WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.100
My name is Amy Elliott.

2
00:00:01.205 --> 00:00:03.685
I studied physics and I graduated in 2016.

3
00:00:04.125 --> 00:00:06.765
I currently work for a company called Aurora Health Physics,

4
00:00:07.425 --> 00:00:09.645
and I'm a radiation protection advisor there.

5
00:00:10.065 --> 00:00:14.685
So the role of a radiation protection advisor is we go

6
00:00:14.685 --> 00:00:17.685
to all different types of industries, anywhere

7
00:00:17.685 --> 00:00:21.285
that uses either ionizing radiation or lasers

8
00:00:21.385 --> 00:00:22.885
or electromagnetic fields,

9
00:00:23.825 --> 00:00:26.085
and we look at what they're doing, what they're trying

10
00:00:26.085 --> 00:00:29.125
to achieve, and make sure that they are compliant

11
00:00:29.125 --> 00:00:32.925
with the law and with any kind of best practices of how

12
00:00:32.925 --> 00:00:34.245
to make sure we keep people safe.

13
00:00:35.205 --> 00:00:37.805
I chose to study physics at Warwick,

14
00:00:38.065 --> 00:00:40.645
mainly based on my open day when I came here.

15
00:00:40.725 --> 00:00:42.965
I really liked the feel of the university.

16
00:00:43.245 --> 00:00:45.285
I liked how the lecturers were

17
00:00:45.385 --> 00:00:47.445
so interested in their own subjects.

18
00:00:47.445 --> 00:00:49.405
That kind of was quite inspirational

19
00:00:50.105 --> 00:00:52.405
and I could already see different paths

20
00:00:52.435 --> 00:00:54.245
that I could potentially go down as a career.

21
00:00:54.885 --> 00:00:58.685
I remember going to the careers events, talking to

22
00:00:59.465 --> 00:01:01.325
the physics career counselor.

23
00:01:01.825 --> 00:01:04.165
He was the one that pointed me towards medical physics.

24
00:01:04.705 --> 00:01:07.045
But all of that support was incredibly helpful

25
00:01:07.115 --> 00:01:10.165
with pinpointing that the medical industry was something I

26
00:01:10.165 --> 00:01:12.685
was interested in and that's why a large base

27
00:01:12.685 --> 00:01:16.085
of my clients at the moment are medical based in like

28
00:01:16.085 --> 00:01:19.045
radiopharmacies or in cyclotron facilities.

29
00:01:19.705 --> 00:01:23.685
The most useful experience I had was the URSS project,

30
00:01:23.895 --> 00:01:26.765
which was the undergraduate research support scheme.

31
00:01:27.225 --> 00:01:30.165
It absolutely broadened my horizons in the medical industry.

32
00:01:30.475 --> 00:01:33.125
Even now I'm finding out how useful it is

33
00:01:33.125 --> 00:01:35.925
to have such a detailed background in

34
00:01:36.025 --> 00:01:38.125
how hospitals work and treat patients.

35
00:01:38.745 --> 00:01:42.085
My primary focus was MRI and ct,

36
00:01:42.865 --> 00:01:45.965
but while I was there, I got to shadow in nuclear medicine,

37
00:01:46.385 --> 00:01:48.405
uh, pet the PET facility.

38
00:01:49.005 --> 00:01:51.285
I got to go to, uh, ultrasound.

39
00:01:51.585 --> 00:01:52.845
So all these different areas

40
00:01:52.995 --> 00:01:54.805
that even now it would make my job

41
00:01:54.825 --> 00:01:59.005
so much harder if I hadn't had that fundamental experience

42
00:01:59.065 --> 00:02:00.365
of understanding how it works.

43
00:02:01.115 --> 00:02:04.405
From working on my undergraduate degree.

44
00:02:05.125 --> 00:02:06.805
A lot of the students would work together

45
00:02:06.865 --> 00:02:09.165
and they were prompted and encouraged to work together

46
00:02:09.825 --> 00:02:12.045
as you would in a team in real life.

47
00:02:12.305 --> 00:02:16.565
Uh, when it comes to problem solving, also with the amount

48
00:02:16.565 --> 00:02:18.245
of industries that I work in,

49
00:02:18.645 --> 00:02:21.885
I do keep hearing the name University of Warwick,

50
00:02:21.885 --> 00:02:24.565
popping up all over the place in lots of different areas

51
00:02:24.565 --> 00:02:26.245
of industry and in research.

52
00:02:26.785 --> 00:02:28.205
In fact, I've bumped into a number

53
00:02:28.205 --> 00:02:31.605
of people on my course in various locations, uh,

54
00:02:31.605 --> 00:02:33.725
doing all kinds of amazing and interesting research.

55
00:02:34.265 --> 00:02:37.005
The modules that I found most helpful in my career

56
00:02:37.575 --> 00:02:39.685
would be first of all, medical physics.

57
00:02:40.105 --> 00:02:42.605
That's definitely is applied to a lot of what I do.

58
00:02:42.905 --> 00:02:44.925
Um, energy generation modules as well

59
00:02:44.995 --> 00:02:48.445
with the nuclear reactors, fusion reactors that I work with.

60
00:02:48.785 --> 00:02:50.885
Um, and opt to electronics and laser physics

61
00:02:50.955 --> 00:02:53.685
because I do a lot of laser work as well

62
00:02:53.705 --> 00:02:55.205
as my LPA qualification

63
00:02:55.205 --> 00:02:57.325
or laser protection advisory qualification.

64
00:02:58.145 --> 00:03:00.725
If I could give advice, I would say talk

65
00:03:00.725 --> 00:03:01.725
to the lecturers more.

66
00:03:01.795 --> 00:03:02.965
They were incredibly helpful

67
00:03:03.545 --> 00:03:05.045
and they're just really lovely to talk

68
00:03:05.045 --> 00:03:06.165
to and very encouraging.

69
00:03:06.165 --> 00:03:09.485
And they often had projects, PhD positions

70
00:03:09.785 --> 00:03:14.245
or, uh, like the URSS projects as well, um, to offer.

71
00:03:14.585 --> 00:03:17.085
So I'd definitely say talk to the lecturers more.
