IBMS Chief Executive David Wells explains the specialist portfolio review and digital update.
The biomedical science profession is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the UK healthcare system and the patients it serves. As a professional body, we are committed to keeping up with this change and providing our members with the best possible education and training opportunities to advance their careers and enhance their skills. That is why we are taking a new approach to our specialist qualifications.
Each existing single-discipline portfolio is being reviewed, updated and the content broken up into modules. These modules will then make up the Specialist Diploma for each single-discipline qualification. There is also the creation of a new single-discipline Specialist Diploma in Molecular Pathology and a scoping exercise is being carried out looking at specialist qualifications for andrology and point-of-care testing (POCT).
Modules created for each single-discipline qualification will also be selectable in groups to achieve Specialist Diplomas in Blood Sciences (clinical biochemistry, haematology, transfusion science, immunology), Infection Sciences (immunology, medical microbiology, virology) or Cell Sciences (diagnostic cytopathology, cervical cytology, cellular pathology). Upon successful examination of a multi-discipline specialist qualification, the individual will receive their diploma and the list of modules completed. There will also be options to select modules from molecular pathology, and POCT and andrology, when they are created.
That’s not all. Our specialist diplomas will soon be delivered online through Brightspace, an easy-to-learn and accessible learning management system that will enable you to learn anytime, anywhere. It will display selected modules as independent units with the ability to host training and information resources as they are added. Additionally, it supports communication and exchange of evidence between the trainer and the candidate.
The purpose of the specialist portfolio review and digital update is to ensure that they remain fit for purpose and are flexible enough to suit new and future ways of working in pathology. We believe that these new multi-disciplinary and digital approaches will mean that you can tailor your learning to your own interests and goals, as well as the needs of your employer and the patients you serve.
We are initially going digital with the single-discipline portfolios, with multi-discipline options to follow. We hope that you will join us in embracing this new opportunity to tailor how you advance your career. Together, we will foster a culture of innovation and excellence in biomedical science and contribute to the improvement of UK healthcare and patient outcomes.
David Wells Chief Executive.