Case Club – 17/10/2023
Last Tuesday marked the first case club session delivered by the new HCSTN committee, and it proved to be a resounding success! Emily, a final year STP in Clinical Microbiology, presented an engaging and thought-provoking case about a soldier who presented with multiple wounds infected by several species of bacteria, one of which exhibited resistance…
Healthcare Science Week 2022 – A Day in the Life of 6 Healthcare Scientists
The 14-20th March 2022 was Healthcare Science Week – a week dedicated to raising awareness of the amazing work of healthcare science professionals, and celebrating the impact they have on patient care. Did you know that there are over 50,000 healthcare scientists working in the NHS and public health services in 50 different specialisms? The…
LondonHCSTN Spring Event 2022 IACC Q&A
A summary of the IACC Q&A session with Berne Ferry and Carol Higgison from our 2022 Spring Event.
Medical Physics and Bioinformatics Trainee Clinical Scientist Volunteers in ICU
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s Radiation Physics Department, hosts the London North Training Consortium, a collaboration of seven major London NHS Trusts, and employs twenty-five Trainee Clinical Scientists, following Health Education England’s 3 year post-graduate Scientist Training Programme (STP). A number of trainees stepped up during the first wave of the of the COVID-19 pandemic…
How to Select Your MSc Research Project.
At this year’s Healthcare Science Education 2019 event with a focus on “What is the role of collaboration in education?” the trainee network board members were invited to facilitate a session on How to select your research project. The session involved stake holders of various levels including trainees, trainers and assessors. Thank you to the…
Your London Trainee Support Flowcharts
Ideally training should flow smoothly from start to finish. However, we know this is not always the case, and with so many different professional bodies involved in our training, it can be difficult to know who to turn to if certain issues arise. To get the most appropriate support it is important to raise your…
Who should London Trainees contact when things change?
The years between enrolment and graduation will pass without any major hiccups for most trainees. But through no fault of our own, circumstances can change unexpectedly. When we’re busy adjusting to an unexpected change, we might forget to notify those behind the scenes. Whether you’re on the Scientist Training Programme or the Higher Specialist Scientist…
Board Meeting Summary – 7th August 2019
A handover is a bitter-sweet moment. The previous LondonHCSTN board members said their final goodbyes after an eventful and successful year. Keep an eye on our website and social media for official introductions to the new faces of your LondonHCSTN board. After introductions and icebreakers facilitated by our Co-Chairs (Laura Margetts and Emily O’Neill), the…
Board Meeting Summary – 24th June 2019
The fourth LondonHCSTN board meeting of 2019 began with a big announcement. But we’ll save the best for last. First, a summary of the minutes.
Board Applications Now Open!!
Calling all current 1st and 2nd years – applications for the London HCSTN board 2019/20 are now open! The London HCSTN is a network lead entirely by trainees. Our mission is to support, represent, inform and connect London’s wonderful Trainee Healthcare Scientists. We are currently recruiting board members for the upcoming year. Find out more…
OSFA Workshop 2019
The London HCSTN hosted an OSFA workshop on 26th April 2019. I hope all who attended found it as interesting and informative as I did, but for those who couldn’t make it – read on to hear more! By: Catherine Redshaw Before we begin – what actually is the OSFA? The ‘Objective Structured Final Assessment’…
Healthcare Science Week – Skipton House Event
Our trainees represented the LondonHCSTN at NHS England’s (NHSE) London headquarters at Skipton House – during HCS week! By Catherine Redshaw The NHSE London Scientific Director and Lead Healthcare Scientists from around the region invited us to run a lunchtime stall at NHS England’s London headquarters at Skipton House during Healthcare Science (HCS) week 2019!…
UCL Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre releases an online deaf awareness training course for Audiologists
There’s a new online course for Audiologists who want to acquire skills to: Employ appropriate behaviours and language when interacting with deaf and hard of hearing (HoH) patients Distinguish between communication preferences and adapt your communication to the patient’s needs Recognise legal requirements (Equality Act, 2010 and Accessible Information Standard, 2016) to provide reasonable adjustments…
