Assistant practitioner education and training
In 2002, the Society and College published a position statement that the minimum standard of education and training to achieve accredited status as an Assistant Practitioner is NVQ Level 3. This was further refined in the 2003 publication Education and Professional Development: Moving Ahead. The NVQ framework is based on the achievement of clearly defined competences, occupational standards. However, the SCoR supports wider access to education and training and therefore recognises other developmental routes such as the Foundation Degree (FD) or other higher education qualifications, provided they contain the necessary competences.
The rationale for maintaining a wide access to education and training relates to the pros and cons of both NVQ and more academic/higher level routes such as an FD. Support for various appropriate pathways provides flexibility for employers, commissioners or those funding education programmes for Assistant Practitioners and for the individuals undertaking the training.
Some employers are experienced NVQ providers or have good local NVQ providers, so this is a development pathway that they can support. The development of the new NVQ award in Health provides a development route for the support workforce to the level of Assistant Practitioner. The recent review of the NVQ allowed for criticisms of the existing programme to be addressed. Criticisms included: repetition, paperwork and bureaucracy, difficulty in gaining the required evidence, lack of specificity, and relevance to practice.
The pilot sites of the DH sponsored radiography Skill Mix Project, supported by Skills for Health, developed a number of occupational standards. Some of these were accepted as appropriate to the development of an Assistant Practitioner but it is also the case that some ‘higher’ level standards have yet to be accepted by the wider imaging and radiotherapy communities. The review of the NVQ in Health and Social Care allowed for these ‘profession specific’ standards to be incorporated into the national framework of academic awards, including the National Vocational Qualification framework. Again, representatives of the profession were involved in the review of the NVQ award.
The ‘new’ NVQ Level 3 in Health allows for the development of both a generic support worker and a ‘profession specific’ support worker, ie an assistant practitioner in one of a range of allied health professions. It is hoped that repetition has been avoided and that the streamlining of the award will make enable the trainee assistant practitioners in mammography, clinical imaging and radiotherapy to focus on their own practice to provide the evidence required supporting both achievement of the award and consequent accreditation by the SCoR.
Clinical departments with existing strong links with higher education institutions (HEI) may look to the HEI for training solutions and, with rare exceptions, will be offered a Certificate or Diploma of Higher Education or a Foundation Degree programme.
Employers and commissioners/funders of education may want their trainee Assistant Practitioners to have a broader, higher education experience and to include a greater number or range of competences within their development. This may be more easily achieved through a Cert/Dip HE or FD than through an NVQ route. Foundation Degrees may be funded by the Higher Education Funding Council or through NHS education funding streams (in England, the Strategic Health Authorities/Workforce Development Directorates). In the other UK countries, funding may be directed through a national workforce strategy.
For those wishing to become Assistant Practitioners, both the NVQ and the other routes provide stepping stones to subsequent development but this is more limited from the NVQ platform. In general, an NVQ III will provide entry to higher education, whereas a Cert/Dip HE or FD should provide advanced standing (some academic credit) towards a first degree. Hence, the latter may be a better choice where an individual intends to move on to radiographer training (an undergraduate degree programme) once they have achieved Accredited Assistant Practitioner status.
Whatever training route is decided upon locally, it is essential that it is designed to meet the specific needs of service delivery, as well as the needs of the trainee assistant practitioners. Approval of such training programmes by the Society and College will require demonstration of this.
The Society and College of Radiographers does not have a preferred option in terms of training routes for Assistant Practitioners and does not anticipate changing this stance. Indeed, it is supportive of all routes, if the learning outcomes meet the required competences and if the individual is fit for purpose and practice. It is the choice of employers to follow the route that supports their workforce development strategy to meet service delivery needs. The SCoR is able to provide advice to organisations and individuals in respect of education and development.
Contact Anne Shaw, Professional Officer at annes@sor.org
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