Careers and Training

Vacancies in the department are advertised on the NHS Jobs website.

Clinical technologists are Healthcare Science Practitioners working across a range of clinical and healthcare settings. They work across the following disciplines:

Nuclear medicine
Radiotherapy physics
Radiation physics
Medical engineering
Radiation engineering
Rehabilitation engineering
Renal technology
Clinical scientific computing

For some clinical technologists, their roles involve direct contact with patients, including performing invasive or complex procedures, making clinical interventions, and exercising judgement that can significantly affect patient health and welfare. For others, their role may involve working ‘behind the scenes’ preparing treatments such as radioactive injections or looking after specialist medical devices. However, their impact on patient care and outcomes cannot be ignored or underestimated. Clinical technologists undergo formal training, either by completing a 3-year level 6 degree apprenticeship in Clinical Technology, or by completing the IPEM Clinical Technologist training scheme. Applicants to Clinical Technologist roles can also achieve “equivalence” by evidencing equivalent prior experiential learning. Clinical Technologists are encouraged to register either the with the Register of Clinical Technologists or with the Academy of Healthcare Science (as a Healthcare Science Practitioner). Clinical Technologists maintain their competence through various CPD programmes.

We offer a two-year level four advanced apprenticeship in Medical Engineering. We work in partnership with CSR who are our training provider and the academic coursework is undertaken on day release at a local technical college. CSR assess and monitor the apprentice’s progress in the workplace. Workplace training supervision is provided by medical physics throughout the apprenticeship. Placements are in sections including Radiotherapy Engineering, Clinical Engineering and Diagnostic Imaging. Download the Medical Engineering Apprenticeships Leaflet for further information.

At the end of the apprenticeship, trainees are ready to apply for Clinical Technologist vacancies as support technicians.

There are also professional routes available for people to enter the profession who have vocational or academic training but have not completed an accredited course, and who have gained equivalent knowledge.

Most clinical scientists enter their career through a national training scheme, the Scientific Training Programme (STP). The scheme covers the whole of clinical science, from genetics, blood sciences and haematology to audiology, medical physics and clinical engineering. The intake to the scheme is in September/October each year, the selection process starts in the preceding January. Applicants apply online and are asked to nominate two specialisms / themes.

Some training centres specify the specialism if there is a particular workforce need, or if they can only train to specialism level in specific areas. In other training centres the specialism is not chosen until part way through the course.

Following a shortlisting procedure, applicants attend a national assessment centre in March/April where they have multiple interviews at which a candidate’s knowledge of physics/engineering and the NHS, leadership skills and communication skills are tested.

The training programme application procedures are notified via NHS careers website. The application process for the training scheme is normally open during the month of January.

Generally candidates need a 1st or upper second in physics or related subjects. If a lower second has been achieved, candidates additionally need an appropriate higher degree.

The Department hosts STP trainees in Medical Physics and in Clinical Engineering for the three year training scheme.

The scheme includes study towards an MSc in Clinical Science (Medical Physics specialism), or MSc in Clinical Science (Clinical Engineering specialism). Trainees have placements in different sections of the department where they gain experience in aspects of clinical science and leads to a Certificate of Competence from the Academy for Healthcare Science and ultimately registration with the Health and Care Professions Council HCPC as a Clinical Scientist.

The scheme is split into rotations (a taster of four areas) and then a specialism (one area is studied in depth). In Leeds, rotations take around 15 months including the first academic portion. The specialism then takes the remainder of the three year scheme. The Leeds trainees in medical physics attend Newcastle University. The trainees in clinical engineering attend Kings College, London.

Medical Physics areas are: