Alumnus of the Year Turkka Lehtonen: “As a radiographer, I get to combine two of my passions: technology and people”

Turkka Lehtonen does almost everything a radiographer is expected of in a radiation therapy unit. Currently, Lehtonen’s work mostly consists of dose planning for radiation therapy and providing treatment with medical devices. Yet, he finds that the most meaningful part of his work is to be calm and present in the brief amount of time he spends with the patient. 

– One treatment usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes, out of which you spend maybe five minutes interacting with the patient. So, those five minutes become really significant. How do you acknowledge the patient? Do you answer their questions? Do you ask about they are feeling? It's the small things that matter. At my work, I carefully consider how I use my time while acknowledging the patient.

Lehtonen thinks that the accuracy required in the work of a radiographer suits super meticulous people, such as himself. Deep understanding of both technology and people is reflected in Lehtonen’s daily work in the multi-talent scope it requires. It is also strongly expressed in the trust his colleagues place in him.

Calling for humane work paved way to TAMK

After high school and the Reserve Officer School, Lehtonen applied for a study place in the technical industries at both Tampere University of Technology (merged with the University of Tampere 2019 to form the current Tampere University) and TAMK. He was admitted to both schools, and at first he chose to study telecommunications electronics at the Tampere University of Technology with the aim for becoming a Master of Science in Technology. 

– It took two years to discover that it wasn’t for me. It didn’t line up with my own goals and with what I had learned of myself by that time: putting technology first is not what I look for.

– I really like interacting with people. I ended up taking an aptitude test, and after responding to several hundred questions, radiographer made its way to my Top 5 professions.

Lehtonen began to find out what a radiographer does and studied the profession in more detail.

– I learned how a radiographer’s job description is a combination of my strong points: high interest towards technology and human interaction.

Lehtonen applied to the Tampere University of Applied Sciences (then the Pirkanmaa University of Applied Sciences) in 2008. He was admitted right away, started studying in the autumn of the same year and graduated in January 2012. In February 2012, Lehtonen began working at the radiation therapy unit at the Tampere University Hospital. The same radiation therapy clinic was the subject of his thesis, written together with a student colleague. The thesis is in fact still used at the clinic.

– It is a children’s colouring and picture book which helps child patients and their family keep track of the stages of their radiation therapy. It’s absolutely fantastic that it is still in use.

Photo: Turkka Lehtonen

A truly caring radiographer

The Society of Radiographers in Finland awarded Lehtonen with the title of Radiographer of the Year in 2023. The winner is voted from among members of the Society of Radiographers in Finland. Lehtonen received the award with the following accolades: he was described as an outstanding radiation therapy professional who is always willing to help and is easy to approach.

– It was a bit funny, not least to my family, that I was said to have nerves of steel. 

Turkka Lehtonen is a meticulous, diligent, truly caring radiographer who always wants to provide the best possible radiation therapy to patients.”

Extracted from the criteria for the X-ray nurse of the year award

Lehtonen says that the most rewarding part about being a radiographer is getting acknowledged for putting in the good work every day.

– I might sit on a single machine all day and see 20 patients. Without a doubt, the most rewarding thing is when you have taken each patient’s individual needs into account and get praise for your work after a short therapy session. 

For Lehtonen, the work’s personal significance stems from helping and nursing people. 

– The patient comes first. If they are terminally ill, I get to alleviate the symptoms and provide care for them. 

Teaching deepens your own learning

Lehtonen has a part-time job at TAMK teaching radiation therapy. He likes to bring students to the clinic to learn from radiographer’s practical point of view. Hospital laboratories are also the right place to learn how to use radiation therapy equipment. Lehtonen has been teaching classes elsewhere, too: at training days organised by the Society of Radiographers in Finland and the Oncology Society of Finland, for instance. 

– Teaching helps deepen your own learning. If you have the opportunity teach, you notice the gaps in your competence. You get the chance to learn more and improve yourself. And of course, when working closely with people, it’s always useful if you can express things in not just one, but two or three different ways. While teaching, you notice quite quickly if your message is getting across or whether it is all Greek to the audience. 

Lehtonen is a respected teacher and tutor. He highly enjoys the role of an instructor whether it is for a colleague, patient or a family member. 

In terms of his own experiences as a student, internships left the biggest mark. There are a lot of them, and they usually last five weeks. The internships are quite diverse, as are the studies. Each unit is different with its own equipment and staff, depending on the type of examinations and procedures the unit performs. 

