Sue Jones, IBMS Executive Head of Education, and Tahmina Hussain, IBMS Council member, discuss IBMS Support Hubs and provide feedback from members and plans for the future.
As we reflect on the last 12 months, we can confidently say that the online IBMS Support Hub sessions have been remarkably successful. Using the findings in the “Assessing Employability Skills” research study carried out by Martyn Hicks and Tahmina Hussain in August 2022, we identified several areas that would be useful to choose as Support Hub content.
In response, we set up a series of monthly one-hour lunchtime sessions throughout 2023, based on feedback from employers and universities, that would be helpful for students and new graduates, plus fully qualified and practising professionals. Each of these sessions has attracted over 100 people to attend, including students, academic staff, support staff, those training to become biomedical scientists and experienced practitioners.
From January to October 2023, we have covered a range of themes, including CV writing, interview skills, the updated HCPC Standards of Proficiency for biomedical scientists, quality management, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), sustainability, placement preparation, plagiarism and CPD audits.
Feedback on the Support Hubs has been very positive, including:
“As someone soon to retire… but invested in the careers and progression of my younger colleagues I found the webinar very useful. I signed in on my login and gathered Trainee BMSs from Haematology and Biochemistry to watch on a big screen. They all enjoyed the presentation, so thanks to all.”
“I would recommend this session to students, new graduates, anyone completing registration portfolio, or to anyone who would like a refresher.”
“Very useful webinar which all laboratory personnel should be encouraged to watch.”
All the IBMS Support Hubs from 2023 have been recorded and the videos are freely available to watch on the IBMS website under the Resource Hub tab.
Each Support Hub presenter has included lots of helpful hints and tips and links to follow up for each of the topics covered, so that anyone who watches the video can find additional support and activities to develop their understanding. The IBMS Support Hub videos from 2023 can therefore be used to support training and as ongoing CPD activities, if colleagues reflect on why they wanted to engage with the session, what they learned from it and how this has informed their practice.
We are now planning the IBMS Support Hub topics for 2024 and have already received some suggestions to host sessions focusing on advanced qualifications and the role of a consultant biomedical scientist, academic writing for higher and specialist qualifications, HR support for pathology staff, leadership in pathology and returning to practice.
If you have any suggestions for topics you would like to have included in the future IBMS Support Hubs, please send an email outlining the topic and what could be included in the session to: [email protected]. We look forward to hearing your suggestions and expanding our Support Hub resources.
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