Alternative and Simulated Placements - Augmenting Routes for Registration for Biomedical Scientists

“The lack of clinical placement pathology across NHS pathology services is well documented and is a factor linked to a nationwide shortage of newly registered Biomedical Scientists entering the clinical diagnostic workforce. This lack of workforce capacity is a contributory factor in diagnostic delays and increased staff turnover as the National Health Service embarks on ambitious and challenging recovery plans to tackle the post-pandemic backlogs to clinical services.

Despite the recent adaptation to simulated and alternative placements across other allied health professions to mitigate against loss of placement capacity, such alternatives have not been adopted as standard practice within Biomedical Scientist education.

This work will explore the current challenges and present evidence-based approaches to incorporating simulated clinical laboratory experience into undergraduate biomedical science teaching. This will include examples of best practice and case studies, qualitative and quantitative evaluation of student and practitioner involvement in simulated experiences, and the presentation of a tool kit approach to evidence-based, risk assessed laboratory simulation design.”