Terry took the opportunity to further his career through the therapeutic radiography apprenticeship, having initially studied as a distance learner with Sheffield Hallam. He earned an assistant practitioner post before gaining valuable experience with Macmillan. When his secondment ended, the apprenticeship provided the perfect chance to complete his degree while continuing to earn a salary.
“I was working with Macmillan, and my secondment was due to finish,” Terry explained. “The therapeutic apprenticeship became available, and I was asked would I like to do that or stay at Macmillan? I thought would finish my degree because I had studied with Sheffield Hallam as a distance learner for two years and got my assistant practitioner post, worked for three years, then worked for Macmillan for a little bit. So I'd never finished my HCPC registration for my degree. This was a way of being able to achieve it while also being paid to do it, so it was a fantastic opportunity.”
Thanks to his previous experience, Terry entered as a second-year apprentice rather than starting from scratch. Last month he became the first at the Trust to complete the programme—marking a significant milestone for both the Trust and the university.
Terry was one of seven students in his cohort, and the programme has grown quickly, with 35 students enrolling the following year.
“It’s a great opportunity for people from different walks of life,” Terry said. “A lot of my fellow apprentices had experience with radiotherapy in one way or another, and as you are getting paid and studying at the same time, it’s an excellent way to pursue a career in healthcare without accumulating student debt.”
The hands-on nature of the apprenticeship sets it apart. Unlike traditional university routes, apprentices spend more time working directly with patients and staff, gaining practical experience with the latest radiotherapy techniques.
“As apprentices, we spent far more time at the Trust, which meant we learned a lot more,” Terry said. “We attended Sheffield Hallam once a term for face-to-face sessions, but the rest of our learning was through distance study while working in the hospital. This structure provided much more exposure to real-world radiotherapy practice than a conventional university course and offered me a great way to embed with a number of different teams.”
Therapeutic radiographers play a vital role in cancer care, using ionising radiation to destroy tumours while preserving healthy tissue. Through the apprenticeship, Terry developed essential skills in advanced radiotherapy, including surface-guided treatments and imaging techniques.
“Being an apprentice gave me time to move around different machines and build my skills,” he explained. “I also had the opportunity to train in imaging, which allows us to take X-rays before treatment to ensure internally everything is in the right position. Historically, students had to wait until they were fully qualified before learning this skill, but the apprenticeship encouraged us to develop these competencies earlier because it's the future of radiography - it's going to be an essential component for us to deliver that.”
The apprenticeship model also supports recruitment into a profession facing a national workforce shortage. It appeals to people with life experience who are looking for a career change and a way to make a difference.
Terry also used the programme as a platform to improve services. His research project during the apprenticeship focused on bladder cancer treatment and identified a gap in provision at the Trust.
“I looked into a treatment called carbogen nicotinamide, which is recommended by NICE but wasn’t available at our Trust,” Terry explained.
With backing from the education team, oncologists, and advanced radiographers, Terry led a cost analysis and secured funding from the Rosemere Cancer Foundation to bring the treatment to patients.
“The flexibility of the apprenticeship gave me the time to research, meet with experts, and we're starting to bring that project to fruition now,” he said. “We’re going to be able to open the opportunity for our patients to receive that treatment. We’re in the final stages of that.”
Terry credits his success to the Trust’s education team and the wider radiography department: “The education team structured my apprenticeship to ensure I met all key points of learning. They helped ensure I had a wealth of opportunities, working with research, dietetics, speech and language, oncologists, different teams, getting a full, rounded view of how the Trust works, how a patient's journey might look like, who's going to be involved, how we communicate to each other, what our relationships all are.”
As the first to complete the apprenticeship at the Trust, Terry hopes his journey inspires others: “The team have been really receptive and open to communicating. I ask lots of questions and the department provide a lot of answers. We've got some amazing radiographers who shared a wealth of knowledge and experience with me, no one's been shy about helping me do my learning.”
For information on apprenticeships, you can contact the team by emailing Apprenticeshipinfo@lthtr.nhs.uk