– For instance, two people with the same educational background may work in diagnostics taking ‘traditional’ 2D x-ray images or diverse computed tomography scans with a CT or an MRI device.

Lehtonen advises radiographer students, and students at universities of applied sciences in general, to give their best effort during the internship regardless of where they are. 

– It may well be that some radiographer’s tasks, for example magnetic resonance imaging, are not interesting to some students at all. And that’s fine, as there are a number of units where no MRI takes place, and it is possible to find good employment anywhere you want regardless. Naturally, the best part about the internship is doing what you love and getting a considerably less arduous path to reaching the highest level of professionalism. However, each internship leaves a mark, a calling card of sorts. 

– The more diverse and expansive picture you have of all hospital functions, the easier it is to counsel and encounter the patient. 

AI helps in being present

In the health care industry, it is common to debate technological advancements and artificial intelligence and whether they should be seen as threats or opportunities.

– In the more than 10 years I’ve spent here in the radiation therapy unit, technology has taken giant leaps forward. To me, technology and its developments provide the spark which keeps me interested in the health care industry. Our radiation therapy unit also uses an AI application which helps and speeds up the radiation therapy process.

The AI application used at the Tampere University Hospital is relatively simple, so patients do not have to be concerned about AI taking part in the planning of their radiation therapy. The AI helps specify the parts of body of the patients who receive radiation therapy, for instance. Before, parts of the body had to be drawn by hand. The AI application is provided by a company which has employed Lehtonen’s former radiographer colleague from its early days. Today, their product is sold around the world.

One potential threat that Lehtonen sees is how the role of a radiographer might change in the future.

– At the moment, therapy is planned by the radiographer, but will AI step in at some point? Are radiographers needed only to check what AI has done? We are also facing some new teaching challenges. If AI is able to serve everything on a plate, does the employee have sufficient skills to ensure that the AI is correct if they have never performed the actual work phase themselves? 

According to Lehtonen, the next challenge in teaching as well as in any development is to keep pace: we must ensure that we have competent professionals who are able to provide the same end result as AI, even if AI is used to make the processes easier. 

With technological advancements, patients are left to wonder whether the developments will eventually lead to a point where they can simply press a button themselves, lie down and receive the planned therapy or scans.

– I feel that we are still a very long way from such a scenario. At least for the time being, advanced technology is useful for providing more time to encounter the patient and being present in that moment. 

“I wish this field of work got more recognition”

Legislation requires that radiographers sustain their professional skills: they have an obligation to continue their professional development. We must keep upgrading our skills and sustain our competence. For instance, the Society of Radiographers in Finland is very active in organising continuing education for readiness in the work. They also provide a good opportunity to network with and learn from people working in other radiation therapy units.

Lehtonen is the radiographer representative for the quality group of Tampere University Hospital’s radiation therapy unit. This provides a prime opportunity to develop his unit. What’s more, he has received internal training for clinical auditor and has conducted peer reviews at the Turku University Hospital. 

In every-day work, Lehtonen encourages everyone to remain interested in what they do. 

– If possible, go see and study how other people do what you do. Another unit in Finland or elsewhere in the world may have a smarter approach. 

In Europe, the ESTRO (The European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) is a multi-day event which includes extensive lectures on all subjects related to radiation therapy. While Lehtonen has yet to attend, he hopes to do so in the future, with the aim of bringing back the latest good practices on the development direction of treatment to his unit. 

If there is something Lehtonen might consider in the future that does not include working in a radiation therapy unit, he would be interested in teaching the subject at a university of applied sciences or at a university, or getting a master's degree at a university of applied sciences. 

– I don’t think I will be going back to the University of Technology. But never say never. 

As the Alumnus of the Year, Lehtonen hopes to be an advocate for the profession of a radiographer.

– I am quite honoured to be the Alumnus of the Year. The quality of education at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences is at a very high level, and radiographers who have graduated from Tampere are highly appreciated across Finland. 

– I want to offer the same opportunity I had myself: to find a field of work which combines the latest technology with a humane approach and teaching. Especially in a teaching hospital, such as Tays, any regular radiographer has the opportunity to teach. Most of all, I wish this field of work got more recognition.  

Photo: Turkka Lehtonen

Author: Emmi Rämö
Video: Renata Brito