The University of the West of England (UWE) has invested in new high-tech equipment that will be used for training radiography and radiotherapy students.
The computerised tomography (CT) imaging facilities uses a platform from Surrey-based Siemens Healthineers - the parent company for several medical tech businesses.
The new CT Scanner Suite is the first fully functional clinical setting of its kind in a UK university, according to Siemens.
The technology is already being used in hospitals around the UK.
The company said its SOMATOM go.Up platform will help prepare students for use of similar systems when they begin working in hospitals.
Dr Marc Griffiths, pro-vice chancellor and executive dean of the faculty of Health and Applied Sciences at UWE Bristol, said: “The SOMATOM go.Up CT system from Siemens Healthineers is an exciting addition to the facilities available to students at UWE Bristol’s Glenside campus.
“Having access to advanced clinical equipment is vital to our Health and Social Care, Science, Applied Sciences and Engineering programmes across the University.”
Dr Alex Palombi of UWE Bristol, added: “The new CT will help us to create real-world experiences for our students and enhance their employability skills so that they can help meet the increase in demand of the NHS workforce due to Covid.”
The university has also invested in an online education platform - known as PEPconnect - that offers e-learnings, webinars, videos and virtual classrooms.
“It’s fantastic to see technology that is being used in UK hospitals now available for students at UWE Bristol, enabling the emulation of real-life settings and scenarios,” added Anna Hampshire, education services operations manager at Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland.
“Aside from the system’s intuitive user interface, the SOMATOM go.Up offers an innovative guided simulation workflow, reproducible patient positioning and standardised results for precision treatment.
“The addition of PEPconnect puts a vast range of virtual learning resources in the hands of the students.”
