Information for trainees
The STP Final Year Assessment – update on dates
We are currently working with assessors to determine their availability for the assessment. Our provisional plan is to run a week per theme:
- 7 to 11 July – Life Sciences specialties
- 14 to 18 July – Physiological Sciences specialties
- 21 to 24 July – Physical Sciences specialties
Our next step will be to determine the date and time of your individual assessment. Please bear in mind that it is your responsibility to make sure you are available for your assessment. Your assessment time and date may need to be rescheduled for any time within the overall assessment sitting window (7 to 24 July). If this happens, you will still be expected to be available to attend your assessment. We strongly recommend you do not book any events which cannot be changed within the assessment sitting window.
You can find more information about what will happen if you don’t attend the assessment, and on mitigating circumstances which impact your attendance at the assessment, in the STP Final Year Assessment regulations.
The STP Final Year Assessment – update on format
We can also now provide more information on the format of the assessment:
- Trainees will sit a single circuit of 7 stations, consisting of 5 specialty stations and 2 core stations.
- Each scenario and its questions will be presented to trainees for 3 minutes prior to each station.
- Each station will last 9 minutes.
- For trainees, the overall event will last approximately 2 hours and the time ‘on circuit’ will be 1 hour 30 minutes.
We have also updated the information about the Final Year Assessment on the website. For example, you can read more about how a circuit works.
Read more about the Final Year Assessment
STP Completion 2025 – reminder and key dates
We hope that you have been enjoying your training and are now starting to look to your future healthcare science careers. As you are reaching the later stages of the STP we want to provide a reminder of some important dates and some hints and tips to prepare for completion of your programme.
At this point most of you will be submitting or will have already submitted your MSc research project; you will be preparing for your Final Year Assessment (FYA) or IACC and you will have identified how you will achieve the completion of your e-portfolio.
We have a mixed group of trainees completing this year, some on the new curriculum, some on the older version of the curriculum. This means that the completion requirements may be slightly different for different groups, so it is important that you understand which applies to you.
For all trainees who commenced training in 2022 your completion requirements are:
- 100% completion of the e-portfolio, OneFile
- A pass in the MSc in Clinical Science
- A pass in the new FYA – all specialties except Clinical Microbiology
or - A pass in the IACC – Clinical Microbiology only
Read more about the completion requirements for 2022 starters
For trainees who commenced training in 2021 or earlier, your completion requirements are:
- A pass in the MSc in Clinical Science
- A pass in the IACC
- Completion of the e-portfolio as outlined in the completion requirements for your original cohort
View the completion requirements for 2021 starters
View the completion requirements for 2020 starters
Key dates for completion of the STP – not including those with extensions or interruptions already approved who may be subject to different timelines
- Last date to submit an EEC application for extension of training with deferral of the Final Year Assessment
- (FYA) or IACC – 5pm on Wednesday 21 May 2025
- Summer IACC critical reflection submission deadline (2021 entrants or earlier and 2022 Clinical
- Microbiology trainees) – 12pm on Monday 16 June 2025
- Summer IACC interviews – 2 to 4 July 2025
- Summer FYA interviews: 2022 entrants except Clinical Microbiology – 7 to 25 July 2025
- Raise concerns/queries regarding sign off of the e-portfolio to the School – June to August 2025
- Last date to submit an EEC application for extension of training to adjust completion deadline – Wednesday 20 August 2025
- Complete the Data Audit – August to September 2025
- STP completion deadline (excluding those with approved extensions or interruptions) – 5pm on Monday 15 September 2025
If you have an approved extension or interruption of training, then your timeline will be subject to those set out in your approval letter or confirmation email.
If you have any questions regarding completion of your programme, please review the guidance available on the website and discuss with your Training Officer. If you are still unsure, drop us an email and we will be happy to advise you: england.nshcs@nhs.net
Reminder to use the Turnitin checker for training activity evidence
The NSHCS Servicedesk has recently received an influx of queries regarding the use of Turnitin within the e-portfolio. In particular, we have received queries about whether it is required, what types of evidence to use the checker on, and what to do if the checker is not used.
