I have been looking at professional registration for my qualifications (fancied some letters after my name)- however some of the institutes i have had a look just seem to be a scam, give us £100 and you can use these letters. Don't know what anybody thinks but your views would be interesting to hear.

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Bring on the Alzheimers, a world to yourself & revenge on your kids! Frank Gallagher, 2005.

After many years paying IPEM for some of those letters I've decided that I haven't seen any real benefit so I'll save my money.
And before anybody says "but you can claim the money back from the Tax man", I don't currently have to fill in a self assessment form and I have no wish to change!

Lee

Age isn't relevant since we're considering the duration of training, i.e. the possession of skills, training and qualifications over a defined period, to be eligible for taking additional qualifications; not the age of the individual undertaking training. If eligibility to apply for a qualification related to a job does not have any age limits the legislation does not apply.

What is perfectly legal is for an employer to require certain qualifications, skills and experience, and assessing this objectively at selection. We are discussing the ability to do a job based on the training individuals do not their age.

Practical tests are a good idea but isn't that what the on the job training and hands-on experience under supervision is about? Real-world problems that add to trainees experience whilst allowing them to learn. The fact that individuals do not necessarily learn at the same rate is well known. But this is not just the trainees problem it's up to trainers to address this.

As for registration, etc, I look at it like this: If I lost my job next year and was looking for another and it required VRCT (as many do nowadays) and I've kicked it into touch then I'd have to apply again and go through an interview for the sake of £10 a year.

In five years, if I want to move onwards and upwards and a job opprtunity presents itself but it's HPC registered as a "Clinical Technologist" and I'm not an IPEM/IET/ART/SCCT member thus not registered under HPC and it's a requirement - what do I do?

A small point, but I was under impression that membership of IPEM et al is not a requisite for VRCT or (when it happens) HPC.

Membership of a professional institution isn't required for the VRCT but membership is most likely to be necessary to enable individuals to demonstrate they meet the requirments laid down in the scopes of practice; thus enable individuals to obtain registration via the HPC, if they're' not on the VRCT.

For example holders of the IPEM post-nominals IIPEM are recognised by the institute as being "fully qualified technologists" eligible for entry onto the VRCT and, I assume, for transfer over to the prospective HPC register, if it ever materialises.

I'm with you there, Paul. But if we are to have some sort of Register, Licensing, or whatever (and opinions vary considerably on this point, as we all know), then I would have thought that a US-style Biomed Certification scheme is the way to go. Then, if a tech is Certified, everyone knows what standard the guy has achieved.

Conversely (as I have argued before), Voluntary Registration is not the way to go.

I agree Geoff, it should be compulsory.

But The VRTC has no provision for profile based evidence(I don’t think that showing you certs. was a true assessment), or review of CDP, where as, IPEM which are an administering body, do.


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I had to fill a tax form in once after enquiring about self employment!no wonder so many firms go under in the first year!!

When I applied to be included on the VRCT I had to give evidence of so many years working in healthcare, relevant training, my qualifications, experience, an organisational structure chart of where I worked. This had to be confirmed by a proposer and seconder, I think, one had to have IIPEM status, the other my manager. Since then the requirements have been relaxed somewhat, it appears. There's a statement on the VRCT certificate, if I remember correctly, referring to maintaining levels of competence and suchlike. IPEM also provides stuff on CPD, etc.

Without VRCT I think there would be more individuals who'd have difficulty getting onto the HPC in the future because they don't currently possess a relevant degree for instance and I think that is the level of qualification expected nowadays. However VRCT will probably enable the individuals with relevant and proven experience/skills/qualifications onto the HPC register, if and when it comes along, without them having to jump through the same "hoops" as new starters.

The big potential benefit of registration is that training and a career structure that's based on skills/knowledge/qualifications and experience will determine who gets the senior job roles based on ability. Preventing those who don't really have all the necessary skills from learning them whilst they're being employed in a well paid and responsible role, thus putting others at risk, potentially, and giving those who go to the trouble of training for a career a decent crack at the whip, so to speak.

Of course this "vision" relies upon employers taking up the use of protected titles for its employees and ensuring that they are applied to appropriate grades (NHS employers will have to do this under HPC if the job role is applicable). Training of staff then will become necessary to maintain demand - like it is for Nurses, Physiotherapists, etc. Currently we can't get anyone with the skills we need when we advertise and I wonder sometimes whether individuals, including myself, have the range of skills necessary at the grade they're currently working at.

As you PM is not set to accept, could i ask if it is ok to quote you in an ECA please Richard? and would any other participents in this mind being quoted too?

Sorry Scott whats an ECA? If I've quoted it previously on this site then it's not an issue. Obviously it's possible that my views have changed if it's an old quote, or be misrepresentative if it's taken out of context.