Abstract
D.Tech. (Radiography)
Therapy radiographers generally start their careers excited to be part of a medical environment and enthusiastic about the rapid technological advancement that they can envisage being a part of. Typically, in an oncology setting, a naive enthusiasm for helping patients with cancer rapidly spirals into disillusionment as the stress of working in a profession with no room for error and little opportunity for career advancement takes its toll. Radiography literature has focused on identifying problems such as stress, burnout and a lack of organisational commitment without any constructive attempt to look for the positive attributes of the profession that could assist therapy radiographers to achieve professional or personal wholeness (Akroyd, Caison & Adams, 2002:818; Rutter & Lovegrove, 2008:140; Makanjee, Hartzer & Uys, 2006: 121; Probst & Griffiths, 2007:22).
The purpose of this theory generating study was to describe the process of being a therapy radiographer in an oncology department of a tertiary hospital in Gauteng. This served as the basis for the development of a model to facilitate wholeness as part of a professional identity for therapy radiographers. The study utilised a qualitative theory generating research design, using appreciative inquiry to identify a central concept for the model development. The philosophy of science that guided the research design was that of a post-modern constructivist paradigm.
The population for the research were the therapy radiographers employed at a Radiation Oncology Department in a tertiary hospital in Gauteng. Purposeful sampling was used to select participants. Data collection utilised focus group interviews employing an appreciative enquiry interview technique and reflective field notes were taken during and after each focus group interview. Data analysis was conducted by means of open coding as
described by Creswell (2003:190-195). The central concept was defined by identifying central criteria by means of a dictionary and subject literature. The concepts identified were written into relationship statements in order to develop a preliminary conceptual model as the framework for the research. A conceptual model was developed using Chinn and Kramer’s (2011: 152-205) process for empiric knowledge development. Guidelines to operationalize the model were described to assist the clinical application of the model in a radiotherapy setting. The model was evaluated by means of critical reflection.