Apprenticeship training course
Therapeutic radiographer (integrated degree) (level 6)
Providing excellent care to patients diagnosed with cancer by delivering high quality and accurate radiotherapy.
- Qualification level
-
6
Equivalent to degree. - Typical duration
- 36 months
- Apprenticeship category
- Health and science
- Maximum funding
-
£24,000
Maximum amount government will fund
for apprenticeship training. - Skills
-
Skills an apprentice will learn
- Interpret, apply and reflect on professional codes of practice and legislation in order to deliver radiotherapy and care, and take responsibility for own actions.
- Manage risk and report and escalate concerns about safety, implement lessons learned, and be open when things go wrong within own scope of practice.
- Keep accurate records of own work.
- Promote and protect the interests of patients, staff, and public in a radiation environment and comply with local personal dose monitoring procedures.
- Recognise and respond appropriately to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard radiotherapy patients or the wider public, in line with ethical frameworks and seek advice where unsure.
- Promote health and wellbeing, advising on reducing the risk of side effects of radiotherapy.
- Recognise patient advocacy responsibilities, act as a patient advocate when appropriate and provide patients or their advocates with the information necessary to enable them to make informed decisions.
- Demonstrate effective and appropriate communication skills to build rapport with patients and colleagues.
- Work within the limits of own knowledge and skills, and delegate appropriately.
- Demonstrate up to date CPD and lifelong learning related to contemporary radiotherapy practice.
- Support others and facilitate learning, including assessment and providing feedback to learners.
- Apply critical thinking.
- Assess and interpret treatment planning data to inform decision making.
- Take part in clinical audit, contribute to service improvement initiatives, use evidence-based research and clinical trial outcomes to inform own clinical practice.
- Deliver with a high level of skill and accuracy, radiotherapy using external beam radiation.
- Make reasoned decisions to continue or cease radiotherapy, and to escalate where necessary.
- Assess patients’ clinical condition prior to the procedure, and where necessary, use basic life support techniques and deal safely with clinical emergencies. Use effective communication with the patient to determine their suitability for the procedure, paying attention to patients’ needs throughout.
- Accurately calculate and check patient radiotherapy prescriptions and associated data.
- Concentrate at a consistently high level in order to deliver safe and accurate radiotherapy.
- Assess, and adapt patient setups, using images and scans acquired following local protocols.
- Justify decisions in the planning of radiotherapy and be able to recognise clinically acceptable radiotherapy plans.
- Correctly identify and prepare the patient appropriately for the specific procedure and select the correct equipment and a reproducible patient position for the course of treatment, including production of patient accessories.
- Apply conflict resolution strategies appropriately.
- Report risks and incidents, keep accurate, comprehensive and comprehensible records and other information in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
- Reflect on and learn from clinical incidents and complaints, and share learning with peers.
- Signpost patients and their families to the patient complaint process, supporting them and colleagues during incidents and the reporting process.
- Use spatial awareness and psychomotor skills to finely manipulate the radiotherapy equipment as well as finely manipulating the patient’s body to align anatomy with the radiation beam.
- Adhere to any treatment setup tolerances as defined within local radiotherapy protocols.
- Use dexterity and highly developed coordination and sensory skills to safely manoeuvre patients and equipment, taking into account any postural constraints due to limitations in equipment design.
- Recognise verbal and non-verbal clues that indicate the patient may require emotional and psychological support.
- Recognise that not all services are appropriate to all patients in all situations and demonstrate an ability to evaluate patients’ understanding.
- Reflect on and recognise own emotions and feelings and seek clinical supervision to ensure support, whilst dealing with possibly distressing and difficult circumstances associated with patients undergoing their treatment.
- Recognise the differing support needs of cancer patients who may not be cured.
- Prioritise patients’ needs and recognise when own knowledge and skills are no longer sufficient, referring on to the wider radiotherapy support network as appropriate.
- Recognise verbal and non-verbal clues that indicate the patient may not have understood the consent process, be unwilling to give their consent, or not be able to consent for themselves, referring on as appropriate.
- Recognise when treatment needs to be suspended.
- Use radiotherapy information technology and computer equipment.
- Apply data protection and patient confidentiality in daily clinical practice and complete relevant, concise, factual, treatment documentation.
Full information on Therapeutic radiographer (integrated degree) (level 6) is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
Find training providers for this course
Regulated occupation
Therapeutic radiographer (integrated degree) (level 6) needs a training provider who is approved by Health and Care Professions Council.
Apprenticeship location
Canterbury, Kent Remove location