Rick Miles of London South Bank University is student representative for SoR London region. Here he reports back from his first SoR Annual Delegates Conference.
The Annual Delegates Conference this year took place in the Yorkshire city of Leeds.
This was my first ADC and as student representative for the London region I was given the opportunity to take part.
The ADC is run over two days, various motions are put to the UK council for review on issues that radiographers and students are facing in the workplace. Radiographers at the conference are given a vote and each motion is passed when the majority vote in favour.
Student observer elected
The UK council each year has a student observer. It is their job to sit on council meetings and give a student prospective on the issues being talked about. At the annual delegates conference this year four students went for this job and had to give a speech saying why they were the right person for this position.
All candidates were fantastic but the job can only go to one person. Mark Terry from the eastern region delivered a fantastic speech and won the vote, insiders tell me it was a close one though! Well done Mark, I am sure he will do a brilliant job.
View on fees aired
The conference is equally as important for students as it is for qualified members of the profession.
Many of the students I have spoken to recently have concerns over the introduction of membership fees they will need to pay to become members of the Society of Radiographers.
Although students have various means of funding it is still a financially hard time over the duration of the course, and it is not always possible to undertake part time work due to the intensity of the course. As a region we felt it necessary to ask the council to review the membership fees.
At the conference I was privileged enough to speak about the student membership fees by putting forward a motion asking the council to review these costs. The motion was supported by two other regions and a vote was passed. Good news for students around the country.
Not all work, work, work...
It's not all motions and talking at the annual delegates conference, there was plenty of time for food, dancing and beers!
It’s a fantastic experience meeting other radiographers and students from all over the UK. I would thoughly recommend to all students get involved with the society. Not only does it mean you're shaping the future of your profession, but it also looks great on your CV.
To become a student representative to Council contact your regional committee. You never know, you could find yourself at next year's ADC in Brighton!
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