Career Blogs

My Name is Imelda Marshall and I am a Breast Imaging Lecturer at the University of Leeds. I also maintain a clinical role as an Advanced Practitioner Radiographer at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

I studied my Diagnostic Radiography at Bradford University and qualified in 2001. After spending some years in general x-ray and the cardiac catheter labs, I decided I would like to pursue a career in Breast Imaging in 2006. I completed my mammography award through the Nottingham Breast Institute but continued my advancing practice modules in Breast ultrasound and Breast ultrasound intervention at the University of Leeds where I completed my MSc in Diagnostic Imaging in 2016.

Throughout my postgraduate education, both clinically and academically, I developed a love of teaching, which has led me to my current role of a Breast Imaging Lecturer at the University of Leeds which I started in January 2019.

A typical day might involve teaching mostly postgraduate students, but I also teach at undergraduate level. In addition, there is marking and student feedback on draft assignments plus preparatory work for teaching and not to mention the dreaded task of writing exams! I also prepare work for review by the external examiners and assessment boards. There is also a surprising amount of pastoral care, students have different needs and it is my role to help and support my students any way I can.

Although officially my role is a 9-5 job- this is very rarely the case! Inevitably things take longer to complete than anticipated or students may need some extra support ….. the email inbox in never empty!

I can maintain a clinical role alongside my academic role which enables me not only to maintain my clinical skills, but also share my clinical experiences in my teaching.  I also really enjoy being part of the multidisciplinary team and making a difference to the patient experience.

My favourite parts of the job….. for my clinical role the best part has to be scanning a really anxious patient and telling them that everything looks normal! In my academic role the best part has to be seeing how far the students have come from starting nervously on their first day to becoming competent practitioners at the end. Graduation ceremonies are a magical experience and knowing that you have contributed to getting students to that stage is a great feeling.

My name is Clare Keevil and I work as an Advanced Practitioner radiographer.

I started my training in 1978 at Guy’s Hospital in London where I worked for two years before moving to Manchester, employed by Wythenshawe Hospital as a radiographer.

22 years and three children later, I wanted a new challenge and I felt that a career in breast radiography would be suited to my personality.

I began work at the Nightingale Centre, then based at Withington Hospital, in 1996. Relocation to a new purpose built unit at Wythenshawe Hospital in 2007 saw me back where I had begun my northern life.

After 13 years of mammography, I felt I needed an additional challenge.  I became an Advanced Practitioner in 2010 which has proved to be interesting and at times very challenging. I mainly cover interventional work which involves performing breast biopsies under X- ray control and reading the breast screening images obtained in the community.

My ‘film reading’ day starts in the dark early in the morning. We usually have 7 sites screening approximately 50-60 women per day which are read daily. There will be one or two radiologists that will be reading the images too. We read ‘blind’ so are unable to see which images have been judged abnormal. Once all of the images have been read, we have a consensus meeting to discuss which clients need to be recalled for assessment. The paperwork has to be completed meticulously to ensure no mistakes.

When I am performing interventional work, the day usually starts with Magseed or wire insertions prior to surgery for non-palpable lesions. The morning usually has biopsies booked from the symptomatic service and the afternoon is taken up with two or three biopsies from the screening assessment clinic.

I attend Multidisciplinary Team meetings and participate in audit. I have presented posters and published in a Radiology journal.

I really enjoy the patient interaction. I need to have excellent communication skills as the patients attending for biopsies are usually very anxious. Often the patient has many questions and worries that need answering. I need to have the knowledge to help, but know when to ask for help if anything is beyond my knowledge or capabilities. It is important to obtain their trust by being confident and professional whilst being very caring and understanding. Many of the lesions are very difficult to identify, making it quite a task to perform the biopsy whilst supporting the lady emotionally and performing the biopsy both quickly and efficiently.

I’ve worked as a Mammographer since 2013 and decided to train in Advanced Practice in 2016.

I am currently training in intervention techniques, which will allow me to carry out image-guided core biopsies plus wire localisations and in the future I plan to complete additional advanced practice modules in film reading and ultrasound.  By completing all three advanced practice training programmes, I can then progress on to become a Specialist Breast Radiographer.

