Interview Pack 1

Question 1

Can you tell me about yourself ?

Answer 1

-new radiographer
- first time mom, hence the gap in my career progression.

-I was born in Zimbabwe and came here when I was 4 years and have spent the majority of my life living in Bristol.

-I studied my at the University of Hertfordshire and

• did my placement blocks at the Royal Free Trust in North London.

-Last year after graduating I moved back to Bristol to have my baby closer to family.

I’m currently a mentor for uni students at my church , I offer them emotional and mental support, guidance on keep up with work, and refer them to services to help with mental health

I’m also in leadership at church of the help’s ministry that welcomes people to service and helps new members become established and make friends

-And now I’m ready to start my career in radiography.

Question 2

What do you know about our hospital/clinic ?

Answer 2

BRI is part of the seven major trauma units across the southwest

specialising in cardiology

Part of one the largest trust in the country

Question 3

Why choose BRI ?

Answer 3

I have friends who have worked in UHBW since graduating and they are tell me that they have felt really supported when starting their careers, the hospital has loads of opportunities for continuous education and support with career development and it’s not like they’ve just been thrown in the deep end and left to figure out that transition student to qualified by themselves. That’s something I really want , considering my gap in practice and I know at this hospital I will be supported in my goal to progress and build experience.

It seems like a really friendly and nice working environment, every interaction I’ve had with members of staff here when my family members have been ill have been really good . With staff showing compassion and care to everyone and not fearing we will be treated differently because we are black , that’s the type of working environment I desire to be in and I want to add to that

I saw on your job advert you mentioned that people of colour are under represented in the trust and I want to add to that , and that also encourages me that I will fit in and be accepted in the work environment. ( story about being seen by a black mammographer for breast screening )

My friends who work here have also bragged about how understanding and flexible the hospital is for parents, which really assures if I was to work here that i wouldn’t be forced into working shift patterns that will make finding child care arrangements really stressful both financially and practically

Question 4

Why did you choose a career in radiography?

Answer 4

• family and friends, who are radiographers
• work experience weeks
• I loved the fast paced environment, and how everyday was different with different patients and cases making work more interesting.

Question 5

What do you like and dislike about your current role?

Answer 5

-Well I’ve been on maternity , but one could say motherhood is a job in itself

-But I like how this experience has taught me more about my strength
being pregnant and in final year

-showed me that once I put my mind to something and give it my all I can achieve it and it’s even made me more goal oriented.

• However I do dislike the teething stage we are in

Question 6

How do you deal with stress?

Answer 6

When I start to feel stressed or am in a stressful situation, instead of focusing on the emotion and getting worked up, I try to focus on finding a way to deal with the task at hand and erase the cause of stress. For example during my placement I was working in fracture clinic and the generator wasn’t linking to the detector in the table Bucky which meant the system wasn’t happy to let us expose. And we had a full waiting room of people waiting to be seen and the work flow of the doctors was halted, it was very stressful but we called the manager and we quickly started sending patients who needed to be on the table upstairs for example spines, abdomens and pelvis. And continue seeing patients who could be done on the wall bucking downstairs until we could get a engineer in . Yes it was stressful but stressing out , wouldn’t have added a solution and the quick response time to the situation meant the workflow of the fracture clinic was not effected too badly by the mishap.

Question 7

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Answer 7

Strengths :
- I would say my communication and people skills is my best strength, I find it easy to get along with people , understand them and relate to them in way that they feel comfortable with me and also understand me .

• This ability really helps me to be very collaborative with not only my colleague’s and professionals that you’ll meet doing portables in theatres, Fluro . And I find work much more pleasant when everyone gets along with each other .

Weakness :
- sometimes I’m too self critical but I have learned to Chanel this into engaging in continuous education and training so that I can be confident that my skills and knowledge are up to date .

E-learning courses to build my self confidence for when I start working

Question 8

What is it about your current job that makes you get up and go to work each day?

Answer 8

• I think as mom what really fuels you through everything is how much you care about your children’s , wellbeing and safety.
• As a radiographer that’s what keeps me going is that patients need imaging to get diagnosed and treated and if I don’t come in and leave the team short then the department works slower and people go longer waiting to be treated.
• So the significance of my absence to my colleagues and patients is what keeps me going.

Question 9

What are your aspirations?

Answer 9

hopefully one day I would like to be trained to work in CT.

But until then I really want to be proactive and engage with the student team for students on placement because I really benefited from the help I got on placement and I really want to do the same for others

Question 10

What are your interests, and how do you like to relax?

Answer 10

I like reading romance novels and singing , I’ve recently started learning how to knit.

When I want to relax I have a green tea and catch up on eastenders but sometimes I also go on a walk and listen to music

Question 11

What makes you qualified for this role?

