News
Level 3 Diploma Course
I know there has been some wait for a centre to be announced and I am pleased to confirm that North Tees & Hartlepool NHSFT will be hosting the new RSPH Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology with a start date of the 13th March 2014.
The course will be based at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton on Tees. This is a modular course which means you have to visit us in the sunny North on 5 separate occasions for a period of 2 days at a time. Your practical skills will be assessed in your own mortuary by an external assessor, appointed by NT&HNHSFT who meets RSPH criteria, and you will also be required to complete a portfolio of evidence of your training etc. You will also need to nominate a work based mentor… this could be a senior APT with the current Certificate & Diploma, your Mortuary Manager (APT) or a supervising pathologist… we will also work with your mentor, if required, to support them to support you.
There is very good reason the course is now modular – it is to ensure that all aspects of mortuary practice are covered in detail and that you are assessed closely on each aspect, rather than sitting one exam where you had to know everything all at once! You will also be supported along the way with regular course updates / tools to complete self assessment of your progress and add to your portfolio. The lecture programme which has been developed is based on helping trainees to achieve the learning objectives set in the RSPH course descriptor.
Please note we will only be able to accommodate 20 trainees this year due to the level of commitment the centre has to provide in delivering guided learning hours to each trainee. We anticipate we will be starting again next February with the in house teaching sessions. It may be that other centres are up and running by then in other parts of the country.
We are also unable to accommodate international candidates in the first instance. I am hoping that international candidates will be accommodated in the not too distant future… we need to plan as an organisation and work closely with the RSPH on how we are going to deliver the required guided learning hours the course requests us to provide to individuals… and how we can assess your practical competencies in your home mortuary. We will keep all international candidates informed of progress with this.
We are aware that a lot of trainees have concerns regarding travel and accommodation – whilst we cannot include the cost of travel and accommodation in the price of the course, we are trying to negotiate a deal with a local hotel to keep costs down for students and if successful we will provide transport to and from the centre to this hotel during the course attendance days. Please can I assure people we are really trying to make the course as user friendly as possible… and will be publishing a FAQ sheet including travel tips and advice etc shortly…
The lecture programme for the 13th, 14th of March will be made available to those who successfully register to the course and will be delivered by dedicated, qualified staff from departments in the Trust such as the Mortuary & Bereavement Service, Histology, Microbiology, Infection Control, the Chaplaincy, the medical staff and many more! We are also very fortunate to have the opportunity to invite guest lecturers as required and will be ensuring that the course is participative and interesting for the student.
This is an extremely exciting time to be a trainee APT - trainees this year have the potential to be the first APTs in the country to achieve a now academically recognised qualification in Anatomical Pathology Technology – thanks to the hard work and dedication of the AAPT, the Modernising Scientific Careers team and the RSPH.
I look forward to potentially working with you all very soon… For eligibility criteria and to apply please see the course application form and the timetable for full information.
Please email completed application forms and any further enquires too: michelle.lancaster@nhs.net
Kindest Regards,
Michelle Lancaster,
Mortuary & Bereavement Services Manager,
North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.