Biomedical science or radiography?

Im doing Biomedical science but I think you should go into radiography because its vocational! What are you planning to do with biomedical sciences? if you are going to become a biomedical scientist is your degree accredited?

you can't really say biomedical sciences is harder, all degrees have its hard and easy parts. can you see yourself working in a lab or working as a radiographer? hmm maybe that's a bit harsh. Im in my final year of biomedical sciences not accredited and its hard because there is so much to revise for and memorise and regurgitate essays in the exam. Im am really frustrated with how it is taught I have not learnt any useful skills, its just been exam practice and how to get the best marks by memorising essays for lectures in case they come up in the finals....maybe Im not supposed to be doing a degree and just get a job, but you can't get a decent job without a degree.

but i digress, why did you apply for both? How did you get offers from different degree programmes?

You know, I applied for both because I was not sure what I want to study. You can always apply to similar degress, you just have to point that out in you Personal St. I have read many reviews and people say that studying radiography is veery hard, because it is close to being to something like a doctor. Yes, my course is accredited and I plan to work in the nhs. You can work as a biom scientist in other places if your course is not accredited so don't be frustrated really. Can I ask what uni do you study at and is there more biology or chemistry in that course?

I dropped radiography to study biomedical science. The reason I dropped radiography is because it wasnt challenging enough. It was literally just learning anatomy and how to position a patient for an X-ray. There was some quantum physics to study but this wasn't applied during clinical placement as exposure levels for different anatomical areas were pre-programmed into the X-ray equipment.

Biomedical science is definitely a lot more difficult - in my opinion!! (With a massive range of career opportunities)

Just to note that to practice under the title "biomedical scientist" anywhere in the UK, you must be HCPC registered. That involves having an IBMS approved degree and certificate of competence.

I have completed a clinical placement for the IBMS registration portfolio and I am currently wrapping up the final year of my degree in biomedical science. If you have any questions I am happy to answer them and direct you to good sources of information.

Thank you for your advice. I think I've decided to study biomed science now . I think it is more interesting than radiography, isn't it? And one question , is there more biology or chemistry on the course? And is chemistry difficult at uni on this course?

There's more biology. Modules differ between universities. The most difficult chemistry is probably general lab stuff, like calculating dilution concentrations etc.

You'll be studying areas including: physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, cellular pathology (histology and cytology), immunology, haematology and molecular cell biology.

I did biomedical science and I recommend that you go for radiography.

1. Vocational course
2. NHS funded
3. Good foundation for a good career path
4. Get to work with people (not just samples)

Yes, I do believe the accredited is more structured like this. I go to UCL and its completely up to you which modules to take but the one thing is lack of labs. at my uni my average contact per day is about 3 hours of lectures someones I only need to turn up to 2 days a week, then it is up to you to do the extra reading. I have friends doing the accredited version and it is 9-5; lectures in the morning and labs in the afternoon. I have done no labs since 2nd year cos it depends on what modules you chose, if they have a practical side to it or not. I have had about 4 essays per term, while the accredited one is about 10 or so assignments.

I get this all the time. Its a contradiction, you know, I thought that if I get into a top uni, then Im on a top course, granted I should have done my research into the course before applying. All the Russell unis, apart from QMUL and Durham are not accredited so the fact that they have Biomedical Science to offer is misleading it should really be called a degree in 'life sciences'. Basically majority of the lecturers here are researchers so they are in the 'top of their field' to use the term loosely. Many of the lecturers are more into research than teaching, there are plenty of very good lecturers here that are engaging etc but majority are there to research and teaching is part of their contract, so you get some people just reading out from the slides. aside from that I spoke to the course organiser and they said they dont offer the accredited because it too restrictive you are only taught lab skills and the sole purpose of the accredited degree is that they train you to become a lab technician and run tests, perform PCRs day in day out, just paraphrasing what he said. UCL wants to produce more researchers and pursuade people to pursue PhDs so there is greater freedom in choosing modules you enjoy which means it woud not meet the requirements of IBMS. therefore there is more self-study time, so I do feel completely cheated, I might as well read all the papers on my own in my own time and sit the exam and still do just as well without paying to do something I can do by myself.


Wow that sounds great, I finished 21st of march, we get 5 weeks to revise for 4 exams. Does that mean you need to look for sponsorship with IBMS for your official training? good luck with your assignments.

I guess you did the unaccredited version?

Of course, who would aspire to work in an NHS lab?!

What's wrong with working in an NHS lab?

Labs are boring and make you feel isolated.

Fair enough, that's your opinion. I disagree completely, given the huge teamwork aspect involved in working in an NHS lab.

I know a few people who feel that way, some of them felt like it before even applying to study life sciences, which I find trivial, and others just have bad experiences of uni labs - the chaos in rushing to find a lab coat that fits, find a bench with your friends, queuing to use the more limited equipment (e..g centrifuge, homogeniser)

I've actually worked in a lab and I didn't like it at all; found it isolated and a tad boring. Much preferred working on the wards and interacting with different types of people. Of course we need BMS though, good with with it! The people I spoke to who worked in the clin path seemed very enthusiastic about their lab work, each to their own eh!

Yes, no one lab is the same! It all depends on who you work with, size of the department etc, so many variables! So I take it that you're a medic/going to study medicine? I was quite the opposite, like any man/woman of science I considered studying medicine, but I enjoyed the scientific side of things, rather than providing treatment.