Publication DetailsPublished: 2009-08-01
2. Pre-registration education
2.1 Reasons for studying radiography
Perhaps unsurprisingly, financial motivations were less important to students when deciding to study radiography than an interest in the career, job security and career development. This is a common feature of the public service where the potential rewards may not be as great as the private sector but where there is greater certainty of employment and career progression.
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Two other factors were mentioned by more than ten respondents in the free text field which accompanied this question. These were:
- Interest in the subject; and
- Caring for patients / contributing to society
“Having the opportunity to contribute to society through work in a hospital - having entered the BSc course as a mature student, I have already experienced much less rewarding work!”
2.2 Reasons for choosing specific course
A decision to enrol on a specific course appears more likely to be determined by the reputation of the course and financial considerations than geographical reasons.
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2.3 Reasons for not completing the course
Students were asked the reasons why they were considering leaving the course (if they were) and the reason why any others on their course were considering leaving (if they knew). The results were collated according to the course discipline and are shown in separate graphs for diagnostic radiography and therapeutic radiography below. For diagnostic radiography the most common reasons were wrong career choice followed by finding the course too difficult, whilst for therapeutic radiography the two most common reasons were the same but in reverse order.
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