Regulation through Professional or Statutory Registration

A primary concern for professionals working in healthcare, whether as a Clinical Scientist or Clinical Technologist, is obtaining registration through:

the Health Professions Council (HPC) for Clinical Scientists or
the Voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists (VRCT) for Clinical Technologists

Professional regulation is designed to assure patients and the public, as well as employers and potential employers, which practitioners are appropriately qualified and competent to practice. It sets a standard that is recognised throughout the United Kingdom and provides significant public protection from unprofessional or unethical behaviour.

Professional regulation is now necessary for Clinical Scientists through HPC. The Voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists anticipates that regulation of Clinical Technologists by HPC will be introduced at a future date.

In addition to statutory regulation for professionals working in healthcare, there are professional registers operated by the Engineering Council (CEng, IEng and Eng Tech) and the Science Council (CSci) for which IPEM is licensed to assess candiates and make awards. These professional registers are open to all professional scientists and engineers who can meet the competence requirements, whether they are working in healthcare, academe or industry.

IPEM has been represented on the Science Council’s New Registers Advisory Group (NRAG) which has developed standards for two new registers – Registered Scientist (RSci) and Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) – which will run alongside the existing Chartered Scientist (CSci) register.