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 Jo Horne:
Welcome to the November STP Monthly Memo. November saw our inaugural Healthcare Science Education and Training Collaborative event, bringing together the School with Training Officers and other stakeholders. It was a fantastic virtual event, where we presented updates on our work over the last year, and ran specialist workshops to talk about ongoing work and discuss future direction. Giving one of the updates, and listening to others, made me stop and reflect on quite how much has been achieved by so many of us working in Healthcare Science over the last year. The greater our workload and the pressures upon us, the harder it can be to create the space to pause and reflect. This event reminded me of the importance of doing this myself, even during the busiest times. By taking time out to reflect, we are reminded of our achievements and also what our current focus and priorities should be. As you approach the next few months of your training, whichever stage of the STP you are currently in, you will no doubt be trying to balance your work, your studies, and your personal life. I encourage you, with the support of your Training Officer, to build in the time and space to pause and reflect on what you have already achieved, what you need to do now, and what you need to plan for in the future.
Information for first year trainees
Online induction events
As part of the 2022 induction package for all new trainees we will also be hosting a series of online webinars. These webinars will provide more detailed guidance on different elements of the Scientist Training Programme and we encourage all new trainees to attend every session. If you are unable to attend the live session, they will all be recorded and shared on our website afterwards.
The pre-reading will be circulated closer to the time but please do keep the dates in your diaries and register your attendance.
- Staying on track – managing your workload, your mental health and wellbeing: Thursday 8th December at 4pm
Click here to register your attendance at the online induction events
We’ve already held three induction webinars, ‘Getting to know the OneFile e-portfolio service’, ‘Understanding work-based assessments’ and ‘Progression through the programme’. If you missed any of these webinars or want to watch them again they are available on our website.
Click here to watch a recording of the online induction events
Information for second year trainees
Midterm Review of Progression (MRP) – are you ready?
The School conducts reviews of trainee progression as both an assurance and supportive process to make sure trainees are progressing well and that any barriers or issues are identified and can be supported. The MRP for our year 2 STPs is due to open in January 2023.
MRP the facts:
- This is a process which gathers information from you, your Training Officer, your University and your e-portfolio.
- It is not pass or fail. It is your opportunity to tell us about factors affecting your training. Or indeed to tell us where things are working really well.
- It is a supportive process. If you are struggling for whatever reason, don’t be afraid to tell us, we want to help and we have support options that can be put in place which may assist you.
- It is a mandatory process that both trainees and training officers are required to participate in. Not engaging can have implications for ongoing accreditation, funding and participation on the programme so make sure you complete by the deadline!
- All information will be reviewed and an outcome determined based on the information provided. The impact of COVID-19 on your training will be taken into account where relevant.
- Support calls will be offered where some issues have been identified and we feel you might benefit from our support. For those of you who have significant issues, a support meeting with you and your Training Officer will be arranged.
- Trainees on interruption at the time of the MRP, such as those on maternity leave, will not be required to participate but we will follow them up on their return. If you are unsure though contact us.
How to prepare:
- Make sure you are familiar with the progression criteria. Look on the School’s website for this information.
- Meet with your Training Officer to discuss your progress in advance and then when you are ready to submit. Complete individual forms (not a combined response), one from you, one from your Training Officer.
- Make sure your training plan is up to date and be aware of any gaps so that you can identify how you might address them. Be prepared to be flexible as training opportunities change. Try to think innovatively about how any issues might be managed.
- Make sure that the School has the most up-to-date contact information for both you and your Training Officer. If recent changes have happened make sure we are aware so we can send the relevant information at the right time.
- Look out for the email and link to your questionnaire. Further details will be sent to you shortly.
- If you have any concerns about the process or your ability to participate, then please do contact us in advance at nshcs.assessment@hee.nhs.uk
Click here to view the guidance about the Midterm Review of Progression (MRP)
Information for all trainees
Dates for the IACC 2023 and IACC 2024 are now available
The dates for the IACC 2023 and IACC 2024 are now available on the School website. There is no longer a spring assessment for the IACC 2023 or the IACC 2024. The published dates now include the deadlines for submitting reasonable adjustment requests and academic appeals.
Click here to to view the 2023 IACC dates
Click here to to view the 2024 IACC dates
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. The survey opens once each year in October and the purpose is to understand the experience of students in training.
For more information as well as help with specific queries, please see our website and FAQs or contact us at NETS@hee.nhs.uk
Trainee Networks
Trainee networks are a great opportunity for you to engage with fellow trainees, attend events that contribute towards fulfilling your OneFile competencies and work with the National School.
Below you can find a list of all the current trainee networks you can join.
