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Medical physics

Medical physics

Jonny Mitchell: Radiation protection on the road

23 Oct 2018

Jude Dineley interviews Jonny Mitchell, technical officer offering radiation protection services at IRS, a Liverpool firm. Mitchell is one of eight physicists profiled as part of a specially commissioned article on forging a career in medical physics.

Photo of Jonny Mitchell

Medical physics was not always part of Jonny Mitchell’s plan during his applied physics degree at the University of Portsmouth. Then, an ad for a technical officer at Integrated Radiological Services (IRS) Ltd, a Liverpool firm providing radiation protection services, popped up in the Merseyside’s job search­ — going on to get the job, he hasn’t looked back since.

Mitchell drives all over the UK, testing the radiation output and image quality of imaging devices, mainly in hospitals, dentists and veterinary practises. He works with MRI, CT and ultrasound scanners and X-ray sets, as well as treatment equipment such as lasers used for eye surgery.

“Ultimately, the goal is to make sure that every piece of equipment is safe for clinical use,” says Mitchell. Images must also be good enough quality to justify the radiation dose the patient receives. “Otherwise there’s no point in taking the image.” Mitchell uses his experimental and analytical skills to do the tests.

Travel and variety keep the job interesting, Mitchell says. “No day is the same because there are so many different pieces of equipment to learn how to use and they’re all slightly different. I’m always interacting with receptionists, radiology staff and people in the IT offices to get images, which I quite like.”

Sponsored by IRS, Mitchell is advancing his career through a part-time master’s in medical physics at the University of Liverpool. Combined with on-the-job training, the degree is the path to several professional accreditations that will enable him to give advice to clients without supervision.

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