegation. It’s important for the organisation that students become involved and influence decisions at all levels. Involvement in the organisation would also look good on your CV!
For information on how to attend ADC, please contact Liz Robinson LizR@sor.org for details.
For more information about ADC, please use the following link to the Annual Delegates Conference page.
Join us on Facebook
The explosion in popularity of social networking websites such as ‘Facebook’ is nothing short of phenomenal. ‘Facebook’ is a great social networking site, having more than 750 million active users. You can create personal profiles, add other users as friends, and exchange messages. Many student members of the Society and College of Radiographers use social networking regularly.
We have our own ‘Facebook’ page which originally was developed for student radiographers but has become increasingly popular with other members. This is site is a great place for you to share ideas and keep up-to-date with friends, or discuss professional questions. As a student, you may want to network with students in other universities, share knowledge of academic and clinical experiences, find out about elective placements and discuss topical issues influencing your training, such as student funding and employment opportunities. Join us at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Society-and-College-of-Radiographers/117467811876
Follow us on Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets”.
We have our own Twitter account which we use to let you know about the latest news that has been posted on our website regarding the radiography profession, issues affecting students and government policy which will impact on the healthcare service. This is a great way to keep right up-o-date.
Follow us at http://twitter.com/#!/SCoRstudents
Social networking netiquette
Society and College of Radiographers members, whether they are students or qualified radiographers, should be aware that there are risks with using social networking sites, not least the opportunity for fraudsters to use any personal information to steal identities or gain access to confidential information.
One area that has been highlighted recently is the number of cases concerning the publication of libellous material included in individual accounts. Some of these cases have arisen as a result of unscrupulous interrogation of published material by journalists who then put this into print.
In some areas employers are banning the use of social networking sites and bringing disciplinary proceedings against individuals as a result of misuse of employer time at work and any damage to the integrity of employees or the business that may arise from comments made online.
Student members should be aware of the risks involved in participating in online social networking and not be openly critical of peers, clinical mentors/supervisors, lecturing staff, universities, potential employers and members of the profession and other professions. By so doing, the writer could be at risk of legal action for libel and breach of contract and may compromise the chances of future employment in both the public and private sector.
Students should also take particular care themselves not to (deliberately or inadvertently) bring the SoR into disrepute through confidential details being mentioned on the Internet. Where networks are used to share ideas or ask advice, it is important that personal details of members or third parties are not published.Some general netiquette rules:
- Avoid negativity, especially with feelings and anything about other people;
- Do not swear, even if put positively and abbreviated;
- Learn to say NO to inappropriate invitations;
- Set your profile to ‘Only Friends’ privacy;
- Only have ‘Friends’ you’ve met in person;
- Do not list personal contact information (phone number, birth year, specific job locations like your home address);
- Defend your ‘Wall’ by deleting inappropriate comments;
- Do not post inappropriate photos;
- Use ‘Notes’ to share something genuine, avoiding personal attacks, ‘self-surveys’ and diatribes;
- Be selective where you make comments, expecting it to be public;
- Control privacy setting each time you post something, sharing ‘Only with Friends’ most of the time;
- Check details of ‘Groups’ and ‘Fan Pages’ before you join, especially for authenticity;
- Go through your profile and make adjustments to make your profile suit your Netiquette rules;
- If you do “inappropriate” things on social networking sites, go back and delete it to minimise visibility and damage;
- Don’t get caught up in other people’s inappropriate behaviour, stick to your Netiquette and update it as needed;
- Treat your profile and activity like an informal CV or media image of yourself, because it is!
Attend conferences and events
Attendance at conferences and other events is a great way to learn more about the radiography profession. They are also helpful in building up your CV, so that you stand out from the crowd when you attend interviews for jobs in the future. This will be ever more important as the job market becomes more competitive.
Students are very welcome to attend any of the conferences and events organised by the Society and College of Radiographers. Places for student registrants are subsidised and substantially cheaper than for other participants, with free exhibition entrance. For further information on all the events available, please visit the CoR events page We also recommend you look for external radiography events to attend to further your knowledge and introduce you to new ideas. One very popular event is the UK Radiological Congress (UKRC), which is a three-day multidisciplinary congress covering all aspects of diagnostic imaging and oncology, as well as radiology informatics and service delivery. It’s the leading and largest diagnostic imaging event in the UK, with over 3000 delegates and visitors, a comprehensive exhibition with the latest in current and emerging technologies, a huge variety of lectures and seminars from prestigious international speakers, CPD opportunities; including hands-on workshops, talks delivered by high-profile speakers and accredited education on the stands. There is a reduced entrance fee for students, which makes this an event to really think about attending. For more information visit www.ukrc.org.uk/
In addition, we encourage you to attend the United Kingdom Radiotherapy and Oncology Congress http://www.ukro.org.uk/ which is held every two years. What a great way to see the latest advances in the radiotherapy profession.
Both events provide opportunities for students to present short papers. The Forder Memorial Award is presented for the best paper proffered by a student at the UKRC. The award is given in memory of a founder of the SoR and member of the first Council of the Society.