In addition to expanding my clinical skillset, this also allows me to develop my analytical, communication and patient care skills further. Being part of the multidisciplinary team at the Nightingale Centre is enjoyable and challenging, but most importantly it is a worthwhile job.

I qualified as a Mammographer in 2001, after 4 years I joined the mammography clinical training team. I travelled to different breast units around the country delivering update training, assessing technique and evaluating images.

In 2010 seeking a new challenge, I went on to become an Advanced Practitioner, undertaking film reading, interventional duties and performing sentinel lymph node injections.

I took on the role of Clinical Lead Radiographer in 2016 and am responsible for management of a large team of breast radiographers. I work closely with the Director of Greater Manchester Breast Screening and the Greater Manchester NHSBSP Programme Manager to oversee the Greater Manchester NHSBSP and we regularly liaise with Public Health England to ensure that the screening programme is meeting targets.

As the Greater Manchester BSP is one of the largest in the UK, covering 215,000 women, this is not always straightforward and often challenging, but it is definitely rewarding! In my 16 years at the Nightingale Centre I have been lucky enough to be involved in academic research, teaching, business and management, whilst maintaining my clinical skills.

I would definitely encourage all newly qualified radiographers to look at breast as a career; it offers such a diverse and engaging range of career opportunities.

My name is Steph Rickman and I am a mammographer. I qualified as a diagnostic radiographer in 2016 and after working in general x-ray for two years I got a job as a mammographer at the Nightingale Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital (part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust) in 2018. I studied my PgCert in Advanced Medical Imaging at the University of Salford, successfully completing it in 2019.

I work in screening and symptomatic so my days vary quite a lot. This job does not involve out of hours work so it was a nice improvement to my work/life balance!  We have six screening sites (a mixture of vans and static sites within community hospitals) based around Greater Manchester. If I am screening I head straight to the screening site in the morning and work with one or two other mammographers. Screening lists vary but we usually screen about 45 clients a day.

If I am working in the Nightingale Centre I will see symptomatic, assessment (patients who have been recalled from screening), follow-up and family history patients. I also use digital tomosynthesis, assist with localisation procedures such as inserting Magseed’s and wires and I assist with core biopsies under x-ray guidance and vacuum assisted biopsies under x-ray and MRI guidance. Days in the centre can be just a busy as the screening sites and I can often see around 30 patients a day.

Many of my colleagues have trained in advanced practice and do localisations, core biopsies, breast ultrasound and/or reporting.

The role of a mammographer can be challenging: it is a physical job and you work in a fast-paced environment often with anxious and upset patients/clients. However, it is rewarding and I enjoy working within a more specialised field.

I decided to train in mammography immediately after finishing my diagnostic radiography degree because I wanted to work in a field that is dynamic, but also fits into my busy home life.

I started work at the Nightingale Centre in 2015 as a trainee Mammographer while I completed my Postgraduate Certificate in Mammography, which I completed in 2016.

I now work as a Mammographer splitting my time between the NHSBSP and the Nightingale Centre, working with symptomatic, family history, follow-up and assessment patient clinics, and assisting with interventional procedures.  I enjoy working in such a fast-paced environment and would highly recommend breast radiography.

I am Divya Markande, a trainee Assistant Practitioner in mammography. I joined Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) in June 2019 and started with Mammographic Apprenticeship Programme in September 2019. I worked as an abdominal aortic aneurysm screening technician in London before I moved to North West England. I loved my job as a screener and wanted to continue into screening but this time, I wanted to try mammography and learn new skills and knowledge.

My typical day involves doing quality control tests on the mammographic equipment, interviewing and performing mammograms on women and also ensuring that I adhere to all the protocols and maintain a safe and clean environment. I work in a multidisciplinary team consisting of assistant practitioners, radiographers, advanced practitioner, radiologists and consultants, breast care and research nurses, health care assistants and other admin staff.

