Physical sciences and clinical engineering

Physical scientists and clinical engineers work with a range of other clinical teams, developing and managing technologies to diagnose and treat illnesses.

Nuclear medicine

Nuclear medicine uses radioisotopes that are bound to chemicals to identify or treat disease within the body. The nuclear medicine department at UHS undertakes a range of imaging and non-imaging diagnostic tests, covering all body systems including the brain, tumour imaging, bone, lung, GI, and renal. We provide a sentinel node service for breast, head and neck and melanoma cancers to identify first draining lymph nodes to minimise surgical procedures.

There are roles in nuclear medicine for assistant practitioners, healthcare science practitioners and healthcare scientists.

Radiotherapy physics

Radiotherapy is the treatment of cancer with high energy radiation. A radiotherapy physicist is responsible for the precision and accuracy for the delivery of radiotherapy treatment by using specialist equipment and advanced computer calculations specifically designed for individual patients. Planning will start with a CT or MRI scan, then plans will be made for the treatment beams to be delivered, ensuring the radiation dose to surrounding tissue is minimised.

Radiation protection

Healthcare scientists in radiation protection are responsible for the safety of patients and staff where radiation is used for imaging or treatment. This role may also include advising on radioactive waste and implementing quality standards.

MRI physics

The MRI physics team are the Trust's experts on MRI safety. This involves everything from providing advice for specific patients as to their suitability for MRI scanning, to managing the MRI safety framework for the Trust and advising on all aspects of MRI safety.

They perform quality assurance on MRI scanners and are involved in the planning and procurement of new scanners. They also set up, evaluate and optimise new and advanced clinical MRI techniques. The team is instrumental in enabling and leading MRI research and development – from using MRI as a tool in research trials to developing advanced MRI techniques for eventual clinical use.

Interested in a career in physical sciences and clinical engineering? View our current vacancies.