CSO’s Annual Conference 2019 – #LTF2030
One of our trainees attened the NHSE CSO’s Annual Conference a couple of weeks ago. Read on for a summary of the event and thoughts about the event. By Haroon Chughtai On the 7th and 8th of March healthcare scientists from across the nation descended upon London to attend the Chief Scientific Officer’s Annual Conference.…
STP Winter Event 2018
We ran our annual STP Winter Training Event on the 17th of December and had a fantastic turn out over 70 trainees from across London and the South East. Multidisciplinary Healthcare Science In the morning, trainees worked on multidisciplinary healthcare science case studies to share how their specialism would be involved in different aspects of…
Healthcare Science Education Event 2018
On the 27th September some members of the LondonHCSTN board were given the opportunity to host our own workshop at the annual Healthcare Science Education event delivered by NECL healthcare scientists. The whole day was a fantastic event full of inspirational speakers and enthusiasm for healthcare science education. The afternoon was formed of concurrent workshops…
Board Meeting Summary – 16th August 2018
Every month the trainee network board meets to discuss in depth, items raised through remote communication during the preceding month. These may be for the organisation of our events, discussion of feedback, or coordination of other network activities. Below you can find a summary of what we discussed at the last meeting. If you’d like…
Trainee OSFA Workshop 2018
Another thank you to all of those trainees who attended our OSFA event in May, we hope you found it as useful and informative as we all did! Just a brief summary of the event for those who couldn’t make it, and for those who are considering attending next year’s event, here’s what it entailed:…
STP Board Applications 18/19
In case you missed our emails about it, there’s still time to apply to be on the LondonHCSTN STP board next year. Just click here and fill out the form by the end of Friday 6th July. Not sure whether being involved with managing the network is your kind of thing, or why it would…
Board Meeting Summary – Monday 11th June 2018
Every month the trainee network board meets to discuss in depth, items raised through remote communication during the preceding month. These may be for the organisation of our events, discussion of feedback, or coordination of other network activities. Below you can find a summary of what we discussed at the last meeting. If you’d like…
Reach Out for Healthcare Science 2018
It’s almost time for another year’s Reach Out for Healthcare Science! If you’re a trainee who is helping out do let us know what you get up and what your thoughts on the programme are. Contact us via email or tag us on Twitter. Details about the event from Aarti Makan, the Professional Lead for…
HCS Week 2018 – Twitter Trainee Takover
It’s Healthcare Science Week again; an annual week-long programme designed to promote the amazing work of healthcare science professionals and highlight the difference they make to patients’ lives. To support this we’re having a trainee takeover on our Twitter account. Each day this week, a STP Trainee from a different specialism will discuss the kind…
PTP Winter Event 2017 Summary
The London Healthcare Science Trainee Network (HCSTN) held their PTP Winter Event on Wednesday 13th December 2017. Our afternoon started with a great introduction from Breanna Mindo (PTP St George’s representative) and Angel Ratnasingham (PTP events co-ordinator). Then Aarti Makan (Professional Advisor for Healthcare Science, HEE London) kicked us off with an icebreaker. She then…
STP Winter Event 2017 Summary
On 14th December, the London Healthcare Science Trainee Network held our annual STP Winter Event. This training day was extremely popular with 65 STP trainees from across the region taking part. Multidisciplinary Healthcare Science In the morning, trainees worked on multidisciplinary healthcare science case studies to share how their specialism would be involved in different…
Fertility 2018 Joint Annual Conference
Do you have an interest in fertility, sexual health or reproductive biology? Why not go to the Fertility 2018 conference! This is the largest conference of it’s kind in the UK, consisting of 3 full days of talks from worldwide experts and short oral presentations from clinics throughout the UK. There are also a number…
Registration for our STP Winter Event is Now Open!!
