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Art and Design
Medical Photographer
There are specialist qualifications which can be gained by part-time study. The work of medical photographers involves keeping a visual record of patients and their conditions, operations in progress and results of treatment showing progress. They may also be involved in the photographing of documents and radiographs.
The photographers' work is used as part of a patient's records to help in diagnosis and treatment, as material used for teaching, in publications, including books and medical periodicals, and as visual aids at conferences. & well as still photography, cine photography and video recording are also used, so the medical photographer has to learn a range of skills and techniques.
GETTING STARTED
It is possible, but very unusual, to start as a medical photographer direct from school or as an adult with no photographic experience. If you have at least four GCSEs at grade C, including English language, mathematics and science, or an Intermediate GNVQ, you could write to medical photography departments asking for a post as a trainee. Although many hospital posts are only open to people who are already fully qualified, some individual hospitals, trusts or health authorities do have formal training schemes for medical photographers. However, trainees are very few in number, and schemes are restricted to areas within reach of colleges which offer courses in medical photography.
The Institute of Medical Illustrators offers a BSc in Medical Illustration based on assignments undertaken at work. Students need to be working in a relevant department. This course includes photography as well as art and graphics. The British Institute of Photography offers a distance-learning package leading to a basic qualification in medical photography.
COURSES
There are courses for people with general photographic qualifications at the School of Medical Photography, in Cardiff. Courses in photography with a technical or scientific bias are also available at various art colleges; they range from BTEC National Diplomas up to degrees. Details of courses can be found in Design Courses, published by Trotman, and a leaflet, Courses in Photography, produced by the British Institute of Professional Photography. A one-year full-time or two-year part-time course leading to an MSc in Medical Illustration (photography and video) is offered by the University of Wales in association with the Cardiff School of Medical Photography. Applicants should be graduates in photographic science, photographic arts of media studies. A salary is paid during study and work experience. Liverpool and Portsmouth universities offer postgraduate courses in medical imaging.
