Transcript Document

Developments in
Training and
Regulation for the
Clinical Technologist
Profession
November 2007
Jim Methven VRCT Registrar
The Future Healthcare Science
Workforce
“Requires:
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Team working
Flexible working
Streamlined working
Modern education and training
New and flexible careers”
Professor Sue Hill
Department of Health,Chief Scientific Officer
To IPEM Annual Scientific Meeting September
2007
Qualifications Framework
Level
Qualifications
HCS
framework
8
Doctorates
7
Masters degrees, postgraduate certificates and diplomas
6
Bachelors degrees, graduate certificates and diplomas
5-6
5
Intermediate diplomas of higher education and further
education, foundation degrees, higher national certificates
4-5
4
Certificates of Higher Education
3
NVQ 3, A Levels
3-4
2
NVQ 2, GCSE (grades A* - C)
2-3
1
NVQ 1, GCSE (grades D-G)
1-2
Entry
level
Entry level certificates
8-9
7
4
1
Your
Band?
Human Resources
The shape of the future Healthcare Science workforce?
Numbers
Registration
PPM activity ? point?
Stop / Go
device
support?
Unskilled
Staff
Level 4
Level 6
Level 5
Corrective activity /
Specialised Roles /
Management activity
Skilled Staff –
Enhanced Roles?
HCS Pathway
New & Developing Roles
Creating opportunities for different staff groups
• Assistants
Equipment libraries, simple PPM, community equipment support,
swapping out faulty units – technical and people skills
• Patient support staff
Technological nurses, clinical engineers, clinical technologists –
clinical skills
• Trainers
Nurses, therapists, engineers – good teaching and
communication skills
• Health Technology assessors & equipment evaluators
Engineers, scientists, economists – able to challenge clinical
staff
• Organisation equipment managers
Engineers, managers, professionals – commercial & people
skills, able to work across organisations and into primary care
Who Are Clinical Technologists?
• Employed in the practical application of physics and
engineering in Healthcare. This includes the NHS, Private
Healthcare, Academic Institutions and the Medical Device
Industry
• Clinical Technologists perform a vast range of routine and
non-routine technical tasks in relation to patient diagnosis,
treatment, rehabilitation or improving the quality of life.
These range from undertaking invasive procedures to the
exercise of judgement in unsupervised situations
• Educated to Degree, HNC or HND in Engineering or
Physical Sciences. In the future all new entrants to the
profession will require to have completed a Degree or
Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Technology
History
• The profession emerged in the late 1940s as the NHS came
into being
• Physicists, engineers and technicians worked together to
develop new medical devices - radiotherapy and imaging were
key areas
• This involved the application of practical electronic and
mechanical engineering skills within medical physics and
clinical engineering departments
• As devices came into use specialised staff were also required
to operate the equipment – it was a natural progression for
technicians to do this work
History
• The 1950’s saw the availability of ONC, HNC and City & Guilds
qualifications in physics and engineering.
• The 1960’s and 1970’s saw co-operation with Radiographers and with
Medical Laboratory Technicians to develop qualifications leading to State
Registration – to no avail!
• In the 1970’s the first specialised medical physics qualification was
established: The ONC and HNC in Medical Physics and Physiological
Measurement.
• The 1980’s also saw the launch of the Medical Physics In-Service
Training Scheme by the Department of Health – which, for its time, was
excellent but was never universally accepted!
History
• In the 1990’s the Association of Medical Technologists merged with IPEM
which led to the establishment of the term “Clinical Technologist”
• 2000: The Voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists launched
• 2001: Making the Change published by the Department of Health
• 2001: The IPEM Clinical Technologist Training Scheme launched
• 2004: The Health Professions Council agrees to regulate the Clinical
Technologist Profession
• 2006 and beyond: Regulation for all Healthcare Scientists?
The Drivers
 Government’s need for NHS modernisation
 Leading to the NHS Plan, a 10 year strategy for reform,
creating a patient-centred NHS, from which came “Making the
Change – A Strategy for Healthcare Science”:
 For Clinical Technologists this means:
Embracing change and working in new ways, including:
 Agenda for Change
 Regulation:
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Protecting the Public
Training Fit for Purpose
Personal Development
Lifelong learning
The Clinical Technologist
Specialties
Clinical Engineering
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Medical Engineering
Radiation Engineering
Rehabilitation Engineering
Renal Technology
Clinical Physics:
• Radiation Physics
• Radiotherapy Physics
• Nuclear Medicine
Medical Engineering Technologist
Developing innovative
medical devices
Providing safe and fully
functional equipment
Radiation Engineering Technologist
Linear accelerator maintenance and quality
assurance
Renal Technologist
Preparation, maintenance and safety of equipment
Radiation Physics Technologist
Measuring irradiance inside a UV
treatment cabin for skin disease
Radiation Physics
Making Quality Assurance
measurements on a
diagnostic X-ray machine
Radiotherapy Physics Technologist
Treatment Planning, Dosimetry & Patient
immobilisation devices
Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Production and administering of radiopharmaceuticals, performing imaging
and non-imaging tests
Rehabilitation Engineering Technologist
Support for powered wheelchairs and design and manufacture of
assistive technology
The Voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists
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The VRCT was formed by IPEM in partnership with the
Association of Renal Technologists and the Institute of
Incorporated Engineers (now the Institution of Engineering and
Technology)
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The VRCT is managed by the VRCT Assessors’ Panel comprising
representatives of each constituent professional body
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The VRCT opened in October 2000
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There are now almost 2,800 Registrants
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This may represent up to two thirds of the workforce
IPEM Training Scheme
IPEM Clinical Technologists
Education and Training
