6 Similarities between the Ultrasound practice in Nigeria and in the UK

Its common knowledge that western countries like the UK are in need of sonographers and are therefore open to recruiting from outside the UK. It is for this reason that the Radiography and Sonography profession have been included as shortage occupation professions by the UK government. Sonographers from different parts of the world including Nigeria are therefore at liberty to apply for any UK vacancies, and provided you meet the set requirement criteria and perform satisfactorily at your interviews, you could very well be on your way to the UK as a sonographer. Before you move over though, I’m sure you’re itching to know the peculiar similarities and differences between the ultrasound practice in Nigeria and the Ultrasound practice in the UK. If you’re going to be leaving your cherished family and friends to travel all the way to an entirely foreign country to work, then it’s only natural to desire this kind of information. Moreover, you need information like this so you start preparing yourself for the experience mentally, even before you step foot in the UK. In this article, I will be outlining the various similarities between the sonography practice in Nigeria and the sonography practice in the UK, and the first on the list is; 1. Sonographers in both countries scan independently and report their scans. In countries like Australia, the sonographers scan their patients but the report writing is mainly the responsibility of the radiologist or medical practitioner. Read more about this here. In Nigeria however, the sonographer performs the scan, interprets and reports the scans. The same is obtainable in the UK. So when you move over to the UK to practice, it shouldn’t be much of a difference for you in this area as it’s a responsibility you’re already used to from Nigeria.

2. In both countries, the sonographer maintains autonomy of practice. Autonomy of practice is simply having the authority to make decisions and act within one’s professional knowledge base or scope of practice. A sonographers responsibility is very pivotal in the delivery of patient care and it has a direct impact on patient management.

So piggybacking on point 1 above, sonographers take full responsibility for their scans and reports and are therefore expected to exercise their clinical judgement in both expected and unexpected circumstances to ensure the safe delivery of ultrasound service to patients.

Being able to engage in everyday autonomous decisions as a sonographer is obtainable in both the Nigerian workplace and in the UK work setting. So again, that’s something you should very nicely adapt to when you move to the UK as it’s very similar to the Nigerian ultrasound practice. 3. In both countries, the basics of ultrasound scanning are the same The feeling of not knowing what to expect when you start your practice in the UK can be quite overwhelming, and in my opinion, that’s really okay. It happened to the best of us, and it's usually reassuring when you’ve got someone to walk the walk with you and remind you that you’ve got this. Which is what The Naija UK Sonographer is here to do. I'm here to reassure you that the anxious feelings are normal, so take it easy on yourself.

The ultrasound practice in the UK is not as daunting as it may be made out to be sometimes. Sure, the protocols and patient management ways may differ from region to region, but the core basics of scanning are the same across regions.

An abdominal scan in Nigeria would include an assessment of the liver, kidneys, spleen, abdominal aorta, common bile duct, gall bladder and pancreas. The exact same thing applies in the UK. A kidney in Nigeria is the same in the UK, so take a chilled bottle of coke and relax small.

Because sonography is a highly skilled job and very operator dependent, the most you can do for yourself is to keep refining and getting better at your skills, just as you would do regardless of whether you were relocating to the UK or not. You will be put through the general protocols peculiar to your department when you get to the UK, so again don't worry excessively about this. Find out how to become a UK sonographer from Nigeria 4. The PGD certification programme is 1-3years in duration Leeds University in England conducts its post graduate diploma in ultrasound for 1 year (full time). Most other universities in UK however run their post graduate diploma for about 2-3years (part time) depending on the students ability to adequately meet the learning outcomes for the programme. The same largely applies in Nigeria. The PGD in ultrasound organised by RRBN is run for a duration of 1-3 years, depending on students’ abilities to meet the learning outcomes and satisfy the suitable assessment criteria. The programmes in both countries are usually run on a part time basis, as enrolled students are often already working professionals who choose to school alongside their jobs. The assessment methods are similar as well in both countries, with a utilisation of formative and summative methods; these involve incorporating a mix of course work, assignments, written examination, clinical/practical examinations, case studies, image viewing examinations, etc. The Nigerian PGD Ultrasound however goes a step further to include research methods and project work/dissertation in its PGD ultrasound programme. This will be discussed in a different article where I outline the differences between the UK sonography practice and Nigerian sonography practice. In a school like the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), the Masters in Ultrasound is for a duration of 3-5 years part time, and in the UK, the Masters in Ultrasound programme is also run for a duration of about 3 years (part time). More details on this in my upcoming post about the differences between the UK sonography practice and Nigerian sonography practice. 5. Students have to source for their clinical placement sites by themselves As an extension of the point above, to be considered for enrolment into the PGD ultrasound programme in both Nigeria and in the UK, one of the criteria is that students must provide evidence of clinical placement acceptance at an approved site. Without satisfying this criteria, students will usually not be accepted into the training programme in both countries.

Discover the 5 things I wish I was told before working in the UK as a Sonographer

6. Sonography is not a regulated profession in both countries

When we say that sonography is not a regulated profession, it means that there is no regulatory body that maintains a complete register of individuals who have achieved the required qualification of that profession to practice and can evidence continuing competence at the required level.

In the UK, allied medical professions such as radiography and physiotherapy are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), midwives are regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery council, and doctors are regulated by the General Medical Council.

So when all these professionals from different professional backgrounds specialise as ultrasound practitioners, It therefore becomes a challenge to have one regulatory body for all of them, as they are already regulated via their primary professions.

Sonography is therefore not recognised as a profession by the HCPC and therefore there is no mechanism whereby an individual can register with the HCPC as a sonographer or be regulated by them as a sonographer. Most sonographers just happen to be registered with HCPC because of their backgrounds as radiographers.

The same thing applies in Nigeria. Although most sonographers are from a radiography background, there are other professionals such as doctors and midwives who are trained and specialise in ultrasound too in the country. So while RRBN has a register of radiographers turned sonographers, sonography is still an unregulated profession in Nigeria.

Just got a job in the UK? 5 important things the Nigerian radiographer/sonographer must start to gather In conclusion,

Knowing the similarities in sonography practice in both countries is beneficial as it promotes a mental understanding of what is obtainable in both countries, and should you choose to relocate to the UK, it helps you kickstart your move on a positive note. Now that you know the similarities, I know you’re itching to know the difference in sonography practice in the UK and in Nigeria. That’s definitely next on the menu, so don’t pass up this opportunity to subscribe to my blog. This way, you are notified immediately the next article drops, straight from the oven!

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