My name is Kate Manley and I am a newly qualified Sonographer at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton. My interest in sonography began during my BSc Biomedical Science degree at the University of Sheffield. It was here that I fell in love with human anatomy and physiology and decided that my dream job would include this and working with people. I’ve found ultrasound to be the perfect combination, providing a thoroughly engaging career in an ever evolving environment.

My background is somewhat unconventional in the ultrasound world, with most Sonographers having trained in Radiography. I was very lucky to be successful in my application to the University of Derby MSc course in Medical Ultrasound. It was the first ever intake of this full time graduate entry MSc at the University and an incredibly exciting opportunity.

The course was daunting at first, but it was very interesting, translating existing knowledge of anatomy and pathology to ultrasound images. Even then, there’s the additional skill of hand-eye co-ordination to try and master - not to mention the perfect poker face!

The course included on-campus hands-on learning with volunteers and simulators which gave an extra dimension to the content which was very useful. Without this it would have been far more difficult to start off straight in an ultrasound department. I found all the content very interesting and felt on par with those from the traditional radiography background. The university provided excellent support throughout the two year masters course and the simulation suite was also very useful for practising scan technique.

I knew that I would enjoy the challenge of working as a Sonographer in the NHS, but I didn’t realise how much I would love my job. I find it stimulating to apply the clinical symptoms to what I am seeing to formulate useful conclusions, contributing to the care and management of each patient. Yes, there can be large amounts of pressure to assure the correct diagnosis or having to break bad news. But I am also able to share precious moments with my patients, for example there is nothing better than being able to reassure a concerned mother that their baby still has a heartbeat.

It is still very early days in my career and the amount of support I have received from colleagues and lecturers has been tremendous. I feel that my background knowledge has been incredibly useful in this career and think that opening the doors of ultrasound to a wider variety of applicants is an excellent step forward. I am proud of my profession and forever grateful for being given the opportunity to pursue it.