You should refer to the general careers information available on the Health Careers website, curricula on the NSHCS Curriculum Library and the Scaling for Heights document to evaluate whether you think the training programme is right for you. You are also advised to seek advice from clinical and academic mentors if at all possible.
Employers will set the salary for both the direct entry and in-service posts that they are providing.
Employers will also attract a training allocation of £13,796 per year for each Clinical Scientist in a NHS England Local Team commissioned HSST post. This funding will be used by employers to cover the costs of the doctoral training programme and other training costs.
Trainees can only be appointed to centres that meet the NSHCS standards for accreditation established for HSST training. Partnerships and consortia arrangements may be necessary in the case of smaller centres and the NSHCS will be able to advise on individual cases. If an employer wishes to support HSST for one of their clinical scientists, they must have achieved or be part of an accredited programme in order to do so.
For in-service trainees, assuming your employer agrees, it is anticipated that your ongoing employment with that employer will continue.
Satisfactory completion of the programme will make you eligible to enrol on the Higher Specialist Scientist Register (HSSR) and that in turn will make you eligible to apply for available consultant clinical scientist posts, but there is no guarantee that such a post will be available or that you will necessarily be appointed to such a post.
The Manchester Academy for Healthcare Scientist Education (MAHSE) deliver the doctoral level academic programme for the HSST having been selected through a rigorous tendering and assessment process led by NHS England.
No, NHS England funds the academic fees for all NHS England commissioned HSST posts to access the Professional Doctorate in Clinical Sciences.
No. Deferrals can only be considered for statutory reasons such as maternity. As part of the application you are asked to declare that you are available to start in the coming October.
The HSST is a 5 year funded programme, with 52 days per annum allocated for study leave. You will be required to attend the relevant University, inline with the teaching/delivery timetable provided by them.
About the selection process
If you are applying through the In-Service route, you will not have to go through shortlisting. You will however, still need to demonstrate your suitability to the course throughout the recruitment process and, at interview stage to be successfully offered the post.
Applications must be submitted through Oriel, the online application portal.
For full details on the recruitment and selection process, please see the HSST 2025 recruitment guidance for applicants and employers.
It is unlikely that there will be any flexibility on the dates applicants are invited to attend the interview. The dates of the interviews for each specialty will be made available early on in the process.
Yes. In-service applicants are required to complete the online application form, and demonstrate they have the support of their employer along with the required experience at interview stage to ensure that they have the appropriate skills and experience for the training scheme.
For 2025, interviews may be competitive depending on HEI capacity, NHS England funding availability and whether the specialty is deemed a priority for 2025. Please see the ‘Important changes to 2025 recruitment‘ information in the HSST applicant and employer guidance for further information.