In celebration of National Careers Week, we speak to a selection of Astro / Physics graduates to highlight the diversity of careers within this rich field of study. Here, we speak with Harry, a Clinical Scientist within the NHS, to understand how a Physics degree enabled his career trajectory.
Where did you go to University and what course did you do?
For my undergrad degree, I went to Keele University and studied Neuroscience and Physics. I then did a post-grad degree in Medical Physics at the University of Surrey.
What job do you do now?
I’m a clinical scientist working in a nuclear medicine department in the NHS.
What do you do in your line of work?
There are so many different things we do in nuclear medicine, it’s hard to know where to start! Diagnosing disease is the thing we do most: this can be anything from cancer, kidney scarring from infections, and different kinds of dementia in older people. We do this diagnosing via radioactive drugs that we give to the patients, and we make most of these radioactive drugs on-site in our own special radiopharmacy. When the patient is administered the radioactive drug, they emit gamma rays that the drug gives off and we can put them in our scanners. This allows us to see where the drugs have gone inside their body. It’s like an inside-out X-ray! Sometimes instead of a picture, a surgeon will use a special radiation detector to directly find a bit of tissue they need to chop out during surgery! We can also treat certain diseases, such as overactive thyroids. It’s a very niche and varied area of the NHS!
My degree taught me to think outside of the box, think methodically and analyse processes in a logical way; and I definitely use these skills every day in my job. If a problem arises in the department either with a patient, radiopharmaceutical or equipment, I have to solve it and it requires quick analytical thinking.
What skills from your degree do you use in your job?
My degree taught me to think outside of the box, think methodically and analyse processes in a logical way; and I definitely use these skills every day in my job. If a problem arises in the department either with a patient, radiopharmaceutical or equipment, I have to solve it and it requires quick analytical thinking.
What does a typical day look like for you?
No day is ever the same, but it could look a bit like this:
- Coffee!
- The department will receive requests for nuclear medicine tests on patients from doctors in the hospital and community throughout the day. The test the doctors request has to be appropriate for what they want to know, and the radiation risk to the patient has to be outweighed by the benefit gained from diagnosis. I make these judgement calls on behalf of our specialist nuclear medicine doctors.
- Reporting the previous day’s scans, which could involve looking at previous X-rays, CT scans etc. on behalf of our specialist doctors.
- Testing equipment, such as contamination monitors, surgical gamma probe and radiation dose meters.
- Lunch!
- Administering some I-131 thyroid therapies to 2 or 3 patients. This includes performing pregnancy checks and ensuring the patient has taken the necessary steps to limit the radiation dose their family will receive at home.
- Throughout the day, the injecting and scanning technologists will come to me about various issues and problems they have encountered.
- Sometimes I have to give lectures to MSc students so I might be preparing learning material.
Did you always know what you wanted to do for work?
At school I wanted to be a doctor! However my interest in Physics just wouldn’t go away and so it’s so nice to be able to use it in a healthcare setting.
Do you feel that a Physics degree gave you enough freedom to choose the right career for you?
A Physics degree is priceless in today’s scientific world: even if you don’t want to go further with Physics, it shows you are capable to understand very complex concepts and think analytically and methodically. It definitely opens a lot of doors.
A Physics degree is priceless in today’s scientific world: even if you don’t want to go further with Physics, it shows you are capable to understand very complex concepts and think analytically and methodically. It definitely opens a lot of doors.
What advice would you give to someone who is about to start a Physics degree?
My advice to someone just starting a Physics degree is to not let the harder bits get you down. I almost failed my Quantum Mechanics module, but Physics is so varied that you can really excel in another area so just keep at it!
Is your work stressful? Do you feel that you have a good work-life balance?
My work can be stressful in that some jobs just need to be done on the day. Given that the radioactive drugs we use always decay away, we don’t have much of an opportunity to try again if we get something wrong. Working in the NHS in general can be tough, but I feel like my work-life balance is OK.
What’s the coolest thing you get to do as part of your job?
The coolest thing about working in nuclear medicine is the name! Nuclear = cool. Medicine = cool. Nuclear medicine = cool2 🙂.
Have you had any other jobs after graduating before this one?
I was a Lifeguard at school and university, and I tested X-rays for safety before I got onto the graduate scheme (Scientist Training Programme) that enabled me to be a Clinical Scientist.
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The Lascells team are very grateful to Harry for giving us a glimpse into his life as a Clinical Scientist – it sounds like a really fulfilling and rewarding career. Harry, we wish you all the best for your future and thank you for your service in the NHS.
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