Meet Cobalt’s new Trainee MRI Radiographer

Meet Cobalt’s new Trainee MRI Radiographer 

We are delighted to welcome Nox Munir to Cobalt as a trainee MRI radiographer. We caught up with Nox to find out more about his career journey so far, why he decided to join Cobalt, and what he likes to do to relax and unwind outside of office hours. 

So Nox, tell us about your journey to becoming a trainee MRI radiographer at Cobalt? 

I studied diagnostic radiography at Teesside University. Most of the second and third year was online due to COVID and during the third year, there was an online radiography recruitment day. Cobalt gave a presentation about the company, their values, and what they want to achieve. I was very impressed so I filled in the online application form, I had an interview and I was offered a job to join the team.

What attracted you to Cobalt? 

Firstly, Cobalt’s work with the community and the family atmosphere. Cobalt is a charity and runs many activates to raise funds alongside the community such as charity walks. These funds help Cobalt acquire the latest technology and help disadvantaged people in the community, which I admire. The second attraction was the different avenues of work Cobalt offers its trainees. One of these avenues was the research specifically in areas of neurology.  

What do you enjoy the most about being a radiographer? 

When people think about radiography, they think of x-rays and medical professionals pressing a few buttons. Being a radiographer is so much more than that. As a trainee MRI radiographer, I have to learn about the physics to operate millions of pounds of MRI equipment, the medical teaching from learning about the anatomy to diseases like dementia and finally the interaction with patients when they are being scanned. These different areas of the job make each day different, I come to work every day and I always expect to see or do something new.

Tell us more about the MRI Training programme?

Cobalt has recently updated its MRI Training programme. The programme constantly takes feedback from trainees to innovate the course for new recruits each year. The programme is very structured and runs for 2-3 years. The course involves three different areas, the anatomy and pathology of the body part that is being scanned, how to scan specific body parts and the sequences involved and finally the physics behind each scan and how to interpret and modify the scans. Each month I have new modules to start and practical assessments to complete, which is very intense but recruits (including myself) at Cobalt are supported with safeguarded study time during work to complete the modules. Alongside your training coordinators, each recruit is assigned their own mentor that is a senior radiographer, which you can go to, to seek advice or have a general chat, which is a resource in itself. The course is based at Cheltenham Imaging Centre for the first few months before going on mobile sites across the UK. I recently moved onto mobiles, each mobile site is very different in terms of service users, scans they do and setup. Cobalt works with the NHS hospitals, community hospitals, private hospitals and even a prison, which I really look forward to scanning at.  

How do you like to spend your spare time outside of working hours? 

I like cricket and rugby and Cheltenham has many teams close by that I can go and watch. Many of the residents in Cheltenham have moved to the area to work so there are many social clubs that you can join. I recently did archery, and I play 5-aside football. There is always something to keep you busy!

And finally, what is your all-time favourite movie? 

I am a total sci-fi buff and a long-standing fan of the Terminator franchise. Given that, my favourite movie is Terminator 1.