Message from your HSST Training Programme Director
Dr Lisa Ayers and Dr Owen Driskell
This month’s introduction is from Dr Lisa Ayers.
Welcome to the November edition of the HSST Monthly Memo. It was great to meet so many of you at the HSST Induction and PgDip workshops recently. I hope to catch up with more of you and that you get the opportunity to network with your colleagues and fellow HSSTs over the coming months as more face-to-face and hybrid events are held.
I want to flag the call for STP assessors across all specialisms in this month’s memo. Participating in STP assessment gives an opportunity to gather evidence towards your HSST Standards of Proficiency, contributes to your professions development and allows you to network with other assessors and trainers.
For HSSTs in Bioinformatics, Physical or Physiological Sciences please note that the dates for IAPS in 2023 have now been confirmed and are available below. If you have questions about your HSST completion or when to sit the IAPS please do get in touch.
Information for trainees
IAPS 2023 dates
These are the IAPS 2023 dates for Physical, Physiological and Bioinformatics HSST trainees in their final year.
May 2023
- Showcase submission deadline – 8th February 2023
- IAPS assessments running – 9th to 19th May 2023
- IAPS results around – 8th June 2023
November/December 2023
- Showcase submission deadline – 21st August 2023
- IAPS assessments running – 20th November to 2nd December 2023
- IAPS results around – 16th December 2023
To be able to sit the IAPS assessment you will need to submit a showcase of your OneFile evidence. This means that all Standards of Proficiency must have been signed off by your Workplace Supervisor, three months prior to the assessment. Please meet with your workplace supervisor to discuss with them the most appropriate time to undertake the IAPS and plan accordingly.
You can submit your showcase and apply for IAPS, prior to submission of your research project thesis to allow for extra flexibility in the process.
Click here to find the IAPS 2023 dates
Research project and abstract details
In order to support you and other HSSTs in the future with research projects, we have a digital platform to publicise and promote the incredible research being conducted by our HSSTs.
We are now requiring that all HSSTs whose Research Project Proposal or Extended Innovation Proposal has been accepted (and who have not previously sent us the details), complete the brief online form linked to below.
The form should only take 5-10 minutes to complete and information can be taken directly from your project proposal or abstract. Please also report on any publications or other significant outputs (such as presentations, grants/awards, changes to practice, links to research platforms or social media) that have arisen from your research project on this form. If you have previously submitted this form in 2020 but would like to update your project details and outputs, please also complete the online form below.
Click here to provide your research project and abstract details
NHS National Education and Training Survey (NETS) closes this month
The NHS National Education and Training Survey closes on 30th November.
The NETS is the only national survey open to all undergraduate and postgraduate learners undertaking a practice placement or training post in all healthcare services across England. We expect the survey to take about 10 minutes to complete.
For more information as well as help with specific queries, please see our website and FAQs or contact us at NETS@hee.nhs.uk
Information for trainees and supervisors
Updates to Turnitin Checker in OneFile guidance
The integration of the Turnitin Checker in OneFile has been live since September 30 and we have learned a lot from its use. We have made a few small amendments to our published guidance based on what we have learned.
What have we learned?
- The vast majority of documents that have had a Turnitin check performed upon them achieve a very low similarity score.
- The vast majority of high similarity scores occur when trainees incorporate published work in their submissions, like the Academy of Healthcare Science Standards of Proficiency, or where trainees legitimately submit work that they have already submitted as part of their university course and which have already passed through Turnitin at the university. We have updated our guidance about how trainees should advise their assessors about these perfectly defendable high scores.
- Many training centres like to use OneFile to encourage trainees to submit early drafts of their work for feedback. We have therefore made amendments to the published Turnitin guidance to support this work. We now advise that trainees only use Turnitin Checker on final versions of documents in OneFile.
Click here to read the guidance for trainees about using the Turnitin Checker
Click here to read the guidance for training officers and assessors about using Turnitin Checker
Topol Digital Fellowship – Cohort 4 applications open
We have some exciting news – applications for Cohort 4 of the Topol Digital Fellowship are open from 1 November until 1 December 2022.
There have been some changes to the eligibility criteria and the Fellowship is now open to non-clinical and health and social care candidates. We are running three webinars to support the application process. These are aimed at anyone eligible to apply. Book your place.
The Topol Digital Fellowships provides health and social care professionals with time, support and training to lead digital health transformations and innovations in their organisations.
Appeal for assessors for the STP final assessment
We are looking to expand our pool of assessors for the STP final assessment ahead of the Summer 2023 IACC.
