The great and good of the profession gathered together at the House of Commons on Thursday 12 November to honour excellence in radiography.
The annual Radiography Awards 2009 recognised the hard work and achievements of more than 50 radiographers working across the UK.
Among those presented with awards were Carol McDonald, named UK Therapy Student Radiographer of the Year 2009 and Nick Barlow, who received UK Diagnostic Student Radiographer of the Year. Both won £250, A FujiFilm digital camera, plus a certiļ¬cate commemorating the award.
A student at Cardiff University, Carol was nominated by lecturer Lynn Mundy who said she was an “outstanding student right from the first year of the course and all the way through.”
It is the second high-profile accolade Carol has received. She was awarded the university’s Lillian Young Memorial Shield at her graduation ceremony for being voted the best overall student by the course lecturers.
According to Lynn: “Carol is not only outstanding clinically, but she is completely patient-centred and never had to be reminded that she was dealing with individuals. She adapted well to the different teams and cultures in which she worked and the staff she practised with were impressed by her high standards.”
Nick was also praised for being “an outstanding student".
Jean Wilson was one of three people to nominate Nick, who studied at Leeds University. She said: "He is always professional, he has very good radiographic skills and huge enthusiasm and willingness to learn.”
Nick achieved a first class degree and had the highest overall mark of the students this year. According to Jean: “He is always a pleasure to work with and he learns very quickly. He shows initiative and imagination and other staff trust him to produce work of a high standard.”
Nick volunteered for many student groups and other activities related to the profession during his three years at Leeds, including attendance at TUC and the Society’s Annual Delegates Conference.
The Society and College of Radiographer’s president, Gill Dolbear, was part of the small group judging the awards and said the quality of the nominations was so high that choosing the winners was not an easy task.
The president then went on to talk about her recent travels in the UK and how radiographers are developing their roles and making a significant contribution to excellent patient care.
She said: “In common with the allied health professions, there is a growing recognition at the highest levels in the NHS that we have the answer to ‘cost effective quality’ in healthcare. There is no cause for complacency, but our prize winners show why we also have reason to be confident that radiographers will always find ways to deliver extraordinary services for patients.
“We know that we’ll gather here again next year to celebrate even more wonderful examples of radiographic excellence. However, tonight is for this year’s winners. Radiographers and students everywhere are proud of what you have achieved and the recognition you have won for our profession.
• The awards are sponsored by FujiFilm.
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