My working week varies between working on mobile breast screening sites and at the Nightingale Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital (part of MFT), performing mammograms on family history, symptomatic and follow-up patients.

In a mobile breast screening unit I interact with between 40-50 clients (who are well women) per day which includes interviewing and performing mammograms, sharing the work between me and my colleague. Although at the Nightingale Centre the work load varies, I routinely interact with follow-up patients, family history patients and symptomatic patients. It varies between 20-30 patients a day.

On the days in the Nightingale Centre, I attend brief meetings every morning discussing daily updates at work and tasks involved. Also we have a team meeting when all the staff members can raise any concerns or talk about how we can improve the service and get updated with all information.

In my job as an Assistant Practitioner the biggest challenge I face is in regards to time management skills. In a screening environment with appointments scheduled six minutes apart, I need to do mammograms quickly enough to ensure I get a good quality image without it affecting patient experience.

I love this job as it makes me a part of the team that is saving many lives by early detection of breast cancer.  I love patient interaction and feel it is a very satisfying job.

Hello. My name is Di Dalgliesh and I am a Breast Clinician. I undertook my medical degree at the University of Cape Town, and after working as a medical officer in Paris for 18 months I moved to the UK and completed my GP training (1997). Whilst working as a GP I undertook sessional work in the local outpatient breast clinic.

An opportunity arose for me to expand my role in breast diagnostics. I contacted the Association of Breast Clinicians whose members reported high levels of job satisfaction with a good work-life balance, particularly attractive to me then as a mother of two young children.

I left general practice in 2001 and trained as a breast clinician over the course of three years. This included a PG Cert in breast disease management, attendance at national and European breast courses and carefully logged work-based training.

As my children grew up, I gradually increased my hours and now work full time in symptomatic and breast screening clinics in Bath and Bristol respectively. I do not have out-of-hours duties.

Each day of the week is different to the others, a Wednesday being the most varied.

This starts with the Breast Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Meeting. Imaging findings of the pre- and post-op patients are presented with radiological advice offered to the team. As a trained breast MRI reader, I am able to discuss these too. However, cross-sectional imaging is left to the expertise of the radiologists. As clinical lead of our family history breast clinic, I offer opinions about familial breast cancer issues when they arise during the meeting.

Following the MDT, wire guided procedures are performed to localise non-palpable lesions due for surgical excision. These may be ultrasound or Xray guided. The breast imaging team then meets for arbitration – we resolve first and second mammogram reader discordance, review difficult cases and discuss complex clinical issues or referrals.

In the afternoon my patient list includes clinical examination, interpretation of the mammogram, an ultrasound scan +/- a biopsy. If there are features typical of malignancy, communication skills are tested with the breaking of bad news, made more difficult by the absence of a definitive histology result.

Thus ends the busiest day of the week, sometimes stretching beyond the usual 5pm clocking off time. Although we can never predict what clinical problems will be coming through the door, this makes for a more stimulating job!

On Thursdays I undertake my screening work at Avon Breast Screening in Bristol which includes a session of assessments and another of mammogram reading.

Clinical responsibilities aside, other roles include leadership of the family history breast service and research – I was principal local investigator for two national studies. I participate in audit and quality improvement projects. A particular interest of mine is teaching, including six- monthly breast imaging seminars for third year medical students. I am educational and clinical supervisor to a breast clinician trainee in a national pilot project. I have recently started my second term as Vice-President of the Association of Breast Clinicians, and I am a member of the project board for the aforementioned national pilot.

A breast clinician is an expert in imaging interpretation, interventional procedures and resolving complex diagnostic issues. However, the close daily interactions with patients and members of the dedicated breast team is the real draw for me.

There is a national shortage of breast imaging specialists, adding an extra burden to the busy work schedule in order to meet cancer targets. This shortage is being addressed and I am confident that any doctor who chooses to pursue a career as a breast clinician will find the team-based work both interesting and rewarding, whilst leaving time to pursue other interests during rest time.

I’m Dr Zoe Goldthorpe, Associate specialist Breast Clinician and current President of the Association of Breast Clinicians. I qualified as a doctor in 2000, a millennium graduate from the University of Leicester.

