Day in the life – Emma Hill

As we look to hear more about the amazing people working across our region’s cancer care, let’s look at the 'Day in the Life' of Emma Hill, a Research Radiographer at Weston Park’s clinical trials centre. 

What does a typical day look like to you?

There is no typical day when working as a Research and Clinical Trials Radiographer as the Radiotherapy trials we work on span across many different disease sites. Our role involves screening and identifying eligible patients, sending trial information and then discussing/ answering any questions patients may have about the trial. We are often then involved with the informed consent process where appropriate. During and beyond treatment our team provides ongoing support to patients, and this can range from reviewing patients/collecting treatment toxicity data, to requesting trial-specific scans to assess response to treatment. We work closely with many members of the MDT to ensure we are adhering to the trial protocol. Each day is different and that’s what I enjoy about my role, supporting patients from the beginning of their treatment right through to their long-term follow-up can be very rewarding.

What led you to work in this role? 

I’ve always had a keen interest in improving patient outcomes through research and clinical trials and whilst working as a Senior Therapeutic Radiographer I had various secondments into the Research and Clinical Trials Radiographer role on a part-time basis which enhanced my interest in the role. I enjoy being part of trials which shape radiotherapy practice and improve the quality of life for patients. Some of our trials have very long follow-ups to assess late treatment toxicities which means we get to know our patients really well which I also enjoy. 

Before coming into this role, I had completed a master's module which enables me to perform treatment reviews for patients having radiotherapy and this was a really valuable skill set to bring over to my current research role.

In what way do you work alongside other staff or teams within SYB?

We work alongside various partnerships across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw to ensure patients across all regions have access to clinical trials. To ensure our patient's treatment journey runs as smoothly as possible and to try and limit travel, we coordinate care with other partnerships across the region.

How has your role changed in the last couple of years?

We’ve expanded our role so that some of the team can undertake on-treatment reviews to support patients and collect trial toxicity data to reduce the burden on busy Clinician clinics. Over the last couple of years more complex trials, for example, trials involving immunotherapy alongside radiotherapy or early phase trials have opened and therefore our role has expanded and developed to accommodate this.

What excites you most about your role? 

Being part of trials that improve outcomes for patients and influence the future of Radiotherapy.

Are there any personal or team achievements or highlights you’re most proud of? 

Our team has developed a dedicated Research Radiographer led telephone clinic to perform trial-specific data collection and patient reviews. This not only benefits patients by reducing waiting times in busy clinics and the need to travel but also reduces the burden on busy Clinician clinics. The successful running of this clinic is a great achievement, and it has enabled us to develop our clinical role.

Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve in the future within your role?

I hope we can continue to promote the effectiveness and importance of radiotherapy and ensure patients across the region have equitable access to clinical trials. It would be my hope that we could do some local research projects within the team for service improvement and be able to present our findings at professional events. Clinical trials do however keep us very busy, but who knows what the future holds.