I Want to Work in ...... Medical Laboratory Science

 

CLINICAL SCIENCE

There are a range of jobs here which all involve working in hospital laboratories. These include Clinical Biochemist, Clinical Microbiologist, Clinical Cytogeneticist, Immunological Scientist and others.

These organise tests on patient samples to assist with investigation, diagnosis and treatment of disease. Advise clinicians and GPs on use of tests and interpretation of results. Carry out research as well as evaluation and quality assessment of diagnostic tests. Typically you work in a hospital paid on the Grade A Clinical Scientists pay scale while completing a relevant Masters degree on a part-time basis (this is fully paid for).

Holding an MSc or Phd did not make much difference to an application. Those recruited were primarily those who had demonstrated their commitment via obtaining work experience and all round commitment to extra-curricular activities.

Typical work activities include:

New training scheme for healthcare scientists

As part of the Modernising Scientific Careers programme, a national Scientist Training Programme (STP) has been developed for healthcare scientists, replacing the previous Clinical Scientist Training Scheme.

An advert in New Scientist this week (13.2.12) directs readers to the NHS Careers website - specifically http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/hcsci_training_programme.shtml
There is supporting information available through some of the links on the left hand side of the above page (please note that the FAQs link currently listed is about careers in healthcare science in general, and not about the STP).

However, further information about STP (including some FAQs about STP) will be added by Monday 13th February.

The FAQs will answer many questions that you may have about the process.

There may also be further support available then. It is estimated that there will be around 225 STP vacancies across England, in life sciences, physical sciences and biomedical engineering or physiological sciences.

Biomedical science students should be encouraged to consider STP vacancies in the life sciences as trainee biomedical scientist vacancies in the NHS are now very rare.

BMS students may wish to keep their options open by signing up for email alerts (to be notified of any trainee BMS vacancies) on the NHS Jobs website www.jobs.nhs.uk

Please be aware that the closing date for STP applications for 2012 entry is 27th February 2012.

Successful candidates will join a three-year, fixed term, integrated training programme of workplace-based learning and a Master's degree in their chosen specialism. You can find more details of the scheme here

NHS trusts, working in partnership with strategic health authorities and higher education Institutions, will offer approximately 200 training posts in life sciences, physics and engineering and physiological sciences to start in October 2011. Successful candidates will join a three-year, fixed term, integrated training programme of workplace-based learning and a master’s degree in their chosen specialism.

There will be a single national timetable for recruitment, national guidelines for the conduct of selection interviews, and assessment centres to ensure all candidates are treated fairly and equally. Science graduates will apply for the training posts through the NHS Jobs website, with shortlisting and selection processes organised and conducted by local trusts working in established scientific networks.

Details of each training place available will be on the NHS Jobsite www.jobs.nhs.uk and this will include a Job Description and Person Specification and a list of all the posts will be found on the NHS Careers website www.nhscareers.nhs.uk..  Applicants will need to apply on line to the trusts offering training programmes in their preferred specialist area e.g. Clinical Biochemistry.  They can make up to a maximum of 4 applications for 4 separate posts/trusts.  They emphasized that applicants should  fully research the programme and read details of the job descriptions and person specification for the posts available before they submit their  application and when preparing the application to pay close attention to the requirements in the person specification including the degree eligibility requirements for entry to the Masters programme. 

NHS Careers will email people about STP recruitment who have contacted NHS Careers and left their contact details. The deadline for applications was 13 March in 2011 and Assessment Centres took place between 4 and 20 April 2011. Applicants should check the site regularly as the content is changing on a frequent basis. Although the official closing date was 13th March 2011, some vacancies may be withdrawn earlier if trusts advertising the vacancies have received sufficient applications. This is usually indicated in the job advert.

There is now a link from the home page http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk to information about vacancies and applying.

A number of STP vacancies are on the NHS Jobs website, but to in order to "filter" the appropriate vacancies, candidates should go through the NHS Careers website and take the NHS Jobs link from the text in the pages:
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/applications-now-open-for-new-nhs-scientist-training-programme.shtml

or www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/hcsi_how_to_apply.shtml

Questions on the application form include:

Scottish and Welsh Applications

STP posts are only available in England in 2011. Scotland and Wales are advertising for clinical scientist posts. The Scottish and Welsh schemes are entirely separate from the one in England and can be applied to in addition to the 4 posts maximum for the English scheme.

Welsh posts are on the NHS Jobs website and can be accessed using the links mentioned in my previous email.

In Scotland, posts will be advertised on: www.jobs.scot.nhs.uk

Further Information

BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS

These work in hospitals and related laboratories; providing a range of sophisticated analytical and advisory services to clinicians and other professionals, and/or being directly involved in research projects. Although salary is not high, you can earn an extra £5,000 per annum for a limited amount of night shifts.

Try to get some unpaid work experience in a hospital laboratory as a starting point. Graduates join as Trainee Biomedical Scientists. Training lasts about two years, leading to increasing responsibility for research and management and may include secondment on a part-time MSc at, for example, Westminster University.

Similar opportunities are available in the Blood Transfusion Service and veterinary laboratories.

If you have an accredited biomedical science degree and the required one year's experience in a hospital laboratory via a sandwich placement, you may be able to apply for Health Professions Council registration www.hpc-uk.org which would allow you to apply for BMS grade 1 posts rather than to trainee posts. The requirements for registration are an honours degree and the IBMS Certificate of Competence. The practical training for the certificate may be undertaken following graduation, but it is also incorporated into sandwich programmes. HPC registration takes 6 to 8 weeks, so it's important to move quickly on this once you have your degree. Most trainee posts for accredited graduates seem to be about Band 4.

For trainee posts of course, you don't have to be registered - just fill in a log book over 1 year, but starting salaries for trainees are lower. Also see www.ibms.org/index.cfm?method=education_and_careers.biomedical_science_courses

This is what the IBMS says:

"Biomedical scientist is a legally protected title so you must be registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC), the profession’s regulator.

Registration requires completion of an academic programme plus a period of training in an Institute approved laboratory to develop your practical skills and ensure your competence for patient safety. This may occur as part of an integrated degree or may be completed post-graduation. The trainee's progress and competence is recorded in a registration portfolio, which is assessed on completion of training. Trainees whose portfolios meet the HPC's standards are issued with a certificate of competence by the Institute for presenting to the HPC for registration.

Students undertaking Institute accredited integrated BSc (Hons) degrees (also called coterminus degrees) will have this period of training built into the degree and will be eligible for immediate registration at the same time as graduation."

Organisations in Kent Employing Biomedical Scientists

Further Information

 

Last fully updated 2010