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Best universities for Biomedical Science that also has reasonable entry requirements

Can people comment some good universities for a degree in biomedical science. By good, I mean, is it good for that degree in particular, is it worth my money, is there support when needed, is their a social life scene and as a female would I feel safe (asking this mainly because I feel really concerned after hearing about the Warwick University rape chat scandal).

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 1

username5161072

I go to Warwick and the rape scandal was embarrassing but Warwick has promised to make up for that and the students are holding them to it.

They are pretty good for support (when you get it)

Reply 2

stereotypeasian

I like these unis.....

Glasgow
Edinburgh
Dundee
Aberdeen

Reply 3

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Just on the Warwick scandal (I have not nor ever been a Warwick student).

But it was a small handful of students and the uni took action i think expelling those responsible for the worst messages and took strong action against others. Im fairly sure all of them have left the uni now anyway.

It was a group chat and I wouldn't judge the whole uni on it as there are a handful of idiots at every uni who will make jokes in a group chat well beyond what is acceptable, its unfortunate but I wouldn't let it affect your uni choice.

Reply 4

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

That depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to work as a BMS in the NHS, then the only degree really worth considering are the Healthcare Sciences (Life Sciences) degrees that are part of the NHS Practitioner Training Programme (PTP). These are the only ones that are both IBMS accredited and provide HCPC registration on graduation, allowing you to apply directly to Band 5 BMS roles in the NHS when you graduate. While they will have minimum entry requirements and normally require some science background, they do not generally have nearly as high entry criteria as BMS degrees at e.g. UCL or Oxford, because unlike those degrees they are not designed as academic degrees purely driven by the university's research endeavours, but are the academic period of training required for a specific vocation (that is, to become a biomedical scientist).

A list of providers is available on the PTP site here: https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/services/accreditation/ptp-academic-programmes/ although not all will be recruiting in every given application cycle. The strands for training as a biomedical scientist are the generalist Life Sciences strand, or the specialist Blood Science/Infection Science/Cellular Science/Genetics strands.

If you do any other course, you will have potentially several barriers to working in the NHS as a BMS (or any role using the protected title "biomedical scientist" as opposed to general medical lab assistant type roles). To work in such a role, you need both the IBMS accreditation, and the HCPC registration. If your degree is not accredited by the IBMS then you will need to submit it for assessment to them - they will then determine whether you can received accreditation after the fact (quite rare), if you need to take top-up modules in order to be accredited (very expensive and time consuming), or if your degree doesn't have enough overlapping content and that you would need to do an entire new degree. On the HCPC side, you will first need to have or be on an IBMS accredited course, and then either undertake a placement in an approved NHS pathology lab as part of a year in industry (such placements are very competitive in many regions), or to work in an MLA role after graduation in such an approved lab and develop the professional portfolio needed for HCPC registration during/around your work as an MLA.

I would generally recommend the Healthcare Sciences (Life Sciences) course as such, unless you know absolutely you have no interest in working as a BMS (in the NHS or otherwise) and plan to work in other general biological lab technician roles, non-STEM related careers, or go into academia. However, you can potentially do any of those things from the Healthcare Sciences (Life Sciences) courses still...

Reply 5

username5161072

It’s safer now and it’s definitely a better place. They have their own investigation process for any incidents and they won’t want to repeat that scandal again.