Posted: Friday, 16th December 2011
THE SCHOOL of Healthcare Science is celebrating after becoming the first department in the country to achieve a key Department of Health accreditation for its courses.
MMU acted swiftly when the government launched a rethink of how scientists are employed in the NHS under the Modernising Scientific Careers (MSC) initiative .
“We engaged with MSC very positively from day one to provide the function and standards required,” explains director of school Professor Bill Gilmore.
“The School delivered the first of the MSC accredited courses – Physiological Sciences from last year, and we’ve just has two more approved – Life Sciences and Pathology and Neurosensory Science.
“We’ve done really well, and the preparation and effort positions us very well to attract the best science students.”
Postgraduates too
High calibre postgraduates are also joining us in numbers thanks to a related PG programme for practitioners already in employment around the NHS.
The School is a key player in the Scientists Training Programme – a national campaign to recruit 200 or more healthcare scientists through a central pool.
MMU’s joint bid with Manchester and Salford universities for seven streams of expertise was successful in two - MSc Blood Sciences and MSc Neurosensory Sciences
We currently have 31 on the blood sciences programme for which recruits spend the first year at the University of Manchester and years two and three at MMU, with MMU providing haemotology teaching for all three years.
Added Bill: “These are some of the best scientific professionals and come from all over England, so to make a social environment for these people, we’ve created the Manchester Academy for Healthcare Science Education, which runs extra-curricula activities.”
Professor Gilmore had special thanks for outgoing colleagues Verity Hick and Joyce Overfield and also for Doreen Shanks and Ian Kay.