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Studying sonography after Biomedical Science?

I'm considering Biomedical Science at Salford instead of Radiography, then doing a masters (MSc) in Ultrasound to become a sonographer. Has anyone else taken this path? Is it realistic, and what should I expect? 😊

Diggory the AI Uni Coach helped write this post

Reply 1

Original post
by 24578087
I'm considering Biomedical Science at Salford instead of Radiography, then doing a masters (MSc) in Ultrasound to become a sonographer. Has anyone else taken this path? Is it realistic, and what should I expect? 😊
Diggory the AI Uni Coach helped write this post


Leeds do an undergraduate Sonography course. There is still time for the current ucas deadline if this is something you would be looking to apply for!

Reply 2

Original post
by undctrd7
Leeds do an undergraduate Sonography course. There is still time for the current ucas deadline if this is something you would be looking to apply for!


The problem is leeds is quite far im thinking of doing biomedical science at salford university and then do a pgcert in ultrasound but idk im confused
Original post
by 24578087
The problem is leeds is quite far im thinking of doing biomedical science at salford university and then do a pgcert in ultrasound but idk im confused


Does the sonography course even accept a non-clinical biomedical sciences graduate for admission? Remember biomedical sciences is a science degree it is not a clinical degree. Sonography is a clinical area and I suspect without having any prior exposure to patient facing work e.g. through placements in a clinical course (or indeed working for several years as a clinician after qualfying) you may find it hard to get onto the course even if nominally you do meet the entry criteria.

Realistically if your goal is a clinical career I think you should be aiming to do a clinical degree at the outset.

Reply 4

Original post
by artful_lounger
Does the sonography course even accept a non-clinical biomedical sciences graduate for admission? Remember biomedical sciences is a science degree it is not a clinical degree. Sonography is a clinical area and I suspect without having any prior exposure to patient facing work e.g. through placements in a clinical course (or indeed working for several years as a clinician after qualfying) you may find it hard to get onto the course even if nominally you do meet the entry criteria.
Realistically if your goal is a clinical career I think you should be aiming to do a clinical degree at the outset.


Yeah you are right my backup is just to do a pgce in science teaching so i can be a science teacher after both my biomedical science and pgce degree what do you think?
Original post
by 24578087
Yeah you are right my backup is just to do a pgce in science teaching so i can be a science teacher after both my biomedical science and pgce degree what do you think?

You may well be able to do a PGCE to become a science teacher after a healthcare course if you do an SKE anyway.

I think maybe you need to think about whether you want to do patient facing clinical work or not. Have you done any work experience in a healthcare environment or caring role? That might help you decide :smile:

Reply 6

Original post
by artful_lounger
You may well be able to do a PGCE to become a science teacher after a healthcare course if you do an SKE anyway.
I think maybe you need to think about whether you want to do patient facing clinical work or not. Have you done any work experience in a healthcare environment or caring role? That might help you decide :smile:


What if i just call the university of salford and let them know that i already got an offer for biomedical science but i want to do their radiography course?
Original post
by 24578087
What if i just call the university of salford and let them know that i already got an offer for biomedical science but i want to do their radiography course?


I'm a little confused as it sounded like you were applying to radiography but thinking of switching to BMS.

So you've applied to BMS but want to do radiography? Have you used all your choices on UCAS yet and/or did you submit your application in the last two weeks?

Reply 8

Original post
by artful_lounger
I'm a little confused as it sounded like you were applying to radiography but thinking of switching to BMS.
So you've applied to BMS but want to do radiography? Have you used all your choices on UCAS yet and/or did you submit your application in the last two weeks?


I already submitted my application like on the start of December and i got an offer from salford university to study biomedical science but the main problem is that i want to study radiography not biomedical science
Original post
by 24578087
I already submitted my application like on the start of December and i got an offer from salford university to study biomedical science but the main problem is that i want to study radiography not biomedical science


Did you apply to radiography or BMS?

Reply 10

Original post
by artful_lounger
Did you apply to radiography or BMS?


I applied for biomedical science my personal statement is about biomedical science
Original post
by 24578087
I applied for biomedical science my personal statement is about biomedical science


You could ask if they'll consider you for radiography since you already have an offer- you have nothing to lose, although I suspect they won't.

You may need to look at applying through clearing or in a gap year. I'd recommend looking for work experience or volunteering opportunities in a caring role or healthcare environment.

Reply 12

Original post
by artful_lounger
You could ask if they'll consider you for radiography since you already have an offer- you have nothing to lose, although I suspect they won't.
You may need to look at applying through clearing or in a gap year. I'd recommend looking for work experience or volunteering opportunities in a caring role or healthcare environment.


