NHS Higher Specialist Scientist Training

Consultant healthcare scientists improve patient care by applying their specialist scientific skills.

What does the training scheme involve?

• a five-year programme at a similar standard to medical specialty training
• work-based training and study at doctorate level
• possibly gaining Medical Royal College qualifications (eg fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists).

What opportunities are there?

It can be possible to find posts in:

• clinical bioinformatics
• life sciences
• physical sciences and biomedical engineering
• physiological sciences

Click on the boxes below to find out more about each area and find out more about the different healthcare science roles [1].

How do I get a place?

There are two ways to get on to an HSST [2] programme:

• direct entry - apply for a newly advertised post in an accredited training department
• in-service training - be nominated by your employer to move into an existing post

How do I apply?

Applications are made in spring, for entry later the same year.

For the very latest information about important dates, please check the National School of Healthcare Science website [3]

For 2019 entry, the recruitment window is due to open at 13:00 on Monday 25 March 2019.

Direct entry applicants must submit their completed application by no later than 17:00 on Tuesday 23 April 2019.  

In service applicants must submit their application by 17:00 on Wednesday 15 May 2019.  

No late applications will be accepted.

Find out more about HSST and apply through the National School of Healthcare Science website [3]

• Clinical bioinformatics

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  Depending on workforce needs for any given intake, it is possible to find posts in:

  • clinical bioinformatics (genomics) [4]
  • clinical bioinformatics (health informatics) [5]
  • clinical bioinformatics (physical sciences) [6]

• Life sciences

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  Depending on workforce needs for any given intake, it is possible to find posts in:

  • clinical biochemistry [7]
  • clinical immunology [8]
  • genomics [9]
  • haematology [10]
  • histocompatibility and immunogenetics [11]
  • microbiology [12]
  • molecular pathology of acquired disease
  • reproductive science and andrology [13]
  • virology [14]

• Physical sciences/biomedical engineering

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  Depending on workforce needs for any given intake, it is possible to find posts in:

  • clinical biomedical engineering [15]
  • medical physics (including diagnostic imaging sciences and radiotherapy physics) [16]

• Physiological sciences

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  Depending on workforce needs for any given intake, it is possible to find posts in:

  • audiological science [17]
  • cardiac science [18]
  • neurophysiological science [19]
  • respiratory and sleep physiological sciences [20]