• To identify and map how the current Scottish arrangements for healthcare science training and education map on to the Modernising Scientific Careers model • To devise the processes, content and requirements for a system that would deliver equivalence with the MSC system for healthcare science education and training in Scotland, particularly with regard to the requirements for statutory registration • To recommend how any ‘top-up’ systems can be implemented to deliver MSC outcomes within the Scottish training and education system, including identifying any resource constraints or other risks that may affect the ability to deliver the top-up system

Results of the mapping project15 programmes were reviewed (5 undergraduate and 10 postgraduate) including both academic and bespoke work based training programmes.

Mapping Scottish Healthcare Science training against STP and PTP learning outcomes

EquivalenceThe national consultation on the MSC proposals in 2008 identified strong support for a system of equivalence that recognises educational qualifications, and accreditation of prior experiential learning and is applicable to all levels and stages of the MSC Career Framework.

In order to demonstrate equivalence an applicant will need to provide evidence to the Academy of Healthcare Science that they have the knowledge, skills and behaviours represented by the core standards in Good Scientific Practice and the relevant MSC curriculum outcomes. When a person successfully meets the equivalence criteria they are issued a Certificate of Equivalence. This certificate confers eligibility to apply for appropriate registration e.g. for the Scientist Training Programme (STP), equivalence would provide eligibility to apply for statutory regulation with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Clinical Scientist.

The equivalence process has enabled us to gauge how training arrangements within Scotland correspond to STP and ensure that local candidates possess similar and compatible knowledge and skills irrespective of  the training pathway they have followed.

Background to the mapping project NES commissioned the Academy for Healthcare Science to map key Scottish training arrangements in Healthcare Science within Scotland to the learning outcomes of PTP and STP. Lorna Crawford (GGC) and Lynsey Bayer (Tayside), both Clinical Scientists, have been seconded by the Academy one day a week to take this forward.

Required outcomes

Lorna Crawford (1); Lynsey Bayer (2); Kerry Tinkler (3); Rob Farley (4)1,2 AHCS secondees; 1- Clinical Scientist NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde; 2- Clinical Scientist NHS Tayside; 3- AHCS Director of Standards; 4- NES Healthcare Science Programme Director.

Conclusions

Correspondence for Generic PTP Modules

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Phys iology GCU

Audiology QMU

Radiothera py

Radiation Physics

Radiation Engineering

Medical EngineeringRes earchMethods

Scientifi cBas is

GenericModules

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Full Partial None

% c

orre

spon

denc

e to

obj

ectiv

e

Correspondence of NHS Training Programmes to Specialist PTP Modules

Radiotherapy

RadiationEngineering

MedicalEngineering

Correspondence of current training to the Generic modules within PTP is generally high, however correspondence to Research Methods and Scientific Basis of Healthcare Science is lower and variable between the schemes.

Correspondence of current training to the common STP modules is variable across the programmes. Correspondence to Research Methods module is high in most programmes, however Generic and Rotation module correspondence is low.

Correspondence of current training within University courses to the relevant specialist PTP modules is high with a very small percentage of the PTP objectives not met within these courses and a small percentage which are partially but not fully met.

Correspondence of current training within University courses to the relevant specialist STP modules is low for broad courses but correspondence is shown across multiple specialties. Correspondence for more specific courses is high.

Correspondence of current NHS training to the relevant specialist STP modules is generally high, with most schemes achieving almost full correspondence. Two of the schemes showed a relatively low correspondence to STP objectives however.

Correspondence of current NHS specialist training to the relevant specialist PTP modules is high with little variation across the specialisms. Very few objectives are partially met within these schemes and a small percentage are not met.

% Correspondence for Common PTP Modules

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Biomedical ScienceMSc GCU

Biomedical ScienceMSc UWS

Histocompatability& immunogenetics

Embryology

Audiology QMU

Medical Physics

Correspondence for Generic STP Modules

ResearchMethods

Rotations

GenericModules

% Correspondence for Common STP ModulesCorrespondence for Generic PTP Modules

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Phys iology GCU

Audiology QMU

Radiotherapy

Radia tion Phys ics

Radia tion Engineering

Medical EngineeringRes earchMethods

Scientifi cBas is

GenericModules

% Correspondence for Common PTP Modules

• Current training arrangements in Scotland correspond well to the outcomes for specialist modules at both PTP and STP levels. The level of correspondence to some generic/ common modules is more variable across specialties. In particular correspondence to Scientific Basis of Healthcare Science and Rotational modules were notably low for some specialties. • Broad academic courses correspond to multiple specialties but are unable to achieve a high correspondence to individual specialties. • Decisions must be made on the requirements for correspondence within each module to achieve equivalence which will be higher in specialist modules. • Top up systems in generic HCS understanding and knowledge of allied areas would help to address the lower correspondence to MSC generic modules at present.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Full

Par

tial

Res

tric

ted

Non

e

Full

Par

tial

Res

tric

ted

Non

e

Full

Par

tial

Res

tric

ted

Non

e

Full

Par

tial

Res

tric

ted

Non

e

Full

Par

tial

Non

e

Biochemistry Immunology Haematology Histocompatilbility&

Immunogenetics

AudiologySpecialism

% c

orre

spon

denc

e to

obj

ectiv

es

Correspondence for Academic Programmes to Specialist STP Modules

BiomedicalScience MScGCU

BiomedicalScience MScUWS

AudiologyQMU