Hi, my name’s Mary and I am a first-year Medical Physics trainee in North London. Looking back to when I first started my undergraduate degree, I didn’t even know this career path existed (thanks to the second-year careers module for introducing me!), let alone that in nearly six years I would have just completed my first rotation on the STP. I’m hoping this piece will showcase the range of applicable experiences and highlight the different routes to the STP (and show the fascinating world of Medical Physics!), just as the posts on STP Perspectives helped guide my STP application and working practices today.
University and the Discovery of the STP
My journey began during the physics foundation year at the University of Sussex (thanks to my A-level exams not going as well as I’d have liked) and gave me the confidence and skills to pursue my interests further. The first years of my MPhys Physics degree involved learning about key physics principles, from core mathematics to thermodynamics to how our stars and galaxies formed (and a bit of computer coding of course). As much as I loved astrophysics and initially wanted a career in that industry (I think my interest in medical TV shows should have been a clue, but we got there in the end!), I wanted to have a direct impact on patient care in my role. Thankfully the second-year careers module showed me the light, and I set about attending STP open days and gaining relevant experience to boost my future application.
Experience
During my undergraduate degree, I took on a few part-time and summer roles. From being a Christmas Elf, to a mathematics mentor, to retail work, there was a huge variation of opportunities to get stuck into (and all experience is relevant experience). After discovering the STP, I undertook a summer placement in a Nuclear Medicine department (one of the four Medical Physics rotations), where I learnt about the role of a clinical scientist and was involved in projects to improve patient quality of care. Being involved with patient therapies and optimisation projects furthered my determination to get onto the STP and confirmed that it was the career for me.
The summer before my penultimate year was spent gaining invaluable laboratory experience as part of a research placement in Materials Physics, researching how factors in the cellular environment affected cancer cell growth. My MPhys Project researched a new technique for using sensors to detect magnetic field signals within arm muscles. This gave me further research and laboratory experience which I could relate to the clinical scientist role in my STP application.
The First 6 Months on the STP
After relating my varied experience to the clinical scientist role and going through the STP application process, to my surprise, I got onto the STP straight out of university (this should encourage those in their final year of university to apply because you never know). The first 6 months have flown by and have included attending lectures on imaging modalities (such as X-ray, CT and ultrasound) and radiation physics. It was nerve-wracking at first to start the STP, but everyone in your cohort is in the same boat and together you settle into life as trainee clinical scientists. After the teaching period, I completed my first rotation, which was in Radiation Safety and Diagnostic Radiology. I got stuck into the varied tasks that this speciality has to offer, including performing quality assurance on imaging units, acceptance testing, calculating doses for radiation incidents and more. I’m excited to dive into the worlds of Radiotherapy, Nuclear Medicine, and Imaging with Non-ionising Radiation and to see what the rest of the STP has to bring!
Overall, no one’s journey to the STP is the same. We come from a variety of backgrounds with different experiences and different personal goals. Starting any new programme can be daunting, but if you throw yourself into it and keep an open mind, there will be endless opportunities for learning, development and having a direct impact on patient care. Seize every opportunity that comes your way!
STP Perspectives 