Answer 11

• I am very self motivated
• driven to working to build my skills and experience as a radiographer,
• pay check I want an opportunity to put my knowledge to use and to contribute to all the work the NHS does with their values .
• I have experience working with people of all ages , colour and background through the mentoring I’ve been doing at church and supporting new moms with getting mental health support . Although I’ve been out of clinical for a bit my people skills have still been functioning and I feel this will really help me add to the trust values of being supportive and collaborative

Question 12

What do you think are the daily duties of a radiographer?

Answer 12

To carry out X-ray examinations to required standard under IRMER

To justify exposures

To be responsible for radiation protection of patients, themselves and others during procedures

To comply with data protection policies to maintain patients privacy and confidentiality

Manage workload whilst maintaining a high standard of care

Question 13

What is the most relevant experience you have that is important to this post?

Answer 13

I’ve done 7 placement blocks at 6 different hospitals during my rotations . I’ve worked with both CR and DR and did loads of work in the trauma unit at Barnet Hospital.
- observed ct,mri scanners
- worked alongside radiographers dealing with major road traffic accidents

Question 14

Have you ever had to deal with an emergency while working as a radiographer? If so, how did you manage it?

Answer 14

No I haven’t been put in that situation yet, but I would do whatever I could in my scope and ability of practice to deal with the situation and if the condition allowed I would immediately alert someone else to call the most senior member of staff available to help.

Question 15

6. What is your understanding of confidentiality, and how do you apply this to your patients?

Answer 15

It’s protecting the personal information of services and it’s my professional responsibility to respect and protect the confidentiality of service users all the time. And only disclose information if it directly impacts their safety and needs to be flagged up.

With Patients I apply this is by waiting until they enter the room before I start asking for ID or discussing why they have come in. And throwing away their image request card in the confidential locked bin

Question 16

What would you say is your biggest accomplishment?

Answer 16

Finishing my Course with no gaps or retakes especially through my pregnancy with all the complications I was having I really felt like taking a gap year because pregnancy alone is hard and adding the exams , placement, assessments and my dissertation on top was a lot. But I pushed through and was determined to graduate with all my friends and get my degree.

Question 17

How do you organise your time?

Answer 17

I write all the things I need to do and then I sort them in order of importance then estimate how much time each thing will take me and make a practical schedule for my day factoring in any possible delays so that I’m not late .

Question 18

What types of imaging equipment are you most familiar with?

Answer 18

Samsung and Toshiba

Question 19

How do you keep informed and updated with changes in this field?

Answer 19

I follow the society of radiographers on Facebook and I’m planning to register as a qualified radiographer as soon as I start working
-Hcpc

Question 20

Name a mistake that you have made and learnt from ?

Answer 20

During my student placement I was doing a shopping list and in attempt to get it done quickly as we had a busy work list I forgot to get one of the views requested it was banna view and I had done the normal routine for writs which is AP and LAT and moved on to the image . And it’s only at the end when going through the images and looking at the image request I realised I had completely forgotten to do the schapoid views request because I was soo fixed on getting signed off for a shoulder. I had not sent the patient away yet so lucky I was able to ask them to sit down and get them done. And from that day on I learnt when I get a shopping list I must plan how I will go through the list and write the views down in order so I can tick them off as I expose to ensure I don’t miss out any views.

Question 21

What would you do if a patient started to panic during an MRI scan?

Answer 21

I would immediately bring them out the scanner and go in the room and talk to them to calm them down . I would also explain to them the importance and benefits of continuing with the scan but respect their decision if they no longer want to continue. And if they did agree to continue , I would speak to them more through the mic during the scan to help them relax and settle .

Question 22

Are there any side effects to using a contrast dye? If so, what are they?

Answer 22

Yes a rash , swelling, nausea and vomiting and some dizziness

Question 23

Are there areas of radiology you prefer to work in? Any areas you don’t like?

Answer 23

Generally I like all areas , but I would say CT is my favourite followed by Generals . And I didn’t get that much time in nuclear medicine so its not my strong point

Question 24

How do you prepare an x-ray, ultrasound or MRI room before calling the patient in?

Answer 24

Make sure the room is clean

I get the patients details up make sure everything is justified, check their age depending on the gender and projection to see if I need to get a LMP form .

Then set up the machine and table ready for positioning .

Get the led apron ready if it’s going to be needed in the case of imagining a child for the parent

. Get the grid out and ready depending on the type of X-ray if it’s a trolley patient needed a pelvis .

Call some people to help me pat slide if needed .

Then I call the patient in when everything is set up for me to bring them in and start the procedure instead of brining them in and start faffing about whilst they stand and wait

Question 25

What information do you give to the patient after an x-ray? What is your reason for this answer?

Answer 25

If they are inpatient , I tell them that the doctors will have a look and talk to them on the ward .

If from A&E I tell them to go back to A&E and wait to be called to be spoken to by the doctor so that they do not go home

And if it’s outpatient I tell them the GP will get back to them with results in 7-10 working days so they don’t think they have been forgotten

But most importantly I do not tell them anything about their diagnosis or results from the scan and tell them to wait for the doctor to avoid giving them false information. It’s also not something I have been trained to do hence why it’s the doctor’s role to tell patients their diagnosis and treatment plan.

