Executive Head of Education Alan Wainwright looks back over the 21 years that he has spent at the IBMS.
I am holding the editorial pen as this is my opportunity to say farewell and thank you to all of you who have travelled with me along my career path as I am retiring this month. The Institute is in good hands and there are exciting developments on the horizon, but those are for someone else to take forward.
Having spent the last 20 years extolling the virtues of reflection, I am now reflecting on all I have done and what it has meant to me. If I had to use three words to define my career, I would say meaningful, serendipitous and unexpected.
I started in histology at the University of Birmingham Medical School and found there was always something new to learn, understand and put into practice.
I remember the people, subjects and events that influenced me as though they were yesterday. The standards, diligence, and the desire to get the basics right because this is what you build on.
These values stood me in good stead, and I enjoyed my work because it was meaningful and varied. Although CPD and lifelong learning were not concepts thought about in the early days, they were nevertheless embedded in my approach.
I count myself lucky with the opportunities that came along, and this is where serendipity comes in. A senior position in the Department of Rheumatology led me to my second love – clinical immunology and a move to London, eventually to become Pathology Business Manager at Barts and the Royal London Hospital.
However, my future was to be outside the laboratory, and in June 2000 my life changed. I had just been elected as the London Region representative to the IBMS Council when a vacancy at Coldbath Square appeared in The Biomedical Scientist. Instead of my first meeting as a Council member, I attended as the new executive member of staff – Head of Education.
The rest is history. My work has been defined by regulatory processes, the creation of the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio, and the IBMS qualification framework. My successes have been the creation of the Specialist Portfolios, Certificates of Expert Practice and Certificate of Achievement for Support Staff, in addition to degree accreditation and HCPC-approved routes to registration.
Being involved in IBMS education and training has given me 21 years of fulfilment. I can look back with pride on everything that has been achieved as an organisation by colleagues and members. Personally, and most unexpected, it led to me becoming President of the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science in 2020. This in itself exceeded any career expectations I might have had, only to be eclipsed last year by being awarded IBMS Life Membership. Yes, it’s been a good journey.
Alan Wainwright, Executive Head of Education