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| My seven broken bones inspired my dream career as a radiographer | My seven broken bones inspired my dream career as a radiographer |
| (4 months later) | |
| My careers adviser told me to think about something else as a job. I’m glad I didn’t listen | |
| Rachel Picton | |
| Thu 28 Sep 2017 09.53 BST | |
| Last modified on Thu 28 Sep 2017 09.59 BST | |
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| A nasty fall from untied shoelaces, a severe whack from a hockey stick, an accidental punch in the nose, a minibus accident, a collision with a door frame, a party game gone wrong and a wild dodgem car ride – what do all these things have in common? These random, unfortunate events all led to me breaking a bone on each occasion – a grand total of seven bones during my childhood and early teenage years. | A nasty fall from untied shoelaces, a severe whack from a hockey stick, an accidental punch in the nose, a minibus accident, a collision with a door frame, a party game gone wrong and a wild dodgem car ride – what do all these things have in common? These random, unfortunate events all led to me breaking a bone on each occasion – a grand total of seven bones during my childhood and early teenage years. |
| Despite the pain emanating from the affected areas, I found the whole experience of being x-rayed fascinating. Who were these people wielding huge chunks of machinery, pinning me down with lead contraptions and running away mid-examination? They were often kind, chatty, reassuring, and yet enigmatic to me. Now you see me, now you don’t – re-appearing into the room with black and white images showing the jagged edges of my bones. Aged eight, bravely nursing the supracondylar fracture of my right arm, I thought this was magic. Even today, I find looking at images of our insides amazing. x-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, computerised tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, angiography and mammography all help diagnose a myriad of conditions. | Despite the pain emanating from the affected areas, I found the whole experience of being x-rayed fascinating. Who were these people wielding huge chunks of machinery, pinning me down with lead contraptions and running away mid-examination? They were often kind, chatty, reassuring, and yet enigmatic to me. Now you see me, now you don’t – re-appearing into the room with black and white images showing the jagged edges of my bones. Aged eight, bravely nursing the supracondylar fracture of my right arm, I thought this was magic. Even today, I find looking at images of our insides amazing. x-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, computerised tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, angiography and mammography all help diagnose a myriad of conditions. |
| Together the wider healthcare team of nurses, doctors, plaster technicians, surgeons and physiotherapists played a role in putting me back together over the years but it was the “other ones” who stuck in my mind. My new found knowledge and appreciation of these diagnostic radiographers played a pivotal part in my subsequent career choice. | Together the wider healthcare team of nurses, doctors, plaster technicians, surgeons and physiotherapists played a role in putting me back together over the years but it was the “other ones” who stuck in my mind. My new found knowledge and appreciation of these diagnostic radiographers played a pivotal part in my subsequent career choice. |
| One day, towards the end of the exam season, I entered the careers adviser’s office at school and declared I wanted to be a radiographer. She gave me an inane grin and suggested I think carefully about something else – she had no idea what they were. | One day, towards the end of the exam season, I entered the careers adviser’s office at school and declared I wanted to be a radiographer. She gave me an inane grin and suggested I think carefully about something else – she had no idea what they were. |
| At this point it was a case of not what you know but who you know. My father was a friend of the head of the radiography school at Norfolk and Norwich hospital and set up a meeting for me with him. Aged just 16, I was nervous about what the meeting might hold, but in the space between me, Mr Breeze and the skeleton in his office, a passion for bones and all internal organs was developed. He was so inspiring about the depth and breadth of the profession and since my meeting with him, I have never looked back. He set me the challenge to go home and learn all the names of the 206 bones in the body. So I did. The triquetral, trapezoid and pisiform are favourites to this day. | At this point it was a case of not what you know but who you know. My father was a friend of the head of the radiography school at Norfolk and Norwich hospital and set up a meeting for me with him. Aged just 16, I was nervous about what the meeting might hold, but in the space between me, Mr Breeze and the skeleton in his office, a passion for bones and all internal organs was developed. He was so inspiring about the depth and breadth of the profession and since my meeting with him, I have never looked back. He set me the challenge to go home and learn all the names of the 206 bones in the body. So I did. The triquetral, trapezoid and pisiform are favourites to this day. |
| I completed my radiography diploma back in 1996 in Cambridge and have had a varied career ever since, working across the UK and in northern Cameroon, where I set up an x-ray department from scratch. I specialised in mammography and breast cancer care and I am now an advocate for the profession. I have taken x-rays of premature babies in their incubators and dead bodies in the mortuary. I have x-rayed a pair of legs in one room and the rest of the body (still alive) in another. I have spent many hours in operating theatres, on wards and in the emergency suite dealing with major traumas. The human body is incredible and to take a peek inside is a privilege. | I completed my radiography diploma back in 1996 in Cambridge and have had a varied career ever since, working across the UK and in northern Cameroon, where I set up an x-ray department from scratch. I specialised in mammography and breast cancer care and I am now an advocate for the profession. I have taken x-rays of premature babies in their incubators and dead bodies in the mortuary. I have x-rayed a pair of legs in one room and the rest of the body (still alive) in another. I have spent many hours in operating theatres, on wards and in the emergency suite dealing with major traumas. The human body is incredible and to take a peek inside is a privilege. |
| I hope the careers adviser and all careers advisers that followed expanded their knowledge of our amazing and expansive healthcare professions. I am forever proud to be a diagnostic radiographer. | I hope the careers adviser and all careers advisers that followed expanded their knowledge of our amazing and expansive healthcare professions. I am forever proud to be a diagnostic radiographer. |
| If you would like to contribute to our Blood, sweat and tears series about experiences in healthcare, read our guidelines and get in touch by emailing sarah.johnson@theguardian.com. | If you would like to contribute to our Blood, sweat and tears series about experiences in healthcare, read our guidelines and get in touch by emailing sarah.johnson@theguardian.com. |
| Join the Healthcare Professionals Network to read more pieces like this. And follow us on Twitter (@GdnHealthcare) to keep up with the latest healthcare news and views. | Join the Healthcare Professionals Network to read more pieces like this. And follow us on Twitter (@GdnHealthcare) to keep up with the latest healthcare news and views. |
| If you’re looking for a healthcare job or need to recruit staff, visit Guardian Jobs. | If you’re looking for a healthcare job or need to recruit staff, visit Guardian Jobs. |
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