Assistant Practitioners – The Society of Radiographers

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An assistant practitioner in radiography is pivotal to the delivery of high quality, patient-centred care.

Although they are not registered practitioners they have a high level of skill through their experience and training and will work to a specific scope of practice.

As part of the career pathway, assistant practitioner can be a route to registered radiographer.

The introduction of the role of the assistant practitioner has been widely implemented within departments of clinical imaging and radiotherapy, such that they make a significant contribution to service delivery. Their practice has been recognised through the CoR’s accreditation scheme. New roles for assistant practitioners have been developed, particularly within screening programmes such as the screening technician role within the Abdominal Aorta Aneurysm (AAA) screening programme in England.

The assistant practitioner role is a development that resulted from the modernisation drive within the National Health Service. The introduction of assistant practitioners should be as an adjunct to the development of advanced and consultant roles, such that a clear career progression strategy for all staff is implemented in order to meet service demand.