Message from your STP Training Programme Directors
Namir Al Hasso, Dr EMma Bowers, Dr Jo Horne, Jane Lynch and Aarti Makan
This month’s message is from Dr EMma Bowers.
As we enter February, the light is starting to last a bit longer, summer is around the corner and the annual leave year is coming to an end. We very much urge you to use all your annual leave and whilst on it, not to think about work. Please make sure you know when your Training Officers and Supervisors are away so you can plan your training accordingly. I’m looking forward to using my final bit of annual leave on the Jurassic Coast, fossil hunting.
February is the start of a busy period for the STP Training Programme Directors as we will be assessing the 2021 cohort’s Midterm Review of Progress returns. As you know, this is a compulsory part of the course and the Training Programme Directors cannot review your progress without receipt of an MRP form from you and one from your Training Officer. If either of these forms are missing the NSHCS will be in contact. So please make sure your Training Officer has returned a separate form from you, otherwise you will be recorded as non-compliant.
I hope you are beginning to plan lots of exciting events to mark Healthcare Science Week (13 to 19 March 2023). It has never ceased to amaze me the original ideas that STP trainees come up with to promote healthcare science, whether it is adverts on Trust intranets, interviews on hospital radio, events with local school children or activities at community centres.
Before HCS Week, on 8 March it is International Women’s Day, where we are all being encouraged to ’embrace equity’ and make it part of our working practice. After HCS Week, on 27 March it is our Education and Training Collaborative, which is an opportunity for the School’s stakeholders, including Training Officers, Professional Bodies and HEIs, to come together to share best practice and to develop strategies to move Healthcare Science training forward into the future.
Information for all trainees
Healthcare Science Week 2023
Healthcare Science Week, 13-19 March 2023, brings together over 50 scientific specialisms and professional groups to celebrate and raise awareness of this diverse NHS workforce. Over the last 75 years NHS healthcare science has played a vital role in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease and the health of our population. Healthcare Science Week is an opportunity to showcase this work and inspire the scientific workforce of the future.
Here are some ways you could get involved:
Raise awareness of the diverse roles within healthcare science:
- Download social media banners, Microsoft Teams backgrounds and email signatures from our website.
- Speak to colleagues, family members, friends or your local community about your role in healthcare science and the impact it has on NHS care and patients.
Inspire people to think about a career in healthcare science:
- Host a stand in a public area or the foyer of your hospital.
- Give a presentation, in person or virtually, to a school, college, university, science society or club, or even your trust board.
- Become a STEM Ambassador for healthcare science.
Click here to find some useful resources for HCS Week 2023.
STP Computing in Healthcare course
Monday 4 September 2023 – Thursday 7 September 2023 at the University of Surrey.
This course, run by the Royal Surrey County Hospital, provides a comprehensive overview of computing in healthcare and hands-on experience of practical skills transferable back to the hospital workplace.
You must register for the course by 30 June 2023.
Click here to find more information about the STP Computing in Healthcare course.
Turnitin Checker update
1. New Turnitin Checker FAQs published
We have published a set of answers on the school website to some frequently asked questions about the Turnitin Checker on OneFile. This page will be continually updated in response to the questions and issues we encounter.
View the Turnitin Checker FAQs
2. Do I need to run the Turnitin Checker on assessment feedback forms and MSF reports?
NO. The Turnitin Checker only needs to be run on evidence submitted for competencies. You do not need to run the Turnitin Checker on workplace-based assessment feedback forms that are completed for DOPS, OCEs or CBDs, or for MSF reports.
3. Delays in receiving similarity scores and reports
There was a period recently when Turnitin similarity scores and reports were taking much longer than the maximum of 24 hours to be generated. This excessive delay has now been addressed and ‘fixed’. Given the volume of evidence that was being submitted via OneFile to Turnitin, OneFile had placed submissions into a queuing system that was creating these delays. We have worked with OneFile to ensure that submissions are now not delayed. We apologise for the inconvenience that the delays caused.
Information for training officers
Healthcare Science Education and Training Collaborative Meeting
We would like to invite all STP training officers to our next healthcare science education and training collaborative meeting that will take place on Monday 27 March at The Birmingham Conference & Events Centre at the Holiday Inn, Hill Street, Birmingham, B5 4EW.
Click here to find the agenda and register for this collaborative meeting on Monday 27 March.
New programmes to provide training within Respiratory and Sleep Science
We are excited to announce two new programmes to provide training within Respiratory and Sleep Science, developed in response to the Richards’ review (Diagnostics: Recovery and Renewal – Report of the Independent Review of Diagnostic Services for NHS England) and the NHS Long Term Plan.
- Graduate Diploma in Respiratory Science
- Postgraduate Certificate in Sleep Medicine
We are holding a webinar on Thursday 2 February at 1:30pm to introduce these new programmes.
Click here to register for the webinar on Thursday 2 February at 13:30pm (expired link)
Planning for the new curriculum: drop-in sessions
We are hosting more drop-in sessions for anyone who will be involved in hosting a trainee on the new STP curriculum from September 2022.
The drop-in sessions will be an open Q&A forum. Our next sessions are:
- Thursday 23 February 12pm to 1pm
- Thursday 30 March 12pm to 1pm
- Thursday 27 April 12pm to 1pm
Click here to find the drop-in session joining links.
Managing your trainees
We have created a section on our website providing answers about issues ranging from study leave to funding.
This month’s featured FAQ is:
Q – Who do trainees speak to when they are having problems with training?
A – The trainee must always speak first to their Training Officer about any problems with training. The School’s Training Programme Directors will support training officers if they need further advice.
Click here to find FAQs on management of trainees for STP trainers.
Missed a previous edition of the STP Monthly Memo?
We’ve published copies of the Monthly Memo for STP trainees and training officers on our website.
Click here to view previous editions of the STP Monthly Memo.