I completed basic surgical training in Portsmouth and then furthered my postgraduate training with a period of research into neoadjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy before returning to clinical work in Bristol, as a plastic surgical trainee.

I then took a big step away from surgery and began working as a breast clinician in 2008 in Taunton, where I remain. I completed an MSC in Breast Evaluation over 5 years and now undertake all aspects of breast specific imaging, and clinical assessment of breast patients.

My work is split about 50/50 screening and symptomatic, so most days are quite similar and I will see patients referred through their GP and read some screening mammograms, and MRI scans. If a lady has an abnormality that needs a biopsy found during a clinic, I will perform this, either using ultrasound or stereotaxis as a guide. I also perform vacuum biopsies as a second line procedure when the first biopsy is inconclusive or to remove the area completely, rather than by surgery.

I have a personal interest in breast reconstruction given my previous training experience and am often called on by my surgical colleagues to trouble shoot the imaging for their reconstructive patients. I also have a passion for training, either new breast clinicians, trainee radiologists or our radiographers.

I am part of our breast Multidisciplinary team and present patients at this weekly, from the imaging aspect of their pathway, and co-ordinate giving results to our screening ladies after the MDT meeting. I don’t do any out of hours or on-call work which makes it very family friendly, which is important to me right now. It is definitely a rare job that allows you to be an office hours doctor, whilst still having a real impact on clinical care.

I am privileged to work with a great team, who are definitely the best bit of my job, plus meeting some amazing brave women. Meeting targets is always a challenge, particularly working in a unit that does screening and symptomatic work very fluidly alongside each other, but we usually rise to the challenge.

My name is Dr Fatima Ali and I am a Breast Clinician in training based at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. I happened to stumble on the Credential in Breast Disease Management whilst looking for a job at my local trust. Soon after reading about the programme, I started to feel I had found the perfect career for me. The holistic nature of the training and being able to work across departments in different capacities was appealing.

I had previously trained as a paediatrician and so I had no experience of Radiology prior to this programme- the learning curve has been steep but the quality of training I have received has been incredibly high and the apprenticeship style of training has been refreshing. It has been both exciting and challenging to acquire a completely new and valuable skill set.

I work across 3 sites and train across 4 departments: breast surgery, breast radiology, cancer genetics and oncology.  I love the variety that this set-up brings to my week. This has brought about huge opportunities to contribute to service development which has allowed me to develop my leadership and management skills further.  With the support of my colleagues, I have been able to start a Family History of Breast Cancer clinic for our department. This has simultaneously reduced the workload of our Regional Genetics Service and saved patients having to come in for one-stop appointments when they don’t need imaging and may instead need more time to discuss their concerns.

The hours are routine with no on-call component which allows me to plan and manage my work-life balance with ease. The job is satisfying and rewarding and I take pride in the service we offer to our patients. I look forward to completing my training and as one clinician being able to assess, image, biopsy and deliver results to my patients.

It is a very exciting time to be part of the credential and I am excited to see future trainees come through the training pathway.

I am Dr Mayada Haydar, Trainee Breast Clinician. I am in my first year on the new Credential in Breast Disease Management.

I finished my post graduate radiology training in Syria in 2001 and subsequently specialised in breast radiology. Civil war started in Syria in 2011. Circumstances deteriorated and in 2013 I moved to the UK with my husband and children. I registered with the GMC but as my Syrian radiology qualifications are not recognised in the UK, I was unable to work as a Radiologist.  I accepted a local job in geriatric medicine but continued to look for opportunities to re-join breast services.

In 2019 the new Credential in Breast Disease Management opened for applications and I applied. I started my training at the Nightingale Centre in Manchester (part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust) in August 2019, where my training will continue for three years. As a trainee on the Credential Pilot I undergo training in three areas: breast radiology, family history and surgical clinics.

