The National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS) manages recruitment to the Scientist Training Programme (STP) in England. Health authorities in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland manage their own recruitment to the programme.
The STP is a 3 year integrated training programme of academic and work-based learning. This leads to a master’s degree in a healthcare science specialty, an advanced level of practical skills, and the right to apply for statutory registration as a clinical scientist.
Click the links below for details of the programme, the entry requirements and list of specialities.
pagesEmployer roles and responsibilities
Regional NHS England commissioners liaise with employers to scope demand. Any employer who wishes to provide a training post must submit an expression of interest to the commissioners.
Employers who submit an expression of interest must:
- Nominate one or more member(s) of staff (per post) to take part in both the shortlisting and interview recruitment processes; this does not have to include a Head of Department. We encourage you to nominate Clinical Scientists and Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) trainees to participate in the shortlisting and interview process.
- Notify us of any changes in their contact details.
- Ensure their HR department is engaged from the beginning and is aware of the national process. Please forward a link to this guidance to your HR department.
Advertisement of direct entry training posts
STP training posts are advertised once all the commissioned training places for the year have been received and confirmed by NHS England local commissioners. Initially details of how many posts are available in each region are published online. Click this link to view the STP 2025 post numbers by specialty and region. Full details of the training posts are published online before the shortlisting phase concludes. Only applicants that are shortlisted will go on to choose specific locations/training organisations. Applicants must be aware that posts are subject to frequent change up until, and sometimes beyond, allocation of places.
Our recruitment process
The NSHCS uses longlisting, situational judgement tests, shortlisting and interviews to recruit to the STP.
Recruitment takes place each year and applications generally open during January for trainees to start in September the same year. Once confirmed recruitment timelines and deadline dates are published on the website. Click this link to view key deadline dates for STP recruitment. These can be subject to change and must be checked on a regular basis. Once confirmed, post details are advertised on Oriel and the NSHCS website.
The process of allocating individual applicants to prospective employers is managed nationally and is informed by the location choices applicants express as part of their application. Once final allocation of successful applicants is confirmed, trainee details are passed to the employers so they can complete their employment processes and issue the trainee(s) with a contract of employment. Contact details for successful applicants are also passed to the relevant university who will contact them regarding registration for the MSc.
Special circumstances policy
We implement a special circumstances policy to ensure that STP applicants with special circumstances and a requirement to train in a particular location are treated in a fair and consistent manner. Full details are available in our Disability Confidence Policy.
publicationsHow to apply to the STP
The application consists of:
- an online application form in which applicants must provide information on how they meet the person specification, details of their qualifications, experience and motivation
- an online situational judgement test (SJT) which evaluates core attributes needed for the programme
Applicants must score above the required threshold on the SJT at the longlisting stage for their application to be put forward for shortlisting. Once this stage has been processed their application status will change to ‘longlisted’ or ‘longlist fail’.
Successful longlist applications are reviewed by shortlisters against the requirements of the person specification. The shortlist scores are used to allocate applicants to interview and the interview reserves list. We manage the interview process by working with employing organisations and by notifying applicants of the interview outcome.
Support for applicants is provided by emailing england.hcsapplicants@nhs.net.
Feedback on the recruitment process
You may be invited to participate in a national feedback survey. Feedback from previous surveys has resulted in process improvements and we ask that you continue to help us by completing the survey.
Useful information
- For general queries about the recruitment process read this guidance and the STP FAQs, together with the programme information in the applicants section. If you do not find an answer to your query please email england.hcsapplicants@nhs.net.
- Visit our Curriculum Library for details of the STP curricula.
- For background information on the STP, including career and specialty information please visit the Health Careers website.