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. This may be of particular interest if you are a recently qualified Clinical Scientist or professionally registered, with 2-3 years’ experience and looking to develop your skills and career. Training is provided ahead of the first assessment.
Click here to find out more about the requirements and how to apply
New STP in Interperative Neuro-Monitoing in development
The School will be developing a new STP in Interoperative Neuro-Monitoring (IONM).
We will be seeking a Lead Editor to drive the process alongside the School, curriculum writers to develop the curriculum, and reviewers to provide feedback on the draft curriculum. If you have expertise or an interest in IONM and would like to be involved, please complete the form linked to below.
Curriculum development will begin later this year with the aim for the programme to be available for September 2024. This will be confirmed nearer the time.
Healthcare Science Week 2023
Healthcare Science Week is an annual week of celebration and awareness-raising for the many careers in healthcare science. Healthcare Science Week 2023 will be 13th to 19th March 2023.
If you would like any promotional resources about the HSST programme please email us at nshcs.events@hee.nhs.uk
Click here to find out more about Healthcare Science Week
Alliance Manchester Business School Teddy Chester Lecture
At this year’s Alliance Manchester Business School Teddy Chester Lecture Berne Ferry, Head of the National School of Healthcare Science, will be speaking on the topic of healthcare science and the leadership of scientists in the NHS.
Click here to find out more about attending the Teddy Chester lecture
Information for supervisors
Update from our Healthcare Science Education and Training Collaborative Meeting
The Healthcare Science Education and Training Collaborative has been setup to enable collaboration between the healthcare science work-based training centres, the relevant Higher Education Institutes and the professional bodies and the National School thereby ensuring education and training within healthcare science is relevant and of high quality.
Earlier this month we held our first collaborative meeting. If you missed our first meeting you can read the updates from the School on our website.
Click here to find out more about the Healthcare Science Education and Training Collaborative
Call for recruitment of IAPS examiners
The Higher Specialist Science Training programme is a key programme for supporting the growing establishment of consultant-level healthcare scientist practice for the NHS.
Affirmation of this level of practice is an integral part of the HSST. Candidates on the HSST who are not obtaining the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath) as part of their programme do an Independent Assessment of Professional Skills (IAPS). These are candidates in the bioinformatics, physical and physiological sciences.
Are you from these disciplines and interested in assessing at this higher level? We are looking for professionals of consultant-level to examine HSST candidates. We are currently looking for IAPS examiners for the following disciplines: Audiology, Cardiac Science, Clinical Bioinformatics Genomics, Imaging Physics, Neurophysiology, Radiotherapy Physics and Vascular Science. But if you are from any other HSST discipline from the bioinformatics, physical and physiological sciences this call is also for you as your turn will come.
What we are looking for in the IAPS examiners:
- An HCPC registered healthcare scientist or a specialist on the General Medical Council specialty register or other relevant professional regulatory register
- A member of their professional body, in good standing in the profession and can demonstrate substantial consultant level experience or equivalent
- Able to demonstrate awareness of the training standard required of the candidates
- Able to provide evidence to confirm that their employer and/or departmental colleagues agree to the examiner taking up this role and will facilitate the commitment required
- Able to demonstrate current and relevant professional development activities
- Required to demonstrate that they have maintained their Equality and Diversity training (certificate of mandatory training or other course taken within the last 3 years)
- Those recently retired individuals who are within 2 years of retirement may also be considered if they are able to provide evidence of maintaining their speciality knowledge up to date.
Contributing to this assessment is a contribution to a growing establishment of consultant-level healthcare scientist practice for the NHS for the benefit of NHS services and patients.
If you are interested, then please get in touch with the School nshcs.assessment@hee.nhs.uk. If you know someone who would fit the description, then we ask that you encourage them to get in touch.
Annual monitoring return for 2022
All departments accredited on or before 31st March 2022, including via re-accreditation, are now asked to complete their annual monitoring return for 2022.
Annual monitoring is a requirement of your accreditation. If you do not complete your annual monitoring, this may affect your accreditation status. It will be taken into account when allocating the training contracts for the following year, following on from the Expressions of Interest process.
Annual monitoring is done through a short and simple electronic form that, in most cases, should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. We ask for details of any changes that may influence or affect the delivery of training. Please ensure that the form is returned to us by Friday 2nd December 2022.
If you have questions please e-mail the Accreditation Unit at nshcs.accreditation@hee.nhs.uk
Missed a previous edition of the HSST Monthly Memo?
We’ve published copies of the Monthly Memo for HSST trainees and training officers on our website.
Click here to view previous editions of the HSST Monthly Memo