Message from your ETP Training Programme Director
Jane Lynch
This month’s ETP memo includes information around stress awareness month, including some tips and sources of help available to you. We all react to stressful experiences in different ways. For anyone struggling just now there are a number of different suggestions that you may find helpful.
There is also a link to register for our upcoming webinar on BSE Accreditation. This will concentrate mainly on tips to help you prepare for the Practical Assessment including what the assessors will be looking for. This is an opportunity to understand the requirements of the logbook/digital cases and be well prepared for when you sit this exam.
We also have new availability for our Train the Trainer session, so if you are a training officer/mentor who would like to attend, please sign up!
Stress Awareness Month
Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 to raise awareness of the causes and cures for stress.
Stress is something everyone feels at times, and there are all kinds of stressful situations that can be a part of daily life.
There are plenty of things you can do to help cope with stressful events and simple steps you can take to deal with feelings of stress or burnout. Here are some top tips to deal with stress and burnout:
- Split up big tasks – if a task seems overwhelming and difficult to start, try breaking it down into easier chunks and give yourself credit for completing them.
- Allow yourself some positivity – take time to think about the good things in your life. Each day, consider what went well and try to list 3 things you’re thankful for.
- Challenge your thoughts – the way we think affects the way we feel.
- Be more active – being active can help you to burn off nervous energy. It will not make your stress disappear, but it can make it less intense.
- Talk to someone – talking to trusted friends, family and colleagues, or contacting a helpline, can help us when we are struggling.
- Plan ahead – when you have stressful days or events in front of you, planning ahead can really help. Making to-do lists, planning journeys, identifying things you need to take with you and emails you should send, before they all happen, can ease the pressure.
Click here to see tips on how to manage stress on the NHS website
Stress Awareness Month
If you are seeking support during your training, it can be a confusing and overwhelming picture if you aren’t sure where to turn. Your main sources of support are:
- Employer
- Freedom To Speak Up Guardians
- University
- National School of Healthcare Science
- Commissioning organisations
- Online resources
If you are struggling to cope with excessive stress or experiencing symptoms such as headaches, sleep problems, irritability, or feeling overwhelmed, it is really important to speak to those around you at work or at home so that they can help to support you.
Click here to find sources of support available for trainees
Guidance for recruitment 2022
We have published some guidance for employers recruiting to the Echocardiography Training Programme in 2022.
The guidance includes a sample job description, sample person specification and a sample job advertisement.
Click here to view our guidance for employers to recruitment
Train the Trainer
We are holding a Train the Trainer webinar to prepare you fully for the role as an ETP Training Officer.
When: Wednesday, 15th June 2022 1.00pm – 4.00pm
Where: Online.
Click here to register for our Train the Trainer event
Help us to rigorously assess and develop the next generation of Healthcare Scientists
We are delighted that increased funding by HEE has resulted in a significant rise in the recruitment of trainees to the Scientist Training Programme (STP) from 300 to an unprecedented 500 plus trainees.
As a result, we need to expand our pool of assessors for the STP final assessment.
We are committed to a diverse and inclusive approach to the recruitment to and assessment of the STP and would welcome applications from all appropriately qualified healthcare science specialties. We are particularly seeking assessors in the following specialties:
- Cardiac science
- Clinical Bioinformatics – Genomics
- Clinical Measurement and Development
- Clinical Pharmaceutical Science
- Imaging (Non-Ionising Radiation)
- Medical Device and Risk Management
- Ophthalmic & Vision Sciences
- Radiation Safety Physics
- Reconstructive Science
- Reproductive Science – Andrology
- Vascular Science
Training is provided ahead of the first assessment, currently via two MS Teams meetings. We will also provide refresher training and ongoing support and guidance.
Click here to find out more about the requirements and how to apply
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