Louisa Armstrong is Principal Radiographer with NHS Lothian. Before taking up her senior role with the health board, she was a lecturer in Diagnostic Radiography at Queen Margaret University.
Louisa has experienced various roles within the NHS and education and has worked her way up the ranks from a radiographer with the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh to a management position where she is responsible for 80 staff across three hospital teams. Never shying away from a challenge, Louisa has undertaken both undergraduate and postgraduate courses to improve her skills and knowledge to advance her career in clinical, educational and managerial settings. Such is her love of the radiography profession and her interaction with patients, that even when she was working full time as a radiography lecturer, she was still putting in regular shifts at the sick kids’ hospital in Edinburgh. Even now, in her management role, she continues to work occasionally as a sessional radiographer at evenings and weekends!
Louisa tells us more about her various roles and her career progression, and discusses her passion for being part of the patient care team.
Fill us in on your educational journey?
I kicked off my radiography journey with a BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography at Glasgow Caledonian University, and then went on to do a MSc Forensic Radiography at Teesside University. Later in my career, I was keen to experience university teaching, so I undertook the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional and Higher Education at Queen Margaret University. Just because you are good at radiography, doesn’t mean you automatically know how to teach other people, so this postgraduate course helps individuals from various professions learn how to teach.
Tell us about your current role as Principal Radiographer with NHS Lothian?
I am currently Principal Radiographer in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN) and the Royal Hospital of Children and Young People (RHCYP). It’s a managerial position, with overarching responsibility for the staff teams and services for three areas - Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN), Royal Hospital of Children and Young People (RHCYP), and Radionuclide Imaging.
I am responsible for approximately 80 staff members across my three teams, including six Team Lead Radiographers. The radiographic teams work hard to deliver 24/7 care to both adult and paediatric patients, aiding the diagnosis and treatment across a wide range of clinical pathways.
My role is primarily desk based, although I do spend a bit of time working clinically in x-ray and MRI. Across the specialist teams we have access to various specialist facilities and equipment including x-ray rooms, mobile x-ray/fluoroscopy equipment, CT scanners, MRI scanners, Gamma Cameras, Bi-Plane Angiographic equipment.
Outline your career progression since graduating.
-
2001-2004 Radiographer at Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
-
2003-2007 Evening/Weekend Sessional Radiographer at the Royal Hospital of Sick Children
-
2004- 2007 Senior Radiographer, CT/MRI at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
-
2007-2016 Senior Radiographer in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
-
2016-2019 Lead Neurointerventional Radiographer at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
-
2019-2023 Lecturer in Radiography at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
-
2020-present Evening/Weekend Sessional Radiographer at the Royal Hospital of Sick Children
-
2023-present Principal Radiographer in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences(DCN) at the Royal Hospital of Children and Young People (RHCYP)
What do you enjoy most about your role with the NHS and why?
Working and interacting with the patients, and the team working spirit.
What is the favourite part of your working day?
Without a doubt, talking to and supporting the staff within my departments.
I also try to keep up some clinical time and really enjoy the patient-facing role.
Clinical Education is something I always try to allow time; I find sharing knowledge and contributing to developing others incredibly rewarding.
What is the most challenging part of your role?
Interestingly, this is also my favourite part. Managing people's expectations can be tricky at times. People also have a varied range of needs, personal issues, and professional concerns. This element can take up a vast amount of my time which can impact on my other responsibilities.
You continued to do shift work with the Royal Hospital of Children and Young People while you were lecturing at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø. What did you do as part of that work?
Radiography is a vocational healthcare profession, and with that I think it is inherent to want to be part of patient care. Where educating was and is important to me, I missed being a radiographer. As part of my evening/weekend sessional role at RHCYP I worked with the core team and provided the imaging service based in the Emergency Department. My workload mainly consisted of x-ray examinations, theatre imaging, and in a supportive role working within CT (CT stands for Computed Tomography, also known as computerised axial tomography (CAT), which is an imaging modality that uses x-rays to build cross-sectional images ("slices") of the body)
Are QMU radiography graduates in demand?
Yes, absolutely, graduates remain in a positive position. In my time at QMU all diagnostic graduates found employment immediately. In fact, most were appointed ahead of graduation. From a manager's perspective, QMU graduates are sought after due to the quality of their education and varied clinical placement experiences.
Sum up the diagnostic radiography course at QMU in three words?
