Message from the Head of School
Professor Berne Ferry
Hi Everyone,
I hope no one minds me hijacking this Monthly Memo for the last time to bid farewell to you all. I will be leaving the School and NHSE at the end of May and I am so grateful of the opportunity to be able to express just a little of the immense sense of gratitude I have to science and to healthcare scientists in particular.
I want to say thank you to:
The Trainers, (including lead station writers, examiners, interviewers, and all of you who take on the multiple and varied roles involved in educating the healthcare scientists of the future: there will be supervisors, mentors, and countless work colleagues amongst this group).
Thank you for staying and working in the NHS, for your time, dedication, and skills, for your experience and faith in what you do and for your clear faith in your work and the idea of the NHS. You are amazing, a brilliant bunch of people who happen to be scientists and who have chosen to utilise your knowledge and expertise for the good of the health of people. It is a privilege to be one of you and to have worked with you. Thank you.
The Trainees, (including HCS apprentices, PTP students, STP, ETP, HSST, ASP and anyone whom I’ve forgotten to mention).
Thank you for choosing the NHS to hone your scientific skills and for taking the first step to become one of the most important people in any hospital: a healthcare scientist. You are all extraordinary! You work so hard and are not only tackling a difficult and nationally recognised impressive academic and clinical programme, but you are also navigating your way through a curriculum that involves a university, the NSHCS and an everyday work life in busy and challenging NHS Trust departments. It has been an honour to have led the School for so many years and wonderful to have been able to watch you guys grow and embrace the tasks and challenges in your new NHS roles.
The University, School, HEE, NHSE, AHCS and so many other colleagues.
Thank all of you for being such great and collaborative colleagues, for your enthusiasm, knowledge and enterprise and for your constant and never-ending innovation. It has been a pleasure to have worked with all of you.
Thank you to all of you for being part of the journey. Good luck in the future. It’ll be fascinating to watch where it goes and by what path it gets there. I wish each of you every success and happiness going forward
Best wishes
Berne
Information for all trainees
Book your BSE Practical Assessment
The March 2023 sitting of the BSE theory exam has recently taken place. Congratulations to those of you who have passed. Please ensure you book your place as soon as possible for your Practical Assessment via the BSE website, as these will fill up quickly. It is one of the completion requirements to take this exam before the end of the programme.
Save the date in your diary for Tuesday 2 May 2023 when registration will open for the following dates:
Sunday 28 January 2024 – Coventry
Sunday 24 March 2024 – Stoke
Inspiring the younger generation to consider a career in the NHS
To help mark its 75th anniversary, the NHS has teamed up with Inspiring the Future to inspire children to consider a career in the Service. The NHS Ambassadors programme connects NHS staff with schools. By talking about their job, NHS staff will help to illustrate the connection between what students are studying in the classroom and the potential opportunities available in the NHS, recognising that the Service has over 350 different careers on offer.
The initiative is looking for NHS staff, from all levels and professions to register and commit to a minimum of an hour a year to go into schools and colleges – in person or virtually. It’s easy to sign up and by doing so you’ll be helping to inspire the NHS workforce of the future.
Click here to sign up to become an NHS ambassador
Information for training officers
Upcoming Train the Trainer sessions
If you are new to the role of Training Officer and will be taking responsibility for an ETP trainee, this training session is essential to your training and is part of the ETP endorsement process.
The training session will help you:
- explain the aims and structure of the ETP
- explain and examine the role of the Training Officer
- outline training plans with examples
- describe and evaluate the types of assessment and evidence
- reinforce the purpose of reflective practice
- reflect upon what makes effective feedback
- introduce OneFile
- identify training support available and our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
The webinar will last a maximum of 3 hours.
The next ETP Train the Trainer dates are:
Wednesday 19 April 2023 @ 1.00pm – 4.00pm
Thursday 15 June 2023 @ 10.00am – 1.00pm
Click here to register to attend an ETP Train the Trainer event (expired link)
New training for trainers package
Earlier this month we contacted all trainers in the workplace to announce the launch of our new package of training for trainers. This new package has been developed after extensive feedback from trainers working in all our of programmes.
The new training offer will include a suite of guidance and learning resources and will provide additional support for trainers working with the new STP curricula.
Trainer standards
We have developed a set of standards and expectations for the role of the STP work-based trainer. These standards should also be applicable to trainers and educators working on the ETP. The standards do not add new expectations or responsibilities to the trainer role. Instead, they are designed to articulate existing expectations more concisely – enabling a structure for the additional training and guidance that we are developing.
Learning resources on the Learning Hub
In the coming months an extensive suite of new learning resources will be made available for trainers to access via The Learning Hub, whether you are new to the role or an experienced trainer and regardless of which programme you work on.
Train the Trainer
There are no plans, currently to change the format of the ETP Train the Trainer.
Please click this link to register on one of the ETP Train the Trainer live webinars. (expired link)
Click here to read the full statement announcing our new package of training for trainers
Review of the ETP Curriculum
This month we’re continuing to work our way through the information you have provided about the curriculum. We’re preparing to share the information with the curriculum review group once established and have identified a number of common themes in your feedback.
We will also be starting to work with the Lead Editor this month as the appointment is very nearly finalised. We’re looking forward to introducing them to you and starting to work together. The Lead Editor’s fist job is to work with your expressions of interest to establish a Curriculum Review Group. Once established, we’ll get the Review Group together to discuss your feedback and make decisions on the future direction of the curriculum.
Summary from Healthcare Science Education and Training Collaborative Meeting
On Monday 27 March we held our first face-to-face healthcare science education and training collaborative meeting.
On our website you will find copies of the presentations made at the Healthcare Science Education and Training Collaborative meeting and summaries from the roundtable sessions and workshops.
Click here to view updates from this collaborative meeting on Monday 27 March
Missed a previous edition of the ETP Monthly Memo?
We’ve published copies of the Monthly Memo for ETP trainees and training officers on our website.
Click here to view previous editions of the ETP Monthly Memo.