Background

In South Africa, Radiography is categorized into four areas: Diagnostic, Therapeutic, Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound. I studied and obtained a three-year National Diploma in Diagnostic Radiography in 1997 at the Port Elizabeth Technikon and Cecilia Makhiwane hospital in the Eastern Cape. My career choice was greatly influenced by observing a radiographer taking my wrist xray after a fall and I was fascinated. I started my journey as a junior qualified radiographer at the Nkonjeni District hospital in Kwazulu Natal. The hospital serves a rural community and since it is very sparcely resourced, forces one to think creatively to provide good quality x-rays. Over the next 15 years, I moved to several hospitals, private and public, in the same province, and gained experience in all aspects of diagnostic imaging, in positions ranging from Chief radiographer to Assistant Director.In 2015 my family relocated to the Western Cape and I joined the radiology team at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RXH) in Cape Town. Towards the end of my 1 year contract at RXH, I learned about a job opportunity at the Cape Universities Body Imaging Centre (CUBIC) for a MRI radiographer. CUBIC is the only dedicated MRI research imaging centre in sub-Saharan Africa, employing advanced technologies such as fMRI, Spectroscopy (neuro and cardiac), to investigate diseases and conditions that are prevalent in Africa. I had no MR experience, but, I applied, and the rest is history.

Growth Opportunities at CUBIC

CUBIC offers workshops in Basic MRI physics – a hands-on workshop to help radiographers, new to MRI, to understand how various parameters influence the outcome of a sequence. This course is offered annually for radiographers, and clinicians, focusing specifically on MR safety, components of the scanner, signal creation, image creation, image formation and MR contrast. Similarly, the hands-on workshops in Cardiac MRI, offered annually, afforded me the opportunity to enhance my skills in cardiac imaging, and teach others. Being in an academic environment, piqued my interest to further my studies and I obtained a Bachelors in Technology Diagnostic Radiography focussing mainly on research and radiographic practice and postgraduate certificate in MRI. I am currently registered as a Masters in Radiography student investigating: “ Impact of Pericardial and Paracardiac Fat on the Cardiovascular Structure and Function in HIV Infected Person: A CMR Study”

Highlights of career as MR radioghrapher

1. Joining ISMRT in 2017 because it provide education that empowers MR radiographers and technologist to help elevate their profession by staying informed of current and advancing imaging technique and protocols.
2. Attending my first meeting in Paris in 2018, presenting a poster entitled “ Comparison of Chemical-Shift Imaging (CSI) and Single-Voxel Spectroscopy (SVS): a review”.
3. Winning 2nd Place Award for my abstract entitled “Large Outer Volume Suppression (OVS) Slabs Reduce SNR and Metabolite Concentration Estimates in the Single Voxel Spectroscopy (SVS)” in 2019 – for oral presentation in Montreal, Canada.
4. Winning 3rd Place award for my abstract entitled “Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonace (CMR) in the diagnosis of Sarcodosis: a case report” in 2022 – for electronic poster presentation in London.

Key points in professional development and learning

1. It was daunting to work on my own as in MRI in the beginning.
2. The importance of MRI safety through an incident whereby an MR bed started moving and MR compartible sunction unit was pulled into the scanner whilst the participant was being setup.
3. The challenges has made me a better MRI radiographer because I had to research on how to improve my skills and knowledge.

My vision

To make a difference by teaching and mentoring the next generation of radiographers into understanding different approaches and sequences that may lead to improved protocols that will benefit their departments.

Conclusion

I play a key role in MR education locally through several training courses offered by our unit to both technologists and clinicians with a keen interest in MRI. I also enjoy the benefits of attending the SMRT meetings as they provide exposure to cutting edge technologies. Furthermore, continued exposure to current trends in research and clincal work, is important for skills development. I fully embraced these opportunities by being a member of the study groups, my favourite groups being the Spectroscopy and cardiovascular imaging . Attending the annual meetings is a great opportunity to network.