In the radiology component of my training, I work in symptomatic and screening services. I am enhancing my diagnostic skills and learning about new imaging technologies. I particularly enjoy developing new interventional skills which I did not get the chance to do in Syria. I also regularly attend Multidisciplinary Team meetings, which are a great opportunity to follow up patients I have come across in clinic and discuss their management. I have also undergone physics training in preparation for the FRCR physics exam, which is required for successful completion of the Credential.

My training in family history clinics provides me with a new perspective on breast cancer as it deals with patients who are seeking to prevent breast cancer. For patients with a strong family history I complete the patient’s risk calculation using risk estimation models and discuss their subsequent management. I also undertake consultations with patients who have a moderate risk of breast cancer in the presence of my supervisor.

I train in surgical clinics twice a week. This is an opportunity for me to develop my history taking and clinical examination skills.  Compared to my experiences in Syria, my current training offers me a far broader understanding of breast disease management.

My first year of training has been intense but I have really enjoyed the dynamic nature of the post and the abundance of opportunities that arise from working in one of the busiest breast centres in the UK. This training pathway enables me to balance my professional aspirations with my personal circumstances. The lack of out of hours work also helps with family commitments. I feel privileged to be training and working in such a supportive environment and with a great team.

I am Dr Sravya Singamaneni, Trainee Breast Clinician at Bristol Breast Care Centre. I came to the UK in 2014 in search of my dream career. I wanted the kind of job that is suited to my skills and talents. A career that will keep me challenged just enough to stay interested.

Getting a new career is an exciting prospect. You will be advancing in a career you love and earning credentials which you can use in the future. However, you should address feelings of anxiety as it may interfere with your work.

I’m a people person. I really enjoy meeting and working with a lot of different people, and am known for being a great listener.

I have been working in the department of medicine for some time before entering into the training. I have witnessed from my day to day work that every interesting case in medicine is linked to Radiology as patient management is becoming more image led. The taster week gave a good idea of radiology and increased my keenness to pursue a career in radiology. At the same time, I also wanted more clinical exposure than most radiology jobs offer which was abundant while working in the medical department.

Breast clinicians are integrated in a multidisciplinary team, where they are recognised as a physician who assumes direct and personal patient responsibility. Breast radiologists/clinicians use imaging in its entire bandwidth with plain radiography, ultrasound in all its varieties and MRI. Lastly, breast clinicians also undertake interventional radiology and perform breast biopsies under image guidance, with all sorts of equipment.

No matter how much you enjoy your job, the workplace is entirely intended to elicit the maximum productivity from its employees. The environment you work in has a significant impact on this. As it was a big change in my career, I felt very nervous about the training in the beginning. I am fortunate that the staff at Bristol Breast Care Centre genuinely care about the wellbeing of their trainees. The programme is very well structured where we can get one to one learning almost every day. I hope this pilot will help to meet the challenges and train more people in breast imaging to tackle the workforce crisis.

I am Dr Natalie Spillane and am currently in my second year of training as a Breast Clinician on the Credential in Breast Disease Management. I am based at Royal United Hospital, Bath and North Bristol NHS Trust (for breast screening) as part of the first cohort of the pilot.

My undergraduate medical degree was completed at the University of Southampton in 2013. After the foundation programme I was part-way through GP training when I came across a job advert for the Credential and was very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to take part when I subsequently applied.

To me this is an ideal medical career because one is able combine their clinical acumen with multiple sophisticated breast imaging modalities and procedures to investigate the patient’s concern. You are then in a unique position to either reassure them or have a key role in planning their onward care as part of the MDT.

Breast Clinicians require enthusiasm and adaptability to the evolving technology and imaging-guided procedures associated with breast radiology. This is combined with advanced communication skills for addressing the worried well or those faced with a breast cancer diagnosis. You will acquire some genetics knowledge as part of the family history aspect of the role, which is a nice contrast to the intensity of breast imaging. As training incorporates breast radiology, family history and breast surgery clinics there is much variety to the working week. The abundance of problem-solving and detective-work required means that there is never a dull moment.

An added benefit associated with becoming a Breast Clinician is that are no anti-social hours, stressful on-calls or bleeps. This has been a big plus for me having a young child. However, the service is in great demand and case complexity is unpredictable so some days are busier than others.