Question 26

What would you do if a doctor or consultant complained that the quality of the images meant they couldn’t diagnose a patient?

Answer 26

I would apologise and tell them that they can request for re imaging and if it’s justified the radiologist will approve it .

I would then also look for the image being referred and seek advice from my supervisor and further training to support me with my positioning skills

Question 27

How do you handle conflict with a patient? What about a colleague?

Answer 27

I would apologise for upsetting then , and also explain any they need explaining whether it’s why they have to wait long or an issue they have with the system . And validate their emotions and offer what help I can. If necessary I will call another member of staff or senior member if available to also help explain so they know it’s just trust polices and not anything personal. But if they start getting violent I will call security.

With a colleague I would stay calm and not let it escalate to a massive row. I would apologise and take accountability where needed in hopes it settles the conflict. If it’s a matter of they have done something that’s upset me or anything like that . I would stay professional and not allow my personal emotions to interfere with the flow of the team by causing conflict and confronting them whilst we are supposed to be clearing the work list. And if it’s that bad I would seek advice from my supervisor on how to handle it moving forwards but I don’t like confrontations as they just feed into drama, conflict and further offences. I think things should be kept professional and everyone should be able to get along as we will need to work together all the time and conflicts make the work environment hostile and uncomfortable for everyone.

Question 28

What would you do if a colleague often took longer to complete their workload, meaning you had to help on a regular basis?

Answer 28

I would bring it up to my supervisor and suggest maybe they need some training and support okay how to manage their workload. But I would not try and confront them about it myself

Question 29

Why do you want to work in the NHS ?

Answer 29

I would like to work for something meaningful, as I don’t believe in a system where people lack good healthcare due to financial issues, everyone has a right to be healthy and treated well despite financial background or any kind of difference. And that’s what the NHS is about as highlighted in their values , I really want to be a part of it.
- working together for patients
- holistic approach
- providing care and compassion

Question 30

Tell me what you know about the NHS values?

Answer 30

1.Respect and dignity
2. Commitment to quality of care.
3. Compassion : respond with kindness and give comfort
4. Improving lives: wellbeing and experience
5. Working together for patients : multidisciplinary
6. Everyone counts : nobody is excluded or discriminated

Question 31

Tell me what you know about Bristols Values ?

Answer 31

Supportive
Respective
Innovative
Collaborative

Question 32

What is safeguarding within the NHS and what would you consider as a radiographer ?

Answer 32

Protecting patient’s health wellbeing and human rights so they can live free from harm .

As a radiographer I would pay close attention for signs of neglect or abuse when seeing children and adults at risk of neglect such as the disabled and elderly. And if I see any indicators I would flag them up immediately according to trust protocols.

Also certain types of injuries such as spiral fractures indicate signs of maltreatment so these types of injuries plus maybe seeing bruising whilst doing examinations would trigger me to flag up the systems so investigations can be done to safeguard

Question 33

What knowledge do you have of NHS systems and processes ?

Answer 33

Yes , i know the NHS has a long term plan to make the NHS fit for the future as health needs at changing

they also want to reduce pressure on emergency services and boast out of hospital care and improve preventative healthcare

Question 34

What do you understand by the phrase ‘ professional duty of condor ‘ ?

Answer 34

it’s my responsibility to be honest with patients when things go wrong ,apologies and offer support to make things right

Question 35

How do you cope with stress and pressure as a radiographer ?

Answer 35

I would talk to someone about how I’m feeling and look for solutions to help me work through and prevent the stressors. But in the work environment if things are getting really busy I would ask for help from my colleagues so we can work through the work list together and evenly share out the pressure of a busy waiting room.

Question 36

Who are the 4 duty holders according to IRMER?

Answer 36

EMPLOYER // responsible for the radiological installation and initial risk assessments (with advice from the RPA).

REFERRER// a registered medical practitioner or professional.

PRACTIONER// justify the radiation exposure.

OPERATOR// person who carries out the exposure.

Question 37

Tell me about a situation you demonstrated one of the NHS core values as a radiographer ?

Answer 37

There was a time when a elderly patient came down for a CT scan from the ward , and they messed themselves up, initially we had assumed it was the contrast injection feeling but when taking them off the table we discovered they had actually messed themselves. Despite the porters being ready to take them to the ward where the nurses could sort him . I worked with the HCA and other radiographer to get him sorted out before the porters took him up , we got him changed into a fresh gown and I found new sheets for the the bed in one of the storage cupboards. Despite it being a inconvenience We couldn’t let the man be wheeled around the hospital , sitting in his own waste it’s undignified and humiliating and it was evident he was humiliated by the situation. We could have left it to the HCA to do alone but they were reluctant to do it alone as it would not only take time and delay the porters but be hard to do , so we worked together and we finished very quickly with no distribution to our workload.