Shaping Compassionate Radiographers: Taking care of Professional Identity through Education

In the education and training of Radiographers, the educational act should be understood as a form of care, a relational engagement through which the educator supports the holistic development of the student. Acts of care are those that nurture and sustain both bodily life and existential presence, requiring a shared responsibility to cultivate the human potential of learners. This study investigates how a compassionate professional identity is built and nurtured within the educational trajectories of Radiographers, a healthcare profession that combines advanced medical technologies with direct patient care. Anchored in the theoretical framework of Health Professions Education and inspired by pedagogical models that frame teaching as an ethical and relational act, the research explores the formative experiences of both undergraduate students and educators. Through qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, the analysis reveals that professional identity development is a dynamic, value-driven, and relational process. At the heart of this investigation lies the question of how clinical knowledge, technical competence, and compassion converge into a cohesive and ethically grounded professional self. Participants consistently emphasized the hybrid nature of the Radiographer’s role, blending technical expertise with interpersonal sensitivity, and identified core values such as compassion, ethical responsibility, and patient-centredness. Educators emerge as role models who shape identity through mentorship, reflection, and meaningful engagement. By conceptualizing education as a form of care, the study underscores the importance of cultivating emotional intelligence and relational competence in educational environments. Finally, by collecting voices from multiple countries, the study contributes to a broader, cross-cultural understanding of how compassionate professional identities are formed in contemporary healthcare education.