Understanding male student perspectives on therapeutic radiography as a career choice

Abstract

Introduction: Radiotherapy (RT) is indicated in half of all cancer cases and contributes towards 40% of all curative treatments. 16% of curative treatments can be attributed to radiotherapy alone compared with only 2% with chemotherapy. 1 Despite its effectiveness, RT services in the UK face significant pressures; Radiotherapy receives only 5% of the NHS cancer budget 2 compared to 9% (Australia) and 11% (European average). 3 Current capacity does not meet the increasing demand. 4,5 Public perception is low and many misconceptions exist about radiotherapy. 6 Furthermore, the RT workforce is facing exceptional recruitment and retention challenges. 7 The need for increased investment in radiotherapy is abundantly clear. Methods: The last 18 months has seen a number of positive developments towards raising the need for investment in radiotherapy; in May 2018