Whether you are fresh from FY2, considering a career-change within medicine, or returning to the profession after a break, I would highly recommend this very forward-thinking, meaningful and well-supported role.

My name is Dr Katerina Dailiani and I am a Consultant Radiologist with a special interest in Breast Imaging.

I graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School in my home country Greece in 2004. After serving 2 years as a Foundation Doctor in rural Greece, I had my post-graduate core training in Diagnostic Radiology at the University Hospital of Heraklion, where I qualified in Radiology Specialty in 2013.

I then worked for a couple of years as a consultant general radiologist in Greece, before relocating to the UK in 2016.

In 2018 I completed my Breast Fellowship at the Nightingale Centre Breast Care Unit in Manchester and after that I took up my current role at Guy’s and St Thomas’ London and Western Sussex Foundation Trusts, where I split my daily clinical duties between Symptomatic and Screening Breast work respectively.

During clinics I perform the diagnostic and interventional work-up of patients in the context of triple assessment in symptomatic cases and imaging assessment in patients recalled from Screening Mammography. Interventions vary from core biopsies and Fine-Needle-Aspirations to Vacuum Assisted Biopsies either under US or stereotactic guidance and imaging guided localisations prior to surgery. The rest of my clinical duties include Mammography Screen reading, breast MRI and some amount of Oncologic cross-sectional reporting.

I take part in our weekly MDT meetings across the two sites, either as an attendee or case presenter, providing thus the radiology input in the patient pathway and decision management.

My role does not involve on-call work and I have only minimal out-of-hours commitments, which has a positive effect on my work versus personal time balance.

Interaction with patients takes place on a daily basis and is an integral part of this role and is what -in my opinion- makes it fascinating, as it provides a fulfilling effect of having a direct impact on patient care. Besides the clinic setting, another aspect of this includes giving results to patients, in a more consultation-like context. The latter can sometimes be emotionally challenging but is also a great way of building rapport with patients.

As I have a great interest in teaching, I am able to work closely with trainees and provide mentoring and support towards their development.

Last but not least, Breast Care is all about team work and this is the key element in overcoming the heavy workload and meeting the highly demanding targets, which are always a challenge.

Hello, my name is Shaista Meraj and I am a Breast Radiologist.

I was trained on the West Midlands Radiology Programme, with breast training based at University Hospitals Birmingham, City and Sandwell hospitals and Coventry & Warwickshire Breast Screening Services. A great opportunity to work in busy centres and learn from radiologists, consultant radiographers and advanced practitioners.

Currently I am working at Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Trust, since October 2014. I am committed to providing the highest standard of care to breast patients.

My work involves assessment clinics where ladies are recalled after screening mammograms to have triple-assessment. I do breast examination, analyse mammograms/tomograms and perform ultrasound with breast and axillary interventions. I do one-stop symptomatic clinics where patients are first assessed by a breast surgical team following GP referrals. I then do the necessary imaging and intervention.

Some sessions involve scanning the cancer follow-up patients and post-op clinic referrals. I perform localisation procedures on patients undergoing breast conserving surgery. Performing vacuum assisted biopsies and excisions is a regular part of my job. On an average day, I see over 20 patients. I read screening mammograms on the national breast screening system.

Every week, I attend one diagnostic and one oncoplastic multidisciplinary meeting. There are radiologists, surgeons, pathologists, oncologists, advanced practitioners and breast care nurses in attendance and patient management plans are outlined. Our unit takes part in research trials and I also attend monthly breast management and consultant meetings.

As radiology lead for symptomatic breast, I oversee symptomatic clinics with the programme manager. I organise breast learning & educational meetings. Mentoring trainee mammographers and supervising breast radiology registrars enables me to work closely with the team.

I also do general radiology and report X-rays, CT and MR scans and perform general ultrasounds. Out-of-hours on call work gives a variety to my skills and puts me on the frontline for delivery of emergency care.