Regional trainee networks
- East of England Trainee Network
- London Healthcare Science Trainee Network
- North East Science Trainee Network
- Oxford and Thames Valley Trainee Network
- South East Trainee Network
- South West Trainee Network
- Wales Trainee Network
- Wessex Trainee Network
- West Midlands Trainee Network
- Yorkshire and Humber Trainee Network
Other network groups
- BAME Scientist Trainee Network
- Mature Trainees, Parents and Carers Network
Click here to find information about all our trainee networks
Learner Representative on the Quality and Standards Committee
We would like to invite you to consider applying for the vacant role of Learner Representative on the Quality and Standards Committee. The committee meets quarterly and holds an important role in providing external scrutiny and critical expertise to the Scientist Training Programme.
Your commitment would be for a period of up to 3 years and would involve attending a 3-hour quarterly meeting as well as reviewing relevant accompanying programme information ahead of the meetings. This role will give a great opportunity to build skills useful for your longer-term career and to make a positive contribution to the overall governance of your training programme.
To apply please complete the application form and return it by the deadline of Sunday 2nd December 2022 at midnight. Interviews via MS Teams are expected to be held on Friday 9th December 2022. The successful candidate would be invited to attend QSC on Thursday 15th December from 1-4pm as an observer.
Applications should be sent to Anthony Hoswell, Professional Standards and Improvement Manager, at Anthony.Hoswell@hee.nhs.uk
Click here to find the application form and role description
Oliver McGowan training on learning disability and autism
This newly-launched online training resource aims to ensure the health and care workforce have the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. The Oliver McGowan training comes in two tiers and is designed so all staff working across all CQC registered services receive the right level of training.
This innovative training has been developed from the beginning with expertise from people with a learning disability and from autistic people, as well as their families and carers, and its delivery has been led by Health Education England, NHS England, DHSC, Skills for Care and the Local Government Association.
Click here to access the online training
Information for trainees and training officers
New work-based assessment feedback form for assessors
As part of the development of the new STP curricula, we have created a new, single feedback form that assessors should use for the assessment of CBDs, DOPS and OCEs. The new form is a generic form that takes the place of the previous, separate forms for CBDs, DOPS and OCEs. We encourage all trainees and assessors – not only those on the new curricula – to use this form for all work-based observational assessments. The new form can be found within the ‘Resources’ folder in OneFile and also via the link below.
Click here to download the new work-based assessment feedback form
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
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 healthcare science and the STP please email us at nshcs.events@hee.nhs.uk
Click here to find out more about Healthcare Science Week
Information for training officers
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
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 Team at nshcs.accreditation@hee.nhs.uk
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
Sign up for the STP final assessment training sessions
Introduction to Assessment (Part 1 of 2)
Are you a new or inexperienced assessor or are you interested in becoming an assessor? Do you want to find out a bit more about the STP final assessment, how it is designed, about reflective writing and how it is assessed? Then this workshop is for you.
The aim of this workshop is to build on your experience of assessment and assessing and to develop your understanding of its role in the STP. By the end of the workshop you will be able to:
- critically examine your own values, beliefs and attitudes in relation to assessment
- define what is meant by the term ‘assessment’ including formative and summative assessment
- examine the purposes of assessment
- analyse the characteristics of a good assessment
- evaluate the importance of feedback for formative and summative assessment
The Introduction to Assessment (Part 1 of 2) training sessions are:
- Wednesday, 11th January 2023 12.00pm-2.00pm
- Monday, 5th June 2023 12.00pm – 2.00pm
Click here to find information and registration links for our events
Introduction to Assessment: Summative Assessment (Part 2 of 2)
This workshop follows on from the Introduction to Assessment workshop and focusses on assessing written work and interviews and discussion. This workshop has a focus on the STP final assessment, the Independent Assessment of Clinical Competence (IACC) but the techniques apply to a wide range of assessment types.
The aim of this workshop is to enable you to engage with the IACC as an effective and confident assessor. By the end of this session you will be able to:
- confidently engage in assessing summative assessments e.g. IACC
- write constructive feedback across all grade descriptors
- use effective and probing questioning techniques to elicit evidence of learning
The Introduction to Assessment: Summative Assessment (Part 2 of 2) session are:
- Wednesday, 18th January 2023 12.00pm – 2.00pm
- Wednesday, 7th June 2023 12.00pm – 2.00pm
Click here to find information and registration links for our events
Changes to the assessment of trainees on the new curricula
A series of changes are being planned to the assessment of trainees on the new STP curricula. Read about these via the link below. We will publish more information about these initiatives on this page as plans develop in the coming months.
Click here to find out more about the changes to the assessment of trainees on the new curricula
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 in September 2022. The drop-in sessions will be an open Q&A forum.
Our next sessions are:
- Thursday 1st December 12pm to 1pm
- Thursday 26th January 12pm to 1pm
- Thursday 23rd February 12pm to 1pm
- Thursday 30th March 12pm to 1pm
- Thursday 27th April 12pm to 1pm
Click here to find the drop-in session joining links
New STP in Interoperative Neuro-Monitoring in development
The School will be developing a new STP in Interoperative Neuro-Monitoring (IOMN).
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 IOMN 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.
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