Walking the exhibition floor at this year's UK Radiological Congress it was clear that the focus on education, education, education has hit the right note.

The new ‘Education on the Stands’ initiative was supported by The College of Radiographers Industry Partnership Scheme (CoRIPS) to provide CPD value in the UKRC exhibition and the lecture programme. Companies including Siemens, Toshiba, GE, Agfa and Philips branched out from their usual equipment displays, running a series of educational workshops, lectures and hands on demos. Radiographers who attended walked away with a CoR accredited CPD certificate for their portfolio.

As the exhibition doors opened on Monday morning over 160 people attended the first Siemens satellite lecture on hybrid imaging for trauma, far exceeding the 20 delegates who booked. This set a precedent for the next two days in which other companies reported a marked increase in the number of visitors to their stands than in previous years.

Training manager Brigitte Kaviani Sheffield Teaching Hospital supports a delegation of radiographers from her department to attend UKRC every year. She explained why she thought this year's scheme was a “major bonus'”

“The new education on the stands programme and the CPD events attached to it was the highlight this year for us,” She said. “Radiographers from my department attended CT and MRI sessions. What is useful is that you didn’t have to pay for these sessions, you can just go for free to the exhibition centre and get very relevant CPD training with the latest equipment as you wander around the exhibition.”

Brigitte compared the programme at UKRC favourably to other forms of training she uses in her department. “Personally I am not as keen on online courses in comparison to classroom courses and, although we do use local CPD and training events, if you go on a course where you have a day of lectures locally that is all you get. At UKRC you get the added opportunity to network and see the latest equipment in the exhibition centre. I think it’s a really good place for radiographers to learn.”

 

 

 

Sue Johnson, superintendent 3 Derby Hospital and SoR Midlands regional chair attended a demonstration of the Philips' Online Learning Centre, a new system to help radiographers expand their CPD portfolio online through self-directed, accredited learning activities on a spectrum of clinical topics. "I was impressed. At first glance the system looks really easy to use and accessible. I didn't feel this was a sales pitch at all, I had to ask specifically about the cost and how to access the system. The focus was on how to use the applications to engage in the radiographers' way of working. The online learning doesn't suite everyone but for people who are used to computers and the internet it will suit them down to the ground."

Siobhan Dallibar and Victoria Balard, advanced radiograpy practitioners at Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust with Catherine Rock, GE Healthcare

Victoria Balard: “We have just had a new machine installed so we came to find out about the volume radiation and to meet other people who have got the system to see how they are getting on. This will mean we can help train other staff and look at changing practice to integrate different technology in to the patient pathway.

Mike Head of GE said: “Radiographers are very important in decision process for departments purchasing and in the instillation of equipment so we like to see them at any stage in its development. We have tried to make the CPD session as relaxed as possible so people can sit at a table and have a coffee while they watch the presentation for their modality. Each session we offer deals with a topic of volume radiography for example in MR there are three topics including knee and breast. Incorporating CPD with the exhibition was a good ideas. Our stand has been so much more active; we have had 30 people on our Xray and MR sessions and to have these numbers in one day is very good. Next year we are looking to do more.”

Gooroodev Matabudul Queens Hospital Romford Superintendent Radiographer CT

“I attended the Toshiba CPD lecture and it was very good quality, especially the information on dose reduction and new protocol for trauma CT. What I have learnt today will help me stay up to date and ensure a better use of the equipment we have in my department so we can use it to the optimum level. All hospitals should encourage and support radiographers to come and to take the information back to the department”

 

Andrew Gill, PACs manager, Cathy Gillott, senior radiographer and Melanie Homer, senior radiographer from Kettering General Hospital attended lectures on mammography and ultrasound CT.

 

 

 

 

Nneoyi Egbe, University of aberdeen, Ojei Osakwe, Basildon University Hospital, radiographer and Okechukwu Erondu, Image Diagnostics, Nigeria.

Okechukwu Erondu: "I come every year to UKRC. I have been to presentations, walked around the exhibition and talked to a couple of companies. It's informative and educational to see the latest technical developments."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At a glance: Who did what for Education on the Stands 2008

•Philips

Demonstrations on CAD Chest – What is it and why do we need it?, An overview and explanation of the latest Philips ultrasound technologies and Advanced technology with cardiac, oncology applications in multi-detector CT Lecture and the Philips On-line Learning Centre. Satellite session on Ambient experience for healthcare: From concept to new reality.

• Fujilfilm

Satellite Session on Digital Imaging in the Breast Screening Environment Satellite Session,

• Siemens

Presentations on Hot Topics in MR, Diffusion Imaging, Angiography, Hot Topics in Molecular Imaging, Hot Topics in Ultrasound, ARFI and Elasticity and Hot Topics in General Angiography. Satellite sessions on Trauma imaging in the future using hybrid systems and Dual Energy CT

• Toshiba

Satellite session

• ETS-Lindgren

The basics of RF shielding for MRI presentation

• Agfa HealthCare

‘Train the Trainer’ workshops, MRI lecture

Did you go to any of these sessions? What did you think? Email eleanors@synergymagazine.co.uk

Posted: 06/06/2008