In addition our regional committees and national councils often arrange local student study days during the year, offering a range of ‘hot topics’, advice and guidance on CV writing and interview techniques, talks from past students on their experiences, career development, working overseas, etc. These events offer you excellent networking opportunities within your region or country. Who knows where these opportunities may lead in the future? Check out what’s on in your region and register yourself for upcoming events.
Annual student conference
Each year we hold a Society of Radiographers Student Conference. The conference is arranged specifically for students and provides an opportunity for you to network with other students from across the UK and learn more about key areas of the profession.
It is held at our London headquarters, right in the heart of the city, and our presenters are prominent members of the profession. Look out for the opportunity to attend.
Health and safety
We are committed to working towards a safe and healthy working environment for all our members, including students, and have a history of campaigning on health and safety issues, including work to highlight the risks from exposure to x-ray fumes and, more recently, musculoskeletal disorder in sonographers.
As a trade union, we have a network of safety representatives working at a local level playing a vital role in improving work place standards in radiography departments.
For more information about health and safety, including radiation protection, news, campaigns and queries, please visit our health and safety page.
Join special interest groups and networks
The Society supports, and is supported by, a large number of member groups and networks. These range from traditional clinical interest and occupational groups, through to newer equality and diversity groups.
Students are encouraged to get involved with any of our special interest groups and networks.
One of our popular networks is ‘Equalise’ which provides a support mechanism for members on equality and diversity issues and campaigns/lobbies on issues of concern for members. To become more proactive in the Society and promote equality in the workplace, why not join Equalise today? Find out more about the different groups and networks available and how you can join them or use them as sources of information, development and support.
Benevolent fund
The Society of Radiographers has a Benevolent Fund that assists members, including students, former members and their families in time of hardship and distress.
Perhaps you are experiencing financial hardship caused by a relationship break downs, especially where children are involved and your chance to finish your course is threatened or you require aids/equipment to support a disability or deteriorating condition which is affecting your ability to complete the course. These are potential areas where the Society may be able to help. Each case is judged individually.
Should you wish to apply for assistance from the Benevolent Fund, please visit the Benevolent Fund page to find out more.
Student of the Year Award
We are delighted to be able to offer the Student of the Year Award, which runs alongside the annual event for full members. The aim of the award is to honour an undergraduate therapeutic student and a diagnostic student who exemplify the best of the profession’s values, as well as highlighting the students’ accomplishments whilst in a formal educational setting. This includes excellent academic and clinical achievement, together with outstanding contribution as an individual to student life and/or the university.
The prize for the Student of the Year award is £250, a Fujifilm digital camera, plus a certificate commemorating the award. Winners receive publicity in Synergy News and StudentTalk, as well as in the local, regional and national media. One of the highlights is attending the presentation of the awards, which take place at the House of Commons, in November each year, before an invited audience of the ´great and the good´ of radiography, plus members of parliament and a high profile guest who presents the awards.
Look on our website in spring time for nominations for the awards. A student may be nominated for the Student of the Year award by their course team, clinical placement staff, or peers. However, all nominations must be made through the student’s Higher Education Institution, with additional endorsement by their clinical placement. Watch out, you could be the next winner!
SoR Work the World competition
Work the World is one of the leading companies providing healthcare elective placements in Africa, Asia and South America. They employ an experienced and knowledgeable team in their UK head office, as well as in each of their overseas destinations, providing students with a 24/7 support network and lots of advice and guidance, both before an elective placement and whilst students are away. They make sure student placements are efficiently organised and match the individual student’s interests, and also sort all in-country logistics, which can be difficult for student to arrange independently.
The Society and College of Radiographers has been working in partnership with Work the World to provide elective placements for both diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy students. They can now provide placements in Argentina, Ghana, Tanzania, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Please visit www.worktheworld.co.uk/ for more information.
For the last couple of years we have run a fantastic competition in partnership with Work the World, whereby two lucky student members of the Society and College of Radiographers will be exploring a new world of radiography abroad. The competition prize is an international elective placement of up to four weeks to be taken between 1 January and 31 December in the year following the competition. Included in the prize is UK and overseas support, meals, accommodation, flights and professional indemnity insurance. Other costs, however, such as visas, travel insurance, fares to work, money for socialising, and immunisations are not included.
The winners are chosen on their commitment to taking full advantage of the opportunity the international elective placement offers and are not be based on academic merit. Make sure you keep an eye out for the competition!
Publish your assignments
During your radiography training, you will produce many great assignments and dissertations which are the end results of many hours of research and writing. Instead of just binning them when you receive your assignment and dissertation results, why not think about trying to get your best pieces of work published? We not only publish qualified members’ work, we are also interested in publishing students’ work and over the last few years there has been an increased number of publications from students. It’s an excellent way to make your CV stand out from others.
If you have something you think you make be able to publish, but are not sure how to go about it, please contact the editor of Synergy, Melanie Armstrong, melaniea@synergymagazine.co.uk who will be happy to provide you with help and advice.
News
We provide you with the top news stories related to the profession and the healthcare service. It’s important as student radiographer that you keep yourself up-to-date with the latest that is going on.
The news section of our website is updated on a daily basis and we encourage students to look at the news section on the www.sor.org home page regularly so they know what is going on.