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Here to help: Science council professional awards

Christian Burt, Professional Support Services Manager at the IBMS, on the benefits of professional registration.

The IBMS is proud to be a licensed body member of the Science Council. This allows the IBMS to hold a register of Chartered Scientists (CSci), Registered Scientists (RSci) and Registered Science Technicians (RSciTech). Being professionally registered is a mark of excellence. Each of the Science Council’s registers reflects stages in your career as a scientist, encouraging you to work towards high standards of professionalism, skills and knowledge.

Benefits of registration

Professional registration with the Science Council and IBMS provides independent recognition of your achieving and maintaining the exacting standards required to join the global community of professional scientists. There are many benefits of professional registration:

Get recognised

Registration recognises your knowledge and experience in addition to any other qualifications you may have. Professional registration captures on-the job experience and shows the level of competence you have as a practising scientist. It also demonstrates your commitment to integrity, regard for public interest and responsibility for others.

What no one else can do

Applying for professional registration supports and encourages you to reflect on what you have achieved in your career so far. Chartership and registration recognises what you do every day – it is a process that will build your confidence as a practising scientist.

Ethical credentials

Registration tells others that you are committed to working to high ethical standards and gives them trust and confidence in you.

By becoming registered, professional scientists agree to be bound by the Science Council’s Model Rules of Conduct for Registrants as well as the code of professional conduct of your licensed body.

Registration is a mark of quality and competence that is sought after by employers. It commits you to standards of integrity and professional development that helps you stand out from the crowd.

Worldwide community

Science Council-registered scientists are spread across many different countries, but they all share a commitment to professional excellence. When you become registered, you also join this community. The awards must be maintained by adherence to CPD, and registrants are making a commitment to standards of integrity and professional development that can help them stand out from the crowd.

My office role

In my role as the Professional Support Services Manager at the IBMS, I can assist registrants through the initial application and manage the process of arranging the assessment. Documentation, after my preliminary communication with the applicant, are sent to qualified and trained assessors of Science Council applications. I also manage the CPD review cycles of audited registrants and can signpost to relevant documents, such as the IBMS reflective learning guidance.

For those working at Band 7+ in the NHS, and with suitable qualifications, such as the Higher Specialist Diploma, I would recommend an application at Chartered Scientist award level.

The Registered Scientist and Registered Science Technician professional awards are a way of demonstrating an adherence to standards for those working in a non-traditional (i.e. non-NHS environment) laboratory. Healthcare groups, such as research scientists and MLAs, whereby HCPC registration is not a requirement through the protected title of biomedical scientist, can benefit from voluntary registration.

For more info, visit bit.ly/3rVHc5Z.

To start a discussion on what register would be most appropriate for you, email [email protected]

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Image Credit | iStock

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