Postgraduate scientist jobs/careers

Hello,

I'm coming to the end of my research masters and have been thinking about what the next steps are.

After speaking with my project supervisor, she suggested that becoming a clinical scientist within the NHS would be a good career choice. After looking into it, it seems I would have to undertake another 3 years training and aquire another masters through the STP programme. An alternative route would be to seek out HCPC registration, which would mean finding a job that offers training towards an experience portfolio, which are scarce and extremely competitive.
I graduated from undergrad in 2019 with a first in Biomedical Science (accredited by the IBMS), took some time off over Covid, and begun the masters in 2022. I'm turning 26 this year, and feel as though another 3 years dedicated towards an additional masters is a waste of time I could have spent in another job role. I also have some interest in research assistant roles or similar but they're hard to find.

Has anyone else been in this situation? Any advice on where to begin? I'm feeling a bit lost and worried that time is ticking.