Claire Hooker

"I am an Investigator and Quality Controller - I like to solve problems and keep people safe."

"I work as a Specialist Radiation Inspector. My job is to regulate work that could cause radiation exposure of workers and/or members of the public in order to keep people safe and healthy at work. Radiation is used in a diverse number of workplaces such as healthcare, vets, manufacturing, food production, construction, engineering, universities to name a few. I get to travel to different industries and meet lots of different people.Before my current role I worked for 16 years in Nuclear Medicine as a Medical Physicist. Nuclear Medicine involves the administration of radioactivity for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. My job role involved optimising imaging protocols to get the best patient image whilst keeping radiation doses as low as possible; making calculations of renal function for chemotherapy and kidney donor patients; testing equipment to make sure it is working safely and correctly; ensuring the safety of patients, staff and members of the public by advising on radiation protection; and the administration of radionuclide therapies to treat certain cancers such as thyroid cancer. As a physicist I would supervise the treatments in a lead lined room on a ward and make calculations of the amount of radioactivity left in the patient to enable us to calculate when the patient is safe to leave the hospital so that they do not expose the public to high levels of radiation.There are lots of research opportunities in this field and I have been able to present my work both nationally and internationally."

"I was inspired to work in Medical Physics by my teachers at school who suggested I get some work experience in the area. During my Physics degree I had a placement in a nuclear medicine department in a hospital where I carried out my dissertation. After uni I I joined the IPEM medical physics training scheme where I was paid to complete a part time MSc and through different hospital placements completed portfolios and vivas to complete the medical physics diploma.After training I worked as a Nuclear Medicine Physicist in various NHS Trusts achieving registration as a Clinical Scientist. In 2014 I became the Principal Physicist at East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust acting as a Medical Physics Expert and advising the Trust on radiation safety in nuclear medicine. This led me to a career as a Radiation Inspector enforcing radiation legislation around the country."

"I like travelling around the world and I am always planning my next trip. I recently travelled to Peru to trek the Inca Trail. I plan to trek to the Everest Base Camp at some point in the future!"

"There is no typical day! I could be out visiting workplaces on routine inspections, investigating radiation incidents, writing reports, sending emails, attending meetings or presenting at conferences! I am currently studying for my legal exams."

"After completing A Levels in Physics, Maths and Biology, I studied BSc Physics at Nottingham University then achieved an MSc in Radiation Physics at University College London. I started working for the NHS and completed the IPEM Medical Physics training scheme then became a registered Clinical Scientist with HCPC."