The clinical pathology team is made up of medical and scientific staff who carry out a range of roles. Together they provide the scientific backbone of the NHS and their work underpins a significant proportion of all diagnoses.
If you would like to learn more about the different areas within pathology, take a look at NHS England's What is healthcare science? pages.
Wherever you are in your journey, we aim to provide you with the right information so that you can plan your next steps.
The Biomedical Scientist Interactive Careers Pathway guide is a careers and information package created by the South West Regional NHS Diagnostics Team to explain the role of a Biomedical Scientists (BMS) and also give insight into the potential options available to you for career progression.
The guide is for school children and college students who want to find out about the job and are considering it as a potential career; for university students and graduates to understand the training pathway (what to study and where) to becoming a Biomedical Scientist; and for existing or returning staff considering career progression or finding out about possible training opportunities.
There is a great need to develop our administration workforce, as much of our work relies on the smooth running and organisation of our laboratories.
One option is the new Pathology Business Apprenticeship. This provides a good overview of the different specialisms (including blood sciences and cellular pathology) in pathology, and highlights its important role in the patient pathway.
So what does a pathologist get up to? Discover how pathologists work behind the scenes at every acute hospital and help patients receive the right diagnosis and treatment as quickly as possible.
To speak to a career's advisor for more information, here are some useful links to careers hubs:
T-levels are an alternative to A-levels, which allow students to participate in a short industry placement. This is a great opportunity to get to know the team and experience life in the laboratory first-hand.
If you are considering T-levels, we advise you to look at the entry requirements from further training programmes to know which one to choose. Use the following link to find out which T-level programmes are local in your area:
Have you already decided that BMS is the career for you? Did you know that numerous universities offer BMS undergraduate programmes, however not all are IBMS accredited?
The IBMS provides a list of universities that offer the IBMS accredited training programmes:
You may prefer to shadow a biomedical scientist before you make any decisions. NHS trusts do usually offer work experience, however hospital policy varies with regards to age requirements. Here are links to the network's hospital work experience information:
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust — Eastern services and Northern services
Just qualified? Why not look at what jobs are available in the South West Peninsula?
Check out NHS Jobs and the South West Health and Care Careers website.