You must ensure that HSST trainees have an appropriate balance between providing services and accessing educational and training opportunities. Service work undertaken by trainees should support their learning opportunities and should not be compromised by the demands of regularly carrying out routine tasks or out-of-hours cover that does not contribute to learning or provide educational value.
HSST trainees must be allocated 52 days of protected time each year, which they can use flexibly for academic study. This excludes time spent attending residential sessions at the HEI, conferences, or placements outside the host laboratory.
HSST trainees should be mentored and supervised by individuals of consultant or equivalent standing within the employing department, with additional support from colleagues across the department and the wider organisation.
Employer responsibilities
Departments seeking to host a clinical scientist at HSST level should have a proven track record of training in the relevant specialty area and employ staff operating at a consultant level to support the delivery of training and mentorship of the trainee. Support may also be provided by medical consultants in the relevant specialty.
Any department employing an HSST trainee should:
- Demonstrate a commitment to excellence, innovation, and leadership in meeting the healthcare needs of the population served through the improvement of community health and by fostering high-quality education and biomedical research.
- Strive to provide the most advanced and comprehensive education possible, preparing HSST trainees for lifelong learning and careers as leaders, clinicians, teachers, and researchers.
- Provide sufficient practical experience to enable trainees to achieve and maintain the clinical competencies required by their curriculum.
- Provide an educational induction to ensure that the trainee understands their curriculum and how their post fits within the requirements of the training programme.
- Provide opportunities and support for the trainee to develop their clinical and practical skills, as well as their generic professional capabilities.
- Provide opportunities for trainees to work and learn with other members of the team, supporting inter-professional and multidisciplinary working.
- Conduct regular, effective meetings with trainees and their clinical and workplace supervisors.
- Provide placements that are of sufficient duration to allow the trainee to become an effective member of a multidisciplinary team and enable team members to make reliable judgements about their abilities, performance, and progress.
- Provide a balance between the trainee delivering services and accessing educational and training opportunities.
- Ensure adequate staffing levels so that a trainee is not routinely required to undertake tasks that are the primary responsibility of other members of the healthcare team.
- Maintain a focus on patient needs and ensure that the work undertaken supports learning opportunities wherever possible.
- Ensure assessments are mapped to the requirements of the curriculum and appropriately sequenced to align with the trainee’s progression through the programme and meet the Academy’s standards of proficiency.
- Provide supervision and monitoring that support the trainee’s educational experience through regular training planning reviews with the workplace supervisor.
- Provide support for the trainee’s mental health and wellbeing, recognising the demands of the programme.
- Support the trainee’s participation in public and patient involvement and engagement opportunities.
Responsibilities of the HSST trainee
An HSST trainee must commit to the following.
- Your job plan will need to meet the service provision needs of the department, and you should expect to have assigned roles with routine clinical responsibilities.
- Your objectives will be set to support your personal development, with dedicated time allocated for training.
- You will take responsibility for your training plan and work collaboratively with your workplace supervisor.
- You will participate in ethical, safe, high-quality, competent, cost-effective, and compassionate patient-centred care under supervision.
- You will undertake to meet the educational goals of your training programme.
- You will develop the skills required to be an effective lifelong learner, including developing a personal programme of self-study and professional growth.
- You will demonstrate competency in patient-focused care, scientific knowledge, and practice-based learning and improvement.
- You will participate fully in the educational and scholarly activities of the HSST programme.
- You will assume responsibility for teaching, supervising, and mentoring other graduate trainees and students as your skills and competencies develop.
- You will be diligent in your clinical practice, ensuring that you follow local and national guidance and policies.
- You will comply with your Contract of Employment regarding the educational programme, departmental policies, and hospital policies.
- You will participate in institutional, departmental, and training programme activities involving performance improvement and other appropriate aspects of professional development.
- You will maintain your registration with the HCPC.
- You will recognise the need to protect human subjects when conducting research by complying with all relevant policies, procedures, and training requirements.
- You will comply with the professional expectations of an HSST trainee.
- You will participate in personal progress monitoring and evaluation as stipulated by the institution, department, and HSST programme requirements.
- You will respect patients’ rights.
- You will participate in public and patient involvement and engagement opportunities.