Published: 07 November 2022
8 November is World Radiography Day, which marks the anniversary of the discovery of x-radiation by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. To mark the day, we are delighted to share the news that Class of 2006 Diagnostic Radiography alumnus, Rupert Penwarden, has been named Allied Health Professional of the Year by the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS foundation Trust.
Rupert, who has been at West Middlesex University Hospital since he graduated from St George’s, has been working in a hybrid consultant radiographer and superintendent role for the last two and a half years. He also leads on cross-site reporting for the radiographer team, and he mentors trainee reporting radiographers and radiology registrars, as well as leading the X-ray team in a superintendent role.
Speaking about how it felt to receive the award, Rupert says, ‘I really enjoy my job and have always felt appreciated by the radiology team in which I work, so it was lovely to be acknowledged by the Trust as a whole. Given that there are 14 professional groups who make up Allied Health Professionals, I was quite surprised to come out at the top in such a wide and diverse field. I was very proud to win and to highlight the integral role diagnostic radiographers play in the NHS.’
Rupert first learnt about the radiography profession after college:
"As a child, I’d had x-rays a couple of times and found it fascinating that it was possible to see inside the human body. During my degree, I loved the multi-disciplinary lectures and group learning. The dissecting room was brilliant - without question the best way to learn anatomy."
- Rupert Penwarden -
’At St George’s, radiographers rotate through two separate hospitals for two terms each and visit multiple specialist centres. This gives students a great breadth of experience, and helps lay down the foundations for advanced practice, inter-professional working, and management. It allows them to experience the full range of modalities and gain an understanding of which career path is most appealing to them.’
Sharing advice for current Diagnostic Radiography students, he adds: ‘If you have a passion for radiographer reporting, ask at interview what current reporting radiographer roles exist at the hospital and how often they train new reporting radiographers. Read the A&E survival guide textbook and attend a red dot course. Interact with reporting radiographers and radiologists and try to learn from them. Radiopaedia is also a brilliant resource.’
In the future, Rupert hopes to further expand the growing reporting radiographer team at CWHFT and have the opportunity to be more involved with reporting radiographer and radiology registrar training. He is also keen to continue promoting diagnostic radiography as a profession.