Do you think they would let me ?
Original post
by 24578087
Do you think they would let me ?


Most likely not since usually allied health professions courses require some work experience/volunteering as above (which it's unclear if you've done), often interview, and also usually look for commitment to the profession in your PS.

But they can't take back the offer you already have for asking so like I said, no harm in asking.

I do think the more likely situation is if you want to do radiography that you'll need to apply through clearing or in a gap year.

Reply 14

Original post
by artful_lounger
Most likely not since usually allied health professions courses require some work experience/volunteering as above (which it's unclear if you've done), often interview, and also usually look for commitment to the profession in your PS.
But they can't take back the offer you already have for asking so like I said, no harm in asking.
I do think the more likely situation is if you want to do radiography that you'll need to apply through clearing or in a gap year.


Is there a way they could maybe put me in a waiting list or something and if i got a really good grade in my btec applied science course on results day shall i ring them to update them
Original post
by 24578087
Is there a way they could maybe put me in a waiting list or something and if i got a really good grade in my btec applied science course on results day shall i ring them to update them

The only thing you can do right now:

Contact them and ask if they will consider you for the radiography course.


If they say yes, and make you an offer, great.

If they say no, or say yes then don't make you an offer, the only things you can do then:

Apply via clearing after you get your results

Apply in a gap year.


You can't "beg" them for a place otherwise and for the first step you are just asking and if they say no there is no grounds for convincing them otherwise.

These are your three action points to take, in sequence.

Reply 16

Original post
by artful_lounger
The only thing you can do right now:

Contact them and ask if they will consider you for the radiography course.


If they say yes, and make you an offer, great.
If they say no, or say yes then don't make you an offer, the only things you can do then:

Apply via clearing after you get your results

Apply in a gap year.


You can't "beg" them for a place otherwise and for the first step you are just asking and if they say no there is no grounds for convincing them otherwise.
These are your three action points to take, in sequence.


Okay thats fine thank you btw do you think radiography especially at salford university comes in for clearing
Original post
by 24578087
Okay thats fine thank you btw do you think radiography especially at salford university comes in for clearing


Unfortunately it's impossible to predict - even if a course was in clearing the year before, it may not be in the current year! Clearing is all about universities filling unfilled spaces on courses before the academic year starts, some courses are persistently undersubscribed but many might just have a shortfall of a few places in one year but be fine the next, dependent on e.g. demographic shifts of birthrates in a given year or exam performance for particular year-cohorts.

That said as allied health professions courses usually have integrated placements, they tend to have fewer places than other courses (because most regions can only provide so many placements logistically while still maintaining the health service otherwise) and they are often well subscribed by students wanting to pursue a healthcare career. So I imagine if there are places there may not be many, so that's something to bear in mind.

But there's really no telling until clearing opens (and even then, often many courses only end up adding places on A-level results day when they know how many people missed their offers)! :smile:
Hiya @24578087 ,

Just to jump in on this one - @artful_lounger is spot on with their advice in this thread, and from our perspective I very much agree that its worth giving our admissions team a call (0161 295 0000) to chat about your application now we're back open after the Winter Break.

We don't have a waiting list for courses if you've not applied for them in the main cycle - our Radiography course is very popular, and as we get a lot of strong applications with a full Radiography focus each year our admissions tutors would focus on filling any gaps with those if we ended up with any, but this isn't something we traditionally do as a University. Speaking from past experience the chances for our Radiography course to go into Clearing would be quite low - as I mentioned, its a really popular course with lots of strong applications each year, which usually means for most courses they wouldn't go into Clearing. Its always worth checking with us on Results Day though, as these things can absolutely change!

In terms of your career goals, I agree with artful_lounger on checking about pathways into Sonography as a postgrad degree - you might find there are conversion masters courses that take you from a different degree background to a Health one (we have some Nursing/Midwifery Masters courses like this, so I know this type of degree exists!). You might find them a rarer course, but if you're really passionate about it its worth taking a look.

My strongest recommendation would be a gap year to really think about your options. If you know you don't want to do Biomed and aren't going to enjoy the course there's no point in signing up to do a degree you're not interested in. Degrees are tough, and doing three years of something you don't want to do/might not get you to the career you want is going to be hard to feel motivated for! Its worth taking the time to make the right decision, and not just going to University as soon as possible because you feel you have to make that next step.

If you have any queries let me know, happy to help!
All the best,
Becky
University of Salford Rep

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