UCC expands student access to hospital training to help tackle health staff crisis

Students on the MSc in Diagnostic Radiography at UCC can now access hospital training from Donegal to Waterford

Professor Mark McEntee with students of the MSc  in Diagnostic Radiography at UCC. Prof. McEntee said students can now have “the experience of working from Donegal, right the whole way down the west coast, and right over to Waterford”.

Radiography students at University College Cork can now access hospital training from Donegal to Waterford as part of efforts to tackle a staffing crisis.

An estimated 30% of radiation therapist roles are vacant nationally, according to trade union Siptu.

However, while the UCC MSc in Diagnostic Radiography is one of only two training courses in Ireland, its ability to increase student numbers has been limited by availability of hospital placements. 

Now, in addition to training with the South/SouthWest Hospital Group and UPMC group, students can access seven hospitals in the Saolta University Health Care Group.

Radiographers provide CT scans, MRIs and other high-tech supports including 3-D images for surgeons. The National Cancer Control Programme estimates up to 60% of patients will require radiation oncology for primary treatment and palliative care in the coming years.

Professor Mark McEntee, Head of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy at University College Cork (UCC), said students can now have “the experience of working from Donegal, right the whole way down the west coast, and right over to Waterford”.

The two-year course is delivered in blocks of three months, alternating between UCC and hospital placements. Prof. McEntee said the new placements make the course more attractive to students from other areas in Ireland. 

“This innovative partnership with Saolta demonstrates excellent forward planning. Highly skilled radiographers can plan their future with Saolta in confidence," he said. 

Sponsored students will work with Saolta for two years after graduation, as is already the case with the South/Southwest group. Ann Cosgrove, chief operations officer with Saolta said this will help build up the workforce. 

Msc Diagnostic Radiography students in training at UCC.

Some 10 students were selected by UCC to take up the places sponsored by Saolta, she said. “Clinical education is an integral and invaluable component of the programme and the students are now undergoing clinical placements at our hospitals in order to satisfy the requirements of the programme.” 

Student and former nurse Marguerite Frewen has already done a placement in University Hospital Galway.

“I had a strong ambition to progress into a career where I would be working with advanced and evolving technology while caring for people and radiography allows me to do both," she said. 

A Saolta spokeswoman said: "As part of the course, students will take up clinical placements across the Saolta University Hospital sites on a rotational basis. They are supported at site level with practice tutors who will oversee their development to meet the course requirements and to provide support and mentorship. We look forward to 2025 when they will take up full-time roles across the West and North West."