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Lucy Thorne achieves Registered Science Technician award

25 October 2024

Lucy Thorne RSciTech MAAPT talks through her experience of the shortened route and her attainment of the Science Council award

You must be very proud to become only the second APT to achieve the RSciTech award through the new shortened application process. Did you find applying straightforward? 

I'm incredibly proud to have achieved the RSciTech award via the new shortened application process. I found the entire process straightforward and think the AAPT RSciTech Masterclass definitely helped to cement some of the finer points around making a really detailed reflection of my 'bread and butter' as an APT, including what I'd do to troubleshoot situations or where I'd utilise a different approach to achieve the result I wanted.  

Can you give your main reason for wishing to achieve the RSciTech registration? 

I have two main reasons really; I'd love to achieve my RSPH Level 4 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology and being registered is now a prerequisite to that process; my other reason is the focus on CPD. I think that to develop as a professional and for a service to develop, education, filling any skills gaps and reflection on practice is vital. The commitment I am making to upholding my professional standards and continuing to grow my knowledge base is key to the type of APT I wish to be.  

The AAPT provided guidance documents and other useful references within the AAPT website. Did you find these useful as you completed the application? 

I made good use of the guidance documents provided whilst completing my application; these were blu-tacked to the wall adjacent to my desk! The focus on "I" rather than "we" was focussed on a lot, as well as detailed reflection and how I would change my approach in future. If I read through my application and found I was wandering off-piste a little (as I do...!), I used the guidance documents to find my way back on track.  

Once the award is achieved it must then be maintained through CPD and adherence to the standards. Is this daunting or a new professional challenge to overcome? 

I'm definitely not daunted by either aspect of the maintenance of this award. If anything, it makes me more determined to gain new knowledge and cement existing knowledge by seeking out development opportunities. Challenge accepted!  

Any particular good examples of meeting a standard you used that you could share with others? 

I think that making good use of everyday occurrences such as receipt and release of patients, why maintaining a clean environment is vital, utilising different block dissection techniques depending on your patient's medical/surgical history and different methods of reconstruction are all good examples to use for the standards.

These are examples that we have all encountered as part of our initial training whilst gaining experience of general mortuary work and evisceration, and exposure to such work and such cases will continue as our APT careers continue.

Finally, discussing why a particular method is put to use when writing a response to any of the standards is critical.