First of all, it is important to remind you all that the NSHCS work-based assessment standards clearly define how work-based assessments should be conducted and the responsibilities of trainees, trainers and assessors. They include the responsibilities of trainees and assessors with regards to the use of Turnitin.
Secondly, we would like to remind all trainees, training officers and assessors that:
- Trainees should be adding all training activity evidence as uploaded files, and not within the freetext entry box.
- The Turnitin checker should be used on all uploaded training activity evidence, except for MSF summaries.
- Trainees should use the freetext area on the submission page to justify their Turnitin similarity scores, should that be necessary.
- If a trainee is submitting the same piece of evidence to their university and OneFile, it should ideally be submitted and run through their university’s Turnitin first.
- When a trainee has not used the Turnitin checker, the assessor or training officer should return the submission back to the trainee, with the expectation the trainee will run the document through Turnitin.
- It is the responsibility of both the trainee and training officer to ensure individual assessors are aware of the requirements and guidelines on signing off evidence and using Turnitin.
Full guidance on using Turnitin can be found in our guidance for trainees, our guidance for assessors and training officers, and our Turnitin FAQs.
Do you need support with your observational training activities (OTAs)?
We have developed a resource in the NHS Learning Hub to support you with developing evidence for OTAs. It includes the recording of the webinar ‘Developing evidence for observational training activities’ as well as examples of evidence for 2 example OTAs.
To access the resources, you will need an NHS Learning Hub account. If you have an NHS email address create your account on the NHS Learning Hub website. If you do not have an NHS email address please complete this short form.
Are you interested in sharing your training practice?
We’re looking for trainees to share with their fellow STP trainees how they have approached any aspect of the ‘Professional Foundations of Healthcare and Clinical Science’ module.
Express an interest in sharing your training practice
Register your interest in the STP Computing and Data Science for Clinical Scientists course
The Royal Surrey County Hospital are considering running an online 3-day course, with an optional 4th day on Data Science and AI, tailored for STP trainees across a wide range of specialties. This interactive, virtual course would provide essential computational skills directly relevant to clinical scientific practice.
Before they proceed, Royal Surrey would like to gauge interest in this course. If this sounds like something you’d like to participate in, please register your interest using the link below.
Who would benefit?
STP trainees across various specialties looking to enhance their skills in clinical computing, data processing, and data science.
Why express interest?
- Help shape the course offering to meet your needs.
- Be the first to hear if the course goes ahead.
- Gain confidence in essential competencies aligned with your STP curriculum, including DOPS-relevant skills.
If you have any questions about the proposed course, feel free to contact us at rsch.scicom@nhs.net
Information for trainees and training officers
Sharing Good Practice: Skills and behaviours of a Consultant Clinical Scientist
Tuesday 29 April 2025 – 11:30am to 12:30pm
View further details and register for this webinar
The webinars will be recorded and made available on the School website.
Search and browse our catalogue of Sharing Good Practice resources
Haematological Morphology Study Days: Morphology and its Relationship to Disease
Wednesday 16 July to Thursday 17 July 2025
This course is designed for those studying for their specialist portfolio in haematology, but is also suitable as a refresher for those returning to the subject or an update for those already qualified.
Find out more and register for this course
Information for training officers
Do you need help with supporting your trainee with their Developmental Training Activities (DTAs)?
We are offering an online session to help you support your trainee with developing evidence for their Developmental Training Activities, specifically their Core modules.
Sharing Good Practice: Supporting STP trainees with Developmental Training Activities (DTAs)
Wednesday 21 May 2025 – 10:30am to 12.30pm
View further details and register for this event
Are you interested in sharing your practice?
If you or your network have developed practice that you feel could be valuable to share with your peers, please express an interest in sharing your practice via the form linked to below.
We would be particularly interested in expressions of interest in how you have approached:
- embedding equality, diversity and inclusion into the training experience
- supporting your trainee with the ‘Professional Foundations of Healthcare and Clinical Science’ module
- supporting and assessing reflective practice
- embedding a culture of reflective practice in the workforce
Express an interest in sharing your practice
Missed a previous edition of the STP Monthly Memo?
You will find previous copies of the STP Monthly Memo on our website.