(Image: Sarah holding her certificate with attendees at the ceremony)
A celebratory ceremony was held this week for a reporting radiographer for her completion of the adult chest radiograph clinical reporting course as the top performer of her cohort.
The event, which took place at the Radiology Department at King’s College Hospital (KCH) NHS Foundation Trust, on Wednesday (14 January), marked the outstanding work of Sarah Gower, lead superintendent radiographer in X-ray imaging.
Sarah was awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Clinical Reporting (Adult Chest) PgC Reporting from Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), in collaboration with radiography workforce services company Skilled Personnel.
In attendance at the ceremony were many of Sarah’s fellow radiology colleagues, as well as SoR president Katie Thompson and director of radiography recruitment company Skilled Personnel Fodi Kyriakos.
'Understanding the intricacies'
Sarah said: “Thank you so much everyone for organising this and taking time out to attend, I’m very flattered. Since I was a student radiographer, I always was interested in radiographer reporting, I was so happy when I was given the opportunity to train.
"Seeing the KCH reporting team go from strength to strength, and the little bit I've contributed to support this, has been a fantastic experience that I will always value. I wouldn’t have been able to complete the chest reporting course without all of your support so thank you.
"As you all know, achieving this skill is not just reporting of imaging – it gives you so much more knowledge of what radiography is, and the understanding of the intricacies of the service you’re working within.”
The course supports radiographers who want to improve their skills and find new possibilities in their personal and professional journeys, explained Fodi. "Skilled Personnel are delighted to work with CCCU to sponsor this fantastic award, and I am absolutely delighted for Sarah," he said.
Katie said: “It’s really great to see how far our profession has come since I qualified in the era of wet film processing, and how much of a difference reporting radiography has made to our profession. It will continue to make a difference in the future, alongside AI – our reporting radiographers will be a key element of our departments, especially with the shortage of radiologists.
"Reporting radiographers can guide others in improving their own skills with positive feedback. This, in turn, improves quality within a department and encourages others to work towards becoming a reporting radiographer. Celebrating achievements like Sarah’s is really important. It takes commitment to undertake these courses and a willingness to improve patient care, which was evident at today's award ceremony."
'Leadership, support and guidance'
Since completing the course, Sarah has been working to implement a direct route from chest X-Ray to CT to benefit the patients who use services at KCH. She hopes to enable radiographers to immediately decide whether a patient needs a CT scan referral. This incorporates evidenced work by other radiology departments across the country, which have proven such a project can be successful.
“It is good practice I’ve seen elsewhere that I’ve wanted to implement here,” she added. “I don’t think I would be able to do that without the chest reporting qualification. We’re hoping to go live early this year!”
Sarah graduated from Portsmouth University in 2006, before moving to the Royal Free Hospital in London, where she worked for nine years. There she went from Band 5 radiographer to assistant ops manager, and in 2015 moved to KCH as lead superintendent radiographer for X-ray, where she has remained.
Mark Allen, head of imaging services at KCH, added: “Sarah’s achievement in completing her chest X-ray reporting training and being recognised as the top performer in her cohort is a testament to her clinical capability and commitment to professional excellence.
“Separately, her ongoing contribution to the development of the reporting service at King’s, and the high-quality clinical leadership, support, and guidance she provides to colleagues, has had a significant and lasting impact across the department.”
(Image: Sarah holding her certificate with attendees at the ceremony)