The children ‘radiographers’ wore a special lead apron, they then placed their teddy bears on the X-Ray table and took mock images of their soft toys' hearts. The young patients were rewarded with certificates after completing their duties.
Helpful staff were on hand to talk about the specialist areas in radiography and qualifications needed, and they gave visitors a tour of the X-ray rooms and demonstrated an ultrasound examination.
Kate Pound, the Trust's Service Improvement Lead for the Better for You, Whole Hospitals Change Programme at the time of the event, said: "At least 50 people attended our Radiography Careers Open Day and I hope they were inspired to become radiographers as it is a very rewarding career. About 30 children turned up with their mums and dads to have their teddy bears X-rayed. The teddy bear chest X-rays gave our young patients a good understanding of what a radiographer does and it made radiography appear less frightening because they were able to get their hands on the equipment and take mock images of their teddy bears.
She said: "The children really loved positioning their teddies on the X-ray cassette, moving the X-ray tube, with a little help from staff, and altering the light beam. It seems that their favourite bit was pressing the exposure switch to take the image and their faces were an absolute joy to watch. Teddies were also given stickers for staying still and no teddies were harmed during the event."
World Radiography Day is celebrated on 8 November every year to mark the anniversary of Wilhelm Roentgen's discovery of x-radiation in 1895. Radiographers across the world use this day to raise awareness of radiography as a career and its contribution to global healthcare.