Anshar Griffith

What were you doing before you came to study at City St George’s?

Before I came to study at City St George’s, I attended a 6th Form that was attached to my secondary school. I studied A Level Biology, Geography & Psychology. After completing my A-Levels I came straight to university to study Diagnostic Radiography.

How did you develop an interest in your course/subject area and why did you choose to study this course?

I always had an interest in healthcare, and I wanted to one day work in the NHS. So, I looked on UCAS and did research about healthcare courses that were appealing to me. I was looking into physiotherapy, pharmacology and radiography. However, in the end I settled on diagnostic radiography as I liked the wide range of career opportunities and routes available.

Why did you choose to study at City St George’s?

It’s ranked highly in league tables for teaching radiography. I wanted to make sure that the teaching quality was to a good standard so that I could make the most out of my time whilst learning on the course. I wanted to be provided with the most amount of information possible to qualify as a competent radiographer.

What has been your favourite thing about studying this course?

Workshops have been amazing in helping us put theory into practise. Working in the two X-ray suites you get a feel for how to use the X-ray tube and you can practise positioning on each other, which helps to increase your confidence for when you go on placement as you feel more prepared.

What is your favourite thing about studying at City St George’s?

It’s quite easy to travel to, as there are many buses that stop by and around the Clerkenwell campus, and it is relatively close to Farringdon and Angel station. This helps when there are disruptions or cancellations, as there is more than one way to travel in.

How have you found the facilities at the University?

The Clerkenwell campus is very nice and modern with multiple study spaces such as group study rooms, techno booths, the library and other areas, which can allow for solo or group revision. These facilities are very useful in exam seasons and when you are completing group presentations.

Where have you been on your clinical placements, and what have you enjoyed most about these experiences?

I have spent first year and second year so far in the St. Barts NHS Trust which includes Royal London Hospital (RLH), St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Mile End Hospital.  I have enjoyed placement here as you get to rotate around the different sites whilst still also getting to see familiar faces as the staff do the same.

You can experience different machinery and get comfortable with a range of X-ray brand equipment. Also, RLH is a trauma hospital so you get to see lots of unique cases which further develops on knowledge learnt in university.

How will these experiences help you with your future career?

All hospitals are different with different local rules, machinery, and ethos. Being able to experience placement in large hospitals such as RLH or specialised hospitals such as St. Barts which specialises in cardiology, it provides you with a vast range of experience and knowledge.

Radiography is constantly changing and being updated so the more knowledge the better, and it also makes you stand out from fellow radiographers when applying for a job, because you can know more ways to adapt to your skills to difficult situations after observing and taking part in such situations on placement.

What kind of things are you involved in outside of your course?

Outside of studying on my course I make mashups for my YouTube Channel. I also play badminton over the weekend to relax and have fun. I’m starting to get back into roller-skating after taking a break for a few years.

What do you plan to do after you graduate, and how has City St George’s helped prepare you for this?

After graduating I will be applying for a Band 5 radiography role in the NHS. In second year, we have not yet started covering interview practice, however there is a module on this in in 3rd year. We learnt about professionalism and the NHS values in first year before we embarked on our first round of placement to give us an idea of how the NHS works.

What would be your advice to anyone considering studying this course?

My advice would be to have a passion about radiography and/or healthcare because this is an intense course and for you to be able to enjoy it and make the most of out of it you need to engage otherwise you will not get a good experience.

Also, I would say not to limit yourself to working in a hospital. Radiography is very dynamic profession, and you can go into so many routes such as being a radiographer for the Royal Navy and travelling around the world, or you could become a forensic radiographer. The sky is the limit in radiography.