Which Uni should I have as my firm?

Hii, this really helped. Is there a difference between applied and non applied? Does non applied mean that I can't get a job at nhs after I finish uni?

edit: I haven't visited either, they're a bit far from Manchester. Essex does an online offer holder day I saw, so I'll likely attend that.

Hiya 👋

'Applied' just refers to the NHS placement year, like you're 'applying' your skills in a hospital lab and completing your portfolio. The degree is taught exactly the same whether you do the placement/Applied or not.

... This can get a bit confusing so bear with me!

Working for the NHS, you'll hear people talking about Bands. These are salary pay scales relating to the qualifications of the job that you do. The more experience you have and the higher job position that you have, you earn a higher Band salary.

As a newly qualified registered biomedical scientist with a completed registration portfolio, you will be earning a Band 5 salary, which goes up to a Band 6 with experience.

Until you've done your registration portfolio, you can't become a registered biomedical scientist.

With an accredited degree (no portfolio), you can apply for a Trainee Biomedical Scientist position at Band 5, but these are highly competitive as you would need to have an agreement that they will support you doing your portfolio while working.

Without an accredited degree, you may need to work as a medical lab assistant (MLA) at Band 3 or an Associate Practitioner (AP) at Band 4.
In order to progress to become a Biomedical Scientist, you would then need to do top up modules and still have to do the portfolio.

~

p.s. Essex offer a travel bursary reimbursement of up to £150 for you (including one guest) towards your travel costs, to get to us for your offer holder day!

~

I saw you mention in another comment about job opportunities in the area. There are lots of campus jobs you could do, we have a scheme called frontrunners that offers a paid internship position to students with little previous work experience. Also working as a student Ambassador is a great way to earn money with flexible hours you can work around your study schedule.

If you prefer to work off campus, we're just a short bus ride away from the centre of Colchester where there are loads of restaurants and shops etc. It's a good idea to check your timetable when you get it in September to see how much free time you would have, but I'd say for an off campus job stick to evenings (in moderation) and weekends but don't try to work too much during term time as it can burn you out very quickly.

Best wishes
Essex Student Rep - Hayley

I have been to Bangor and Colchester, the latter is a far nicer place to live. My opinion of course, you may prefer Bangor.

i did a similar degree and i'm surprised these uni were your two top picks... i would seriously not firm Essex without visiting, trust me.

Why so? Which uni did you attend, and what degree did you do if you don't mind?

thank you so much for this! I never really understood the band concept until now. From my understanding, applied means you earn less, and you will have to become a MLA before you become a biomedical scientist. And still have to do a portfolio. And for non applied, you still need to do the portfolio, but with the job, and you will get paid higher. And this is more competitive.
I know this might be a bit dumb to ask, but what would you say the portfolio is? Like is this a document of words, images?

I'll take a note of frontrunners.

Thank you for all this, I didn't know that I didn't know so much.

i did Biochem at St Andrews.

Essex uni just has a certain 'vibe' that you must be clear about before firming...

what were your other uni options btw??

If you do the applied degree, it means you go on the NHS placement year. So when you graduate you'll have a higher earning potential because you'll be fully qualified with your portfolio all submitted while on placement. You'll have a year of lab experience to put on your CV which others won't have.

The portfolio sounds more complicated than it is. It's 30 pieces of evidence, which is a fancy way of saying 30 bits of coursework. Together they need to show your understanding of the HCPC standards of proficiency

Now this is not 30 essays. One of mine is a flow chart detailing the path a sample takes through the lab. There's a risk assessment for health & safety & wellbeing. A witness statement of someone in the lab observing my work. One of my friends has made a poster for one of their pieces. You can also annotate PowerPoint slides from training sessions etc.

There are some bigger pieces for sure, but not everything needs to be a big project. You have to give examples and link what we do in the lab to how we're following legislation and reflect on what you're learning along the way.

Do a bit of research about it, the IBMS website is great too.
IBMS Portfolio FAQ's

Best wishes
Essex Student Rep - Hayley