Which accreditation is better? Why?

So I'm studying a BMS degree that is going to be accredited by the Royal Society of Biology but I keep seeing everywhere that that accreditation is basically the same as non-accredited which makes me want to drop uni for a year and choose another university that gets accredited by the NHS or something.

I just need someone who knows about both accreditations to tell me if I made a bad decision or not because now I feel really unsure and I'm starting university in like 5 days.

Reply 1

TypicalNerd

18

Whilst I am no expert on the matter, I have found the following and I would suggest you give it a look:

https://www.rsb.org.uk/education/accreditation/students-and-graduates

So accreditation from the RSB implies that the course gives you all manner of useful skills that will make you more employable. You would also be entitled to a free year as an associate member of the RSB, potentially opening up networks and boosting your chances of employment.

My guess would be that extent to which RSB accreditation benefits you will depend on what career path you are looking at- according to the above link, AstraZeneca, Innovation for Agriculture and fera science are supporters of RSB accreditation (bear in mind this almost certainly is not an exhaustive list), so if any of said companies offer careers that appeal to you, it may be worth sticking with the course you have picked.

Have a think about what career path you want to go into. If you ultimately decide against taking up your place at uni this year in the hopes of finding a more suitably accredited course next year, there is no shame in doing that. Just be aware that you may be up against more competition than the last cycle of admissions and you may want to have a few backup plans if push comes to shove.

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 2

HealthcareSci

10

It's not a mistake depending on what you want. Accreditation from the RSB just means they support it - you're more than welcome to become a member afterwards regardless (I did).

If you think you will ever want to work in the NHS? Then make sure your course is IBMS accredited - https://www.ibms.org/accredited-degrees/accredited-degree-courses/undergraduate-uk-courses/.

If you don't want to work in the NHS then it doesn't matter. RSB is nice but doesn't really mean anything in the long run.

OP

Original post by HealthcareSci

It's not a mistake depending on what you want. Accreditation from the RSB just means they support it - you're more than welcome to become a member afterwards regardless (I did).

If you think you will ever want to work in the NHS? Then make sure your course is IBMS accredited - https://www.ibms.org/accredited-degrees/accredited-degree-courses/undergraduate-uk-courses/.

If you don't want to work in the NHS then it doesn't matter. RSB is nice but doesn't really mean anything in the long run.

I'm doing a masters so it's gonna be 'Advanced Accredited', whatever that means but is it possible to do IBMS training afterwards to widen my horizons?

Reply 4

HealthcareSci

10

Original post by JA03

I'm doing a masters so it's gonna be 'Advanced Accredited', whatever that means but is it possible to do IBMS training afterwards to widen my horizons?

Not unless your BSc is accredited. Otherwise you need to submit your degree for assessment by the IBMS (current cost £350) and then complete any top up modules they require (normally about £800 each).

It's expensive, frustrating and time consuming. But is only important if you want to be a biomedical scientist in the NHS (or in private healthcare, although private healthcare labs don't do the training anyway).

If you don't want to be a biomedical scientist in the NHS then it really doesn't matter. Then the RSB is nice but not necessary.

Depends on your future plans.

OP

Original post by HealthcareSci

Not unless your BSc is accredited. Otherwise you need to submit your degree for assessment by the IBMS (current cost £350) and then complete any top up modules they require (normally about £800 each).

It's expensive, frustrating and time consuming. But is only important if you want to be a biomedical scientist in the NHS (or in private healthcare, although private healthcare labs don't do the training anyway).

If you don't want to be a biomedical scientist in the NHS then it really doesn't matter. Then the RSB is nice but not necessary.

Depends on your future plans.

It's an integrated MSci. So it's the 3 year BSc with an additional year on top of it so it's an MSci.
So it's only needed in order to work in NHS labs? So I can do anything else?

Reply 6

HealthcareSci

10

Original post by JA03

It's an integrated MSci. So it's the 3 year BSc with an additional year on top of it so it's an MSci.
So it's only needed in order to work in NHS labs? So I can do anything else?

The IBMS accreditation is required to apply for HCPC registration as a biomedical scientist. You cannot register with the HCPC as a biomedical scientist unless the IBMS has accredited your degree / extra top up modules.

It's a healthcare profession registration, so NHS labs, but also private healthcare. It's a legal requirement for healthcare professionals to be registered.

But yes, apart from that - if you want to go into industry / research / academia / non-science related roles, none of them need IBMS accreditation (or RSB accreditation either).

Which accreditation is better? Why?

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