Royal College of Radiologists Junior Radiology Forum Trainer of the Year 2023

Dr Magdalena Szewczyk-Bieda MBChB,FRCR,MD, Training Programme Director Radiology East of Scotland recently received the 2023 Royal College of Radiologists JRF Trainer of the year award.

Interviewed by Dr. Aaron Taylor and Dr. Kirsty McNeil

Congratulations on your award. Did you always plan to participate so heavily in education?

I am delighted to be nominated and delighted to be receiving this award. I have always enjoyed informal teaching but it took me a while to realise that my heart lies with education. During my training and in my early years as a consultant I spent time in research, quality improvement and management. It was a valuable experience and I find skills acquired back then very useful in my training roles.

Do you have a standout moment in your career of which you  are  most proud?

Receiving this award was a great surprise and an absolute delight. When you embark on a new role and still have big shoes to  fill you have a lot of doubts that you are doing a good enough job, so receiving an award like this is a fantastic external validation.

Medicine has changed dramatically over the last 10 year. How do you think that Radiology differs?

There have been enormous changes and advances in medicine and radiology in the last 10 years. There is more complexity regarding the way we receive diagnostic imaging, new modalities, PACS ( I remember collecting hard copies of CXRs when I was a junior doctor) teleradiology and AI to name a few. I think it is great and makes our specialty very attractive, as we are at the forefront of modern medicine.

What keeps you teaching and what’s your favourite style of teaching?

I have been a consultant for over nine years and still have memories of my time as a trainee and how overwhelming it can be to find your feet in a new specialty. I enjoy guiding junior trainees through the early years of training and see them flourish and grow into confident radiologists. It gives me a lot of satisfaction seeing this transition and having a small input. Every trainee is different and some need more help than others, but is equally rewarding to see them blossom.