I enjoy breast work as it allows me to utilise multiple imaging modalities and perform intervention using advanced technology. Breast radiology is patient focused, producing timely results with high standards. This makes a huge difference to alleviating patient anxiety. We receive excellent patient feedback which is very uplifting.

Breast radiology is an exciting field but has its challenges with rising workload and staff shortages. The future is promising as breast radiology continues to adapt and innovate. There are transformations and new opportunities in breast training pathways, making it an unexplored area with great potential.

Dr Youstina Ebrahim
NBIA Breast Radiology Fellow 2019/20 at Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

I graduated from Cairo University, Egypt, in 2010. After completing my General Radiology training from 2011 to 2014, I undertook sub-specialty training in Breast Radiology from 2014 until 2018 at the dedicated Breast Radiology Unit at Cairo University Hospital. In the meantime, I completed my Masters and Doctorate (M.D) degrees in Radiology. I have a great passion in Breast Radiology and intervention.

I was looking forward to joining the Breast Radiology practice in the UK as it encompasses a very well-established screening programme and the Royal College of Radiologists has put well-recognised guidelines in place for Breast Radiology.

When I read about the NBIA training programme and how it covers all aspects of Breast Radiology and intervention, I was excited about joining this programme. The programme is very well organised and the curriculum and timetables are very well prepared to ensure the maximum benefit from the training.

I would encourage all ambitious Breast Radiologists to consider this training programme if they would like to enhance their sub-specialty experience on a wide scale.

Dr Yousar Jafar

NBIA Breast Radiology Fellow 2019/20 at Nottingham Breast Institute

I graduated from Cardiff University Medical School in 2011 and after my Foundation training in the Wales Deanery I underwent Core Surgical training in Liverpool then returned to South Wales for Radiology training in 2014.

During my ST3 year of Radiology I naturally developed an interest in women’s imaging as I am very passionate about women’s health and I found that breast radiology has a great mix of patient contact, multidisciplinary team working and the use of multi modality imaging and interventional techniques to aid patient diagnosis and management.

My subspecialty training included Breast & Gynaecological imaging and I decided to apply for the NBIA Fellowship to gain further experience in a renowned English Breast Unit. Therefore I was delighted to be appointed as the Nottingham Breast Institute Fellow, where the Breast team are very forward thinking and supportive.

I was keen to learn about contrast-enhanced mammography during my fellowship. The Nottingham Breast Institute have been performing this since 2013 and became the first unit in the United Kingdom to formally introduce this in the symptomatic setting.

Also as part of the fellowship I was able to negotiate maintaining my Gynaecology reporting and presenting at the Gynae-Oncology MDT as well as maintaining my general radiology skills so I have a perfect mix of doing Breast, Gynaecology and general radiology during my fellowship which has been a great experience so far.

The NBIA fellowship is well organised and I highly recommend it to UK based trainees as I think practising breast radiology in a different unit to where you trained has great benefits.

Dr Monica Patil
NBIA Breast Radiology Fellow 2019/20 at King’s College Hospital London

I was trained in BJ Government Medical College in Pune, India and completed my degree in radiology in 2017. I worked as a junior consultant for two years after that. Like most of the radiologists in my country, I was reporting everything that was on my day list but I always felt I would be more comfortable doing some subspecialty which would help me call out things with more confidence, as three years’ training was not sufficient to report complex scans in all modalities.

I was not sure though what subspecialty would suit me best. MSK, neurology and IR are the only subspecialties available in India and there was saturation in all of them. Breast on the other hand is still in its infancy. The demand is increasing with increased cancer in India, but there is no training system in place with regards to it yet.

I stumbled upon the advertisement for this fellowship on NHS jobs. Since it was led by HEE and NBIA, it gave me assurance that I would be able to get a good training in breast imaging, as the UK has the oldest screening system with protocols and equipment in place to provide an excellent training.

Working in the NHS has always been my dream as it is an envy of the world! I would encourage all aspiring breast radiologists to consider this fellowship if you wish to either consolidate your training or learn it from scratch. The curriculum can be modified as per your expectations so that you can get the maximum benefit out of it.