The role of the consultant radiographer – Experience of appointees
Received 21 August 2009; received in revised form 2 March 2010; accepted 5 March 2010. published online 08 April 2010.
Abstract
Aim
To explore the experience of the first consultant practitioners appointed; including the appointment process, nature of the role, their perceptions of success and challenges.
Method
This was a whole population study of the known consultant radiographers appointed up to March 2005. It consisted of 3 phases. The first compared appointees job descriptions with the Department of Health guidance, the second collected contextual information using a questionnaire, and the third explored postholders experiences using telephone interviews.
Results
Ten of the possible twelve appointees participated. All posts were established according to the guidelines, with largely similar job descriptions allowing for the different clinical specialist areas. All were very positive in their perceptions of their role, and faced similar challenges. They were strongest in their expert clinical practice working but had strong training and leadership roles. The number working at strategic level was low with limited research and few published papers, although there were notable exceptions.
Conclusions
The first appointees demonstrated notable successes, strongest in the expert clinical practice element of roles, with evidence of team leadership, and involvement in training and education. Strategic engagement was disappointing, with little research being undertaken. Their experience was that the nature of consultancy was poorly understood by peers and medical colleagues.
ABSTRACT