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Healthcare Science (Nuclear Medicine)

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Including maths or physics.

Distinction and Merit profile against the rules of combination. We do not accept Access to Healthcare or Access to Healthcare and Nursing.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32-33

345 points.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

Pass at B and either BB at A level (including Maths or Physics) or DD at BTEC

UCAS Tariff

120

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Medical physics

Swansea University’s BSc in Nuclear Medicine will give you the expert training you need to begin a rewarding and highly skilled career working in the healthcare profession as a medical physics technologist/nuclear medicine technologist.
Over three years you will learn about using isotopes and various forms of radiation to diagnose and treat many diseases, including different types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine and neurological disorders.

You will combine in-depth academic work with practical clinical and technological skills in a range of specialised healthcare settings.

Nuclear Medicine is an exciting, continually developing field that requires a high level of responsibility and technical skill. As a medical physics technologist, you will be operating, maintaining, and monitoring complex, specialised equipment used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients of all ages. As your career progresses, you will have excellent opportunities for advanced practice and further study to Masters and doctoral level.

Our state-of-the-art facilities allow you to learn and practice your clinical and technical skills in our simulated clinical practice rooms. Equipped with the latest technology and equipment, each room offers a unique environment that replicates a wide range of realistic clinical settings. The rooms provide an excellent opportunity for you to put theory into practice and gain confidence and experience in clinical environments.

You will spend around half of your course on clinical placements giving you greater insight into the skills you have learnt with our expert clinical teaching team. Clinical Placements will teach you how to present to patients and will embed your learning into your practise.

The course is accredited by all the major regulatory bodies, and you will benefit from our strong links with the NHS and local health boards, with our nearest hospital being next to our Singleton Park campus. Many of our academic staff in Health Sciences are also practising clinicians, providing invaluable professional insight and expertise.

You will also join a university that is:

• 15th in the UK for Course Satisfaction - Guardian University Guide 2023
• 12th in the UK for Student Satisfaction – NSS 2021
• UK Top 25 University - Guardian University Guide 2022

Modules

Year 1
• Professional Practice 1
• Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare Science
• Pathophysiology for Healthcare Science
• Basics of Mathematics and Physics for Healthcare Science
• Scientific Basis of Medical Physics
• Informatics and Statistics
Year 2
• Professional Practice 2
• Research Methods and Statistics
• Instrumentation Signal Processing and Imaging
• Healthcare Science Work based Placement 1 (Nuclear Medicine)
• Medical Imaging
• Practice of Radiation Protection
• Medical Equipment Lifecycle
• Non-ionising Radiation and Physiological Measurements
Year 3
• Professional Practice 3
• Healthcare Science Research Project
• Healthcare Science Work Based Placement 2 (Nuclear Medicine)
• Clinical Indication, Pathology and Patient Care
• Physics and Instrumentation

Assessment methods

You will be assessed via a variety of methods throughout the three years of study. You will complete written examinations, written assignments, presentations, case-based discussions and assessments of clinical competency. In year three, you will have the chance to complete a research project in your chosen healthcare science programme. The results of this will be presented as part of your dissertation and you will be involved in a peer-assessment scientific poster presentation.

Extra funding

This course is funded by the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme meaning students have their tuition fees covered providing they commit to work in NHS Wales for 2 years following graduation. Places are also available if you receive sponsorship from a healthcare employer and in some circumstances; we may accept self-funded places with standard tuition fees if you are able to secure your own work placement.

The Uni


Course location:

Singleton Park Campus

Department:

Health

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

65%
Medical physics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Physics

Teaching and learning

62%
Staff make the subject interesting
76%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
64%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

82%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
45%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
79%
Male students
21%
Female students
78%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Physics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
28%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
15%
Other elementary services occupations
13%
Business, research and administrative professionals

Although the subject has seen a bit of resurgence in recent years, the UK is still felt to be short of physics graduates, and in particular physicists training as teachers. If you want a career in physics research — in all sorts of areas, from atmospheric physics to lasers - you'll probably need to take a doctorate, and so have a think about where you would like to do that and how you might fund it (the government funds many physics doctorates, so you might not find it as hard as you think). With that in mind, it's not surprising that just over a fifth of physics graduates go on to take doctorates when they finish their degree, and well over a third of physicists take some kind of postgraduate study in total. Physics is highly regarded and surprisingly versatile, which is why physics graduates who decide not to stay in education are more likely to go into well-paid jobs in the finance industry than they are to go into science. The demand and versatility of physics degrees goes to explain why they're amongst the best-paid science graduates.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Physics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£27k

£27k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Nottingham | Nottingham
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Nearby University
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Lower entry requirements
Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham
Medical Physics
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here