Calling all current STPs in London and the South East region! Come and join us for our winter event on Thursday 14th December at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden. This year we have a variety of exciting things happening including professional practice workshops (useful for competencies and OSFAs) and reflective writing…
London STP Experiences Survey 2017
Thank you to so many of you that took part in our recent survey to anonymously record the feedback of past and present STP trainees in London. This survey focused on the trainee’s first-hand experiences of the quality and organisation of their training in their host department and in departments where they completed rotations. The…
Don’t forget: STP and PTP Welcome Event
A quick reminder that our STP and PTP Welcome Event is THIS FRIDAY. We’ve reserved an area in Student Central for drinks and will be easy to find – look out for our logo or Board members! [pdf-embedder url=”https://londonhcstn.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/stp-and-ptp-welcome-event-2017-flyer.pdf” title=”STP and PTP Welcome Event 2017 Flyer”]
STP Induction Day 2017
It’s STP Induction Day! Today, this year’s new intake of STP trainees are in Birmingham to get a big welcome to the training programme from the National School of Healthcare Science, and an insight into what the next 3 years of training will look like. It’s a chance for them to meet other new STPs…
Welcome to the 2017 London Trainees!
Congratulations on making it through the Practitioner Training Programme (PTP) or Scientist Training Programme (STP) application process. Welcome to the world of Healthcare Science and to London! We’re the London Healthcare Science Trainee Network, and as a trainee in London you’re automatically part of us. To ensure that you receive communications from us, including ways…
New Trainees: A Brief Glossary
This page collects together some commonly used acronyms that you may be unfamiliar with as you start your training: [accordion-wrapper] [accordion accordion_title=”Healthcare Science (HCS)”] HCS is one of the fastest moving areas of the NHS and its importance will continue to grow. As a healthcare scientist you may: Improve your understanding of illnesses and treatments…
The LondonHCSTN Board 2017/2018
We recently held the selection process for the new board, and were pleased to offer positions to everyone who expressed an interest. You can see who’s on the board this year, here. Our new co-chairs had the following to say: “We are both currently entering our final year of the STP in London and have been…
ReachOut for Healthcare Science
The 19-23rd June saw the now well established ReachOut for Healthcare Science event come to London. I helped out at the event at Kings College London, where over 100 year 10 school children passionate about science spent a week at the University and local hospitals. The aim of the week, similar to those held at…
OSFA Training Day
We had an oversubscribed and great OSFA event with over 50 STP trainees attending. The day started with an introduction to the OSFA process by Kimberly Gilmour, Consultant Clinical Scientist at Great Ormond Street Hospital (and OSFA extraordinaire!) Kimberly was then joined by colleague Elizabeth Ralph and provided some entertaining demonstrations of OSFA scenarios. Trainees…
Elective: Hannah Williamson – Vascular Sciences
I was fortunate to spend my elective in Dunedin, New Zealand, at the Otago Vascular Diagnostics department. They offered me a three week placement where I was able to enhance upon my existing ultrasound technique and had the opportunity to watch numerous vascular interventional procedures. I was also able to spend time in multidisciplinary clinics,…
Chief Scientific Officer Conference
The Chief Scientific Officer Conference 2017 showcased how scientific advances ensure high quality care for all, and prepare the health service for future generations. Day one kicked off with a welcome from Prof. Sue Hill OBE (Chief Scientific Officer, NHS England), followed by a session exploring recent advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment with talks…
Elective: Roger Bramley – Clinical Biochemistry
My aim was to see how different healthcare science disciplines interact in patient care. I saw patients with cystic fibrosis and familial hypercholesterolaemia (a genetic lipid disorder) at the Royal Brompton hospital at clinics and followed their samples in the biochemistry, microbiology and genetics departments for diagnosis and management. Using the contacts I made, I…
Winter Training Event 2016
On 14th December, we held our 2016 STP Winter Event. It was a great event with STPs across all year groups and spanning a wide range of specialisms. In the morning we practiced communication skills, explaining to our groups how our specialism contributes to the diagnosis and monitoring of clinical cases. Then Dr Fiona Lethbridge…
Elective: Sam Griffiths – Cardiac Physiology
Optimising the timings of an implanted cardiac device’s (e.g. pacemaker’s) electrical pulse between the top and bottom heart chambers using information from a simple heart scan can improve the health of patients born with structurally normal hearts. There have been no prospective studies indicating whether this is beneficial in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients.…
Welcome Event 2016
A quick thank you to everyone who made it to our welcome event! We hope we gave you the welcome and congratulations you deserve. After some delicious canapes and mingling, Layla Afkhami (3rd year STP at St George’s Hospital) gave us a great welcome and explained what the London Healthcare Science Trainee Network is here…
The London HCSTN 