Get to know us and what we stand for!
The National Mentoring Program is a volunteer service run by MRPs that is open to any student or practitioner in the field. This includes radiographers, sonographers, radiation therapy technologists and nuclear medicine technologists. Our Initiative Values can be easily remembered as GRAPES!
Growth
Mentoring has been shown to improve communication and leadership skills, as well as helping individuals set goals, access new opportunities, grow in confidence and increase professional skills.
Responsibility
Mentoring can help MRPs address several professional capability requirements to practice. Domain 3.2 requires practitioners to have well-developed communication and collaboration with others, while Domain 4 requires practitioners to reflect on their own strengths and limitations, seek input from others to identify learning needs, and engage in opportunities that improve professional practice and contribute to legal obligations of CPD.
Advocacy
In addition to partners supporting one another, mentoring is shown to create a wider benefit, such as increased workforce retention, salary growth, and research output, which support the current and future progression of the profession.
Purpose
Mentoring encourages purposeful pursuit of the goals of individuals and therefore the development of the profession to which they contribute.
Engagement
Mentoring invests in the development of a more supported, engaged, connected,
and collaborative workforce.
Sustainability
Specially curated, reciprocal partnerships and evidence-based program design is accessible to practitioners at any level to support long-term involvement in mentoring.
Meet the Co-Founders!
Allie Tonks
Allie is a Radiographer and PhD Candidate who developed the idea of a mentoring program specifically for MRPs while new to Australia. Working together with Fran, the mentoring program was born in 2021 and has continued to grow with an expanding and passionate team behind it. Allie is enthusiastic about delivering a service that connects and empowers people at all levels with a range of interests and goals.
Franziska Jerjen
Fran is a Radiographer who graduated from her Masters Degree at the University of Sydney. Fran is particularly passionate about advancing the Medical Radiation Sciences and helping others achieve their goals within the field. She strongly believes in the power of mentorship, having been both a mentor and a mentee across various settings including student education, research, and as part of the National Mentoring Program itself which she helped develop with Allie.
Meet the Team!
Kate Dahlenburg
Kate is a radiographer at Logan Hospital in Queensland, and is currently in the final year of her Master of Advanced Medical Radiation Practice. She deeply associates her passion for radiography and research to the ongoing mentorship she has received in her early career, and therefore sees inherent value in connecting and empowering others through their own unique mentoring partnerships. Kate aims to contribute meaningfully to the National Mentoring Program as the Events & Applications Coordinator, tailoring each partnership to each participant’s specific interests and goals.
Nareuchaya Karoonuthaisiri
Having been the 2023 and 2024 ASMIRT NSW Branch Secretary and a previous NMP mentee, Nareuchaya is deeply committed in fostering growth and collaboration within the MRP community. She has had the privilege to learn from industry leaders and it has accelerated her personal growth, insight, network and career direction. So, she wants to pay it forward by helping others gain unique yet realistic industry insights and maximize their potential through mentorship. Moving forward, she is excited to continue contributing to the National Mentoring Program for Medical Radiation Practitioners as the Brand and Communications Manager.
Rebecca McDonald
Rebecca is a radiographer with I-MED Radiology, and she is currently undertaking a
Graduate Certificate in Breast Imaging with the University of South Australia. Mentorship has played a critical role in Rebecca’s development and growth as a radiographer throughout her career. As a result, she is passionate about encouraging her fellow colleagues to be involved in the medical radiation practitioner community and to participate in incredible initiatives such as the National Mentoring Program. Rebecca is excited to be the External Relations Manager for the National Mentoring Program and to facilitate successful mentoring
partnerships through collaboration and connection with our professional community.
Georgie Patrikopoulos
Having experienced the transformative effects of mentorship firsthand, Georgie owes much of her career direction, perspective and connections to the National Mentoring Program. Working at Gold Coast University Hospital, Georgie takes pride in assisting students and new graduates, offering guidance and support as they navigate the same path she did a few years earlier. Georgie strongly believes in the benefits of mentor/mentee initiatives, and hopes to help empower others to achieve their fullest potential.
Karim Yacoub
Karim Yacoub is the Medical Imaging Stream Leader & Academic Clinical Coordinator at RMIT University and Radiographer at Austin Health. Karim highly values radiographic education and aims to inspire the future generation of radiographers through his teaching within both the clinical and academic environments. Karim is involved with the ASMIRT National Education Committee, the ASMIRT VIC Branch, the ASMIRT Continuing Education Committee (CEC) and is an esteemed mentor for the ASMIRT Victorian student committee as well. Karim is also the Founder of Radiographer’s View, a professional online community of national and international radiographers.
Karim looks forward to working with the NMP team as Applications Coordinator, Brand and Communications Manager to help foster a stronger medical radiation profession through mentoring.