Interactive patient pathway days for prospective therapeutic radiography students

Introduction: Currently there is a significant national shortfall in the number of potential students applying to Therapeutic Radiography courses. This project will create an ‘Introduction to the Profession Experience’ for schools/colleges and the wider local community to raise awareness of the profession, as a potential career pathway, and recruit students to the pre-registration courses. Specific Objectives: • To raise awareness of radiotherapy within the local community as a potential career pathway • To explore collaborative working opportunities in relation to recruitment utilising the clinical department facilities and resources; • To develop interactive pathway days where students will experience clinical settings to show realistic components of the profession prior to enrolment. This presentation will focus on the results from the pilot project that was run as a collaboration between London South Bank University and Guys Cancer Centre. Methods & Materials: Phase 1: A pilot project was conducted using current student applicants. Participants visited the Cancer Centre on a Saturday where they had the opportunity to trial different radiotherapy professional tasks and gain experience and knowledge about the profession as a whole, they were then asked to complete a survey on their experiences. Phase 2: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants who attended the interactive patient pathway and subsequently enrolled onto the course. Results: Descriptive statistics, frequency tables and content analysis were used. Preliminary results are outlined below (presentation will include tables): • All participants found the interactive pathway session to be very helpful. • The session enabled them to understand the importance of the different processes and knowledge about radiotherapy delivery. • Participants enjoyed the practical aspects of the sessions which are recommended for other potential applicants. • Participants were comfortable being part of a group and valued the opportunity to engage with current students. Conclusion: This collaborative project allowed participants to experience practical aspects of the clinical patient pathway in a Radiotherapy centre without the patient presence. It is anticipated that future days will replace individual work experience days, as they are less resource intensive and allowed students to gain a collective experience.