Education and Training
The AHCS quality assures education and training that leads to entry onto our Register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
We do this in several ways:
- Through the accreditation of higher education programmes either directly or in conjunction with the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS), including the Practitioner Training Programs and the Higher Specialist Scientist Training programmes
- Via our Standards of Education and Training which underpin the accreditation process
- By ensuring education and training programmes leading to registration map to the Academy’s relevant Standards of Proficiency and Good Scientific Practice.
All our quality assurance work is underpinned by the Quality Assurance Framework.
The Academy quality assures the accreditation process and subsequent annual monitoring processes undertaken by the NSHCS by observing a sample of accreditation visits and desk-based activity. Where the accreditation process is undertaken by the Academy directly, a senior member of AHCS staff, normally the Head of Accreditation is a member of the accreditation panel.
Outcomes of all quality assurance activities are reported to the AHCS Education, Training and Standards Committee for consideration.
The AHCS is an approved education provider for STP Equivalence route
The Academy for Healthcare Science is a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)-approved Education Provider for the Scientist Training Programme (STP) Certificate of Equivalence.
When equivalence is awarded by the AHCS on successful demonstration of equivalence to the output of the STP programme.
On award of the Certificate of Equivalence individuals are eligible to apply for registration with the HCPC with the protected title “Clinical Scientist”.
The Association of Clinical Scientists (ACS) and the Institute of Biomedical Science are also an HCPC-approved education providers for training leading to eligibility to apply to HCPC for registration as a Clinical Scientist.
Further information