Alumna Jannath Kottakunnan graduated from St George’s in 2014 in Therapeutic Radiography and Oncology and now works as a Band 7 team leader for the University College London Hospital (UCLH) Proton Beam Therapy centre. The centre will be the second NHS high energy Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) centre in the UK (the first opened in Manchester in 2018). The UCLH centre is part of a larger hospital building which will open in 2020 with PBT ramping up in 2021. In January 2020, Jannath returned to St George’s to deliver a teaching session to third year Therapeutic Radiography students about PBT. We caught up with her to talk about her career journey, and what studying at St George’s has meant to her.
Tell us a bit about your current role
I currently work in the PBT team at UCLH as a Band 7 Team Leader. As we are currently in the implementation stages, my role involves projects and tasks that would input in to getting the department up-and-running for when we open. As well as improving my own knowledge about PBT, I am actively involved in educational sessions within the department and putting together training packs for members of staff due to join the team nearer the opening of the department. I currently lead a PBT journal club with radiographers and PBT physicists allowing us to learn and discuss interesting published articles together.
I have also been involved in projects such as mapping out the patient flow around the new PBT department, developing usability questionnaires for auditing new immobilisation equipment, developing a welcome pack for new starters, writing of work instructions and I also have an audit, which has been accepted as a poster presentation at a conference in 2020. I attend multi-disciplinary proton planning and imaging meetings which I find particularly useful to learn from one another. As part of my clinical observation training, I have visited the proton beam therapy centre at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. Once we are nearer to the opening of the department, I will be involved in testing the work instructions we have written as a team and gaining my competencies initially on phantoms and then real patients and cascading training.
How did you end up in your role?
I started by working as a Band 5 Radiographer for the NHS. This is where I gained experience in using Elekta linacs, image matching, CT scanning patients, planning palliative treatments and also working in Brachytherapy. I gained my Band 6 role here, completed a MSc module in Head and Neck cancer care and attended a SoR accredited 3 day course on clinical leadership. I then found a role as a Band 6 Radiographer in the private sector, where I was able to enhance my leadership skills further and took on more responsibilities. I have always taken advantage of opportunities for professional development and so I attended an ‘Ignite my Career’ course, participated in audits and writing of work instructions, trained new radiographers, deputised the band 7 on Tomotherapy and represented Radiotherapy at health and safety and infection control committee meetings, which all contributed to me being in the role I am in now.
What is your proudest achievement so far since graduating?
My current role, because as well as getting a promotion as a band 7 Radiographer, it is an amazing and rare opportunity to be part of the implementation team for a treatment speciality as new in the UK such as PBT. I have also always wanted to work with children and my current role allows this opportunity.
What did you like the most about studying at St George’s?
When I studied at St George’s our first semester consisted of attending lectures alongside medical students, Physiotherapy students and other healthcare professionals. I really enjoyed this as it gave me a taste of what it would be like to work in a multi-disciplinary team once I graduated. It also allowed me to develop great friendships with students from different courses. I would say I have made my lifelong friends from St George’s. The hospitals as part of clinical placements are well known, really good hospitals with advanced techniques and technology. It allowed me to train at Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea. I also really enjoyed the diversity and general ambiance at St George’s. It was a very motivating place to study with motivated students who appreciated different cultures and organised events and also enjoyed themselves. I enjoyed being part of ISOC and being part of events and attending charity dinners to raise money for those in need.
What advice would you give to someone who would like to work in a similar role to you?
Take opportunities for professional development whenever you get the chance and make sure to apply what you have learnt to your role to help you develop. Always reflect on what you have learnt and reflect on how you can apply that in a similar situation next time. Wherever you work or end up working, make the most of the opportunities they have. I have found working in a few different hospitals, especially when starting your career can be advantageous, helps you to gain experience using different equipment, different ways of working and provides different opportunities which can be useful in progressing in your career.