Prospectus October 2001
• The Green Book – out of date and
not compatible with Scope of
Practice published by VRCT
• The Green Book is currently being
reviewed
• To be published on the IPEM
website as an e-document, it will
be kept up to date as and when
the Scope of Practice changes
IPEM Training Scheme
PERT
Continuing
Professional
Development
PART 2
PART 1
Role of IPEM
• Accredit Education Provider
• Accredit Training Centre
• Register Trainees
appropriately
• Support for the Trainee
• Support the Supervisor
• Support Clinical Competencies
 External Moderators
 Supporting Moderators
 Chief Moderator
The Voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists
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Entry to the VRCT can be achieved as follows:
Primary Route:
• Completion of a Vocational Degree in Clinical Technology, or
• Completion of a Graduate/Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical
Technology plus the IPEM Training Scheme, or
• Completion of the IPEM Training Scheme
Grand Parenting Route:
• Working as a Clinical Technologist prior to 2001 and still in
employment as a Technologist: Immediate entry
• Employed as a Clinical Technologist on or after 1 August 2001:
Completion of a formal training scheme + Degree or equivalent + 3
years
No approved training scheme + Degree or equivalent + 4 years
• Employed as a Clinical Technologist on or after 1 January 2007:
Completion of an approved training scheme
Scope of Practice
 Regulation requires each profession to have well-defined entry
pathways
 In order to achieve this the VRCT has defined a Scope of Practice for
each of the seven Clinical Technology disciplines
 The Scope of Practice defines what is expected of a newly qualified
and hence, regulated, individual.
 It is anticipated that after 2010 the entry pathway will be through the
completion of a Clinical Technology degree or postgraduate diploma
 Leading up to 2010 there will be a number of different options
available – as well as grandparenting the main option will be the
IPEM Training Scheme for Clinical Technologists along with the
recently announced ART Training Scheme
Regulation
• The rationale of regulation is to ensure that all those who have the
potential to cause harm to patients are trained “Fit for Purpose” and have
their practice overseen
• Until 2004 only 12 professions were deemed to have that potential! –
regulated via the CPSM
• In 2003 the CPSM was replaced by the Health Professions Council
which now has the ability to regulate new professions
• First groups to be considered included Operating Department
Practitioners and Psychologists
• Process formally commenced for unregulated healthcare scientist groups
in early 2003
Regulation
• Clinical Technologists, Physiologists, Perfusionists and
Medical Illustrators were deemed by DH to be ready to
proceed
• The VRCT application was prepared and submitted to HPC in
March 2004
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The application was heard in May 2004 and was approved
but with conditions
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In October 2004 the HPC agreed to regulate the profession
The Next Steps
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The DH Regulation Branch needs to go out to public
consultation and then formulate legislation – this has been
delayed because of the 2005 General Election and the
Shipman Inquiry and has now been delayed further. This
process will:
• Define “Standards of Proficiency” and “Scope of Practice”
• Establish the “protected titles”
• Define the processes required to deal with those currently in
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training or unable to join the Register
Overcome the doubts that a number of individuals have expressed
regarding regulation
It now appears that it will be at least 2009 before regulation of
the profession occurs.
The Next Steps
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More degree and postgraduate education programmes require to be
established. The VRCT Education Providers Group has defined the
prospectus for Clinical Technology degree programmes
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The IPEM Clinical Technologist Training Scheme is being updated and
the Association of Renal Technologists is currently launching their
scheme.
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There needs to be a campaign to encourage all eligible individuals,
who are not on the Register, to join
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Employer awareness requires to be raised
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The key issue of funding requires to be resolved in order to ensure
successful implementation
The Next Steps
Modernising Scientific Careers
A common framework for training & developing
Healthcare Scientists seeking to establish:
• Flexibility
• Accountability
• Standards of Training
• Framework for Regulation
• Sustainable funding
• Workforce planning
• Leadership
• Research
The Next Steps
What Can You Do?
• Embrace and support these developments
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Raise awareness with your colleagues
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Raise awareness within your organisation
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Engage with all interested parties
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If you haven’t done so yet – join the VRCT now or establish
what you need to do to join!
The Final Steps
When the profession is regulated by the Health Professions
Council we will have established:
• The bona fide professional title of “Clinical Technologist”
and its other protected titles
• A structured, competence-based, properly financed,
education and training system for Clinical Technologists
which is independently assessed
• The exemplary qualifications for the profession:The BSc Honours Degree or Postgraduate/Graduate Diploma in
Clinical Technology
Fit for Purpose
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to:
 Mr. Paul Robbins – Chair IPEM Clinical
Technologist Education and Training Panel
 Mr. Alan Thompson – Secretary IPEM Clinical
Technologist Education and Training Panel
 Mr. Lindsay Yuile – Engineering Registrar for the
IPEM Clinical Technologist Training Scheme
 Ms. Tina Jones - Chief Moderator for the IPEM
Clinical Technologist Training Scheme
 Dr. Derek Pearson – ex IPEM Vice-President for
Professional Issues
How to Contact the VRCT
Voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists
Fairmount House
230 Tadcaster Road
York YO24 1ES
Telephone: 01904-610821
e-mail: [email protected]
Coming Soon! New Web Address:
http://www.vrct.org.uk