On the VRCT .org site it says approved vocational degree or approved training scheme. The only approved training scheme I know of is IPEM training scheme.

When state registration is mandatory for some posts, I suspect it will be the HPC (Health Professions Council)? decides which degree or training scheme is approved.

That's the primary critera for those who first joined employment as a clinical technologist january the previous year. Rather old news, haven't heard anything on the VRCT front for a long time (last report delayed until 2009 at the least) For a second there I thought that they'd altered the requirements yet again!

I think it's still applicable, it was up dated May this year the criteria for people who wish to apply for the VRCT remains, the same as last year.

Yes, it will remain the same each year until they decide to change it, but you said "As from January this year" which unfortunately for those who only started January the previous year isn't correct. It's as from January 2007. Also it applies to all bands who are eligible to join not just above band 5. Although if it does go through to the HPC there is a section in the AFC handbook that says those who are required to be professionally registered are expected to initially be placed on band 5.

Re Biomedbill question. You are spot on when you say that the NVQ level 3 is essentially an OND in old money. The Foundation Degree year one is level 4 (HNC) and year two is level 5 (HND). If you were to go on and do a full honours degree you would be looking at level six and so on..... This is all part of the National Qualifications Framework and believe it or not it is designed to make it easier for students to decide the appropriate level of qualification. There are so many diplomas and certificates etc around these days, it is supposed to make it easy to find out what level of qualification you are undertaking.

Re Chris's question. The Guidelines for joining the VRCT are slightly complexed. Chris is correct is saying that as of January 07 a newly employed clinical technolgist will not be able to join the register via the Grand Parenting provision and therefore must have an VRCT approved vocational degree (the only at the moment being the training scheme for clinical technologists). The Eastwood Park degree has an Engineering Science element to it and is currently going through the approval process for the VRCT primary criterion.

Steve

Thanks for the info Steve, (Is eastwoodpark your real surname? Is that how you got the gig? (sorry, just my sense of humour))
This doesn't make things any clearer, you say that a vocational degree is equivalent to an HND then why does the "Physics" side of the VRCT require a BSc?
I am still not convinced that the VRCT or whatever it develops into will have any relevance in the provision of medical equipment maintenance. We call ourselves Biomedical Engineers and will continue to do so. We have recently taken on 4 trainees 3 are doing an ONC in Electronics and the other is due to start a BEng in Electronics in September. This route has satisfied our needs for over 30 years and as far as I'm aware we haven't killed anyone yet! My colleagues and I support the idea that registering as a professional engineer or eng tech. is as good if not better than Clinical Technologist

Bill

p.s. we are not clinical, we advise clinical staff, we do not interfere with patients. If we are called to a faulty ECG monitor for example we ask the nursing staff to reapply the electrodes or prep the patient's skin, we would never do it ourselves.

Oh yes, Bill! Bravo!

It's so nice to hear that sort of thing from someone else besides me!

If your thinking of professional registration in the future the IET advise "If you are choosing which course to take, you are advised to seek an IET accredited qualification"

Thus if the Eastwood Park foundation degree is not accredited by the IET you'll meet the requirements of VRCT but professional registation (Engtech/IEng) will be harder than those who followed a traditional Engineering qualification instead. Thus a traditional engineering HND/degree seems a better option for those who the grandparenting critera applies but don't currently meet the educational requirements.

The Eastwood Park foundation degree seems more suitable for those who have to follow the primary critera and want to follow the approved vocational degree route.

Bill,

Does this mean your newbies completing their ONC/HNC electronics also recieve their generic medical equipment training in house? Or do you also send them to Eastwood Park?

Chris, IET approval is also being sort for the foundation degree.

Can I just add that many of the students on the FD allready hold a HNC/HND, one or two studnets have degrees allready and a number of students have no formal qualifications.

Now that does surprise me, to get a degree approved it has to have a strong engineering base. Now the foundation degree seems to have more of a strong clinical technologist base with a engineering element, I wouldn't have thought this was adequate for IET approval, let alone even provide enough basic engineering background for someone to successfully complete the basic interview test they carry out here!

Also if most of the students taking the FD already hold a HND/HNC, if their eligable for the grandparenting clause wouldn't they already meet the educational requirements? For them it would seem like teaching your granny to suck eggs!