Healthcare budgets are tight and CPD time pressured. So if we want to protect opportunities like conferences, we need to demonstrate their impact, not just for our professional growth, but for patient outcomes and departmental improvements.

Here is a 3 step approach to evidence conference attendance return on investment.

You’ve mapped your vision (#11 post). 

You’ve thought deeply about where you want to go. 

That clarity is powerful.

But clarity without action? 

Its like having a map but never starting the journey

So how do you start moving forward without feeling overwhelmed?

Here are 5 powerful moves to get you started.

If your career feels like it’s drifting along on autopilot, it’s time to take control and create your vision.

Too often, we let the demands of day-to-day activties dictate our direction. But without a clear vision of what we want our future career to look like, it's easy to become stuck on a plateau.

If this feels like you then it's time to change that.

If the S-Curve (#9 post) taught us anything, it’s this:
𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀.

But what holds us back from leaping to that next curve?

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲.

There comes a point in every radiography career where things start to feel… automatic. You position patients, interpret images, follow protocols, manage workflows and lead not out of challenge, but routine.
That’s not stagnation.
That's 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆.
You've reached the top of your current 𝗦-𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲.

Too often, I hear experienced profesionals talk about career growth like it has an expiration date - as if their best years are behind them.

But that’s just 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲.

You want to move forward with your career.
You're ready for the next step.
You know you're doing a good job.
But you're still waiting for someone to notice your potential.

This scenario is all too common.
Hard work is powerful - but it’s 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱.

Let’s talk about something that's rarely named but is quietly draining our profession:

𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗢𝗠

We often link burnout to being 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱.
But what if burnout is also happening because we’re 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱?

In radiography, we put a great deal of focus on capturing the right images, using the correct protocols, and getting the results that matter. But in the middle of all that clinical precision, we often miss something just as critical: how we communicate.

We’ve all heard it, and maybe even said it ourselves:
“It’s just part of the job.”
“We’re used to being stretched.”
“You’ve got to be tough in this role.”

This mindset is all too common in radiography, and wider healthcare too.
But here’s the truth:
Burnout is 𝗡𝗢𝗧 a badge of honour.
It’s 𝗡𝗢𝗧 a rite of passage.
It’s 𝗡𝗢𝗧 a measure of your strength.
And it’s definitely 𝗡𝗢𝗧 sustainable.

But is does creep up on you

If you’re a radiographer, you’ve probably said this more than once:
👉 “We don’t have enough staff.”
👉 “We’re stretched way too thin.”
👉 “It’s not safe, it’s not sustainable.”

And you’re right.
But you can’t just point out what’s broken. If you want real change, you have to show what 'better' could actually look like. That’s where a Business Case comes in.

Staffing and workload issues aren’t new in Diagnostic Radiography. The 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 𝗦𝗖𝗼𝗥 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝘀 showed an average UK radiographer vacancy rate of 12.8%*, and it’s rising. Add in sickness absence and high staff turnover and you find, all too often, that radiography teams are stretched thin and running on survival mode!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴?

Is your Radiography team thriving…or just surviving?

It’s a question more departments need to ask and answer honestly because right now, too many radiography teams are stuck in survival mode. So how do you know if your team is thriving or surviving?