Healthcare science assistant
Healthcare science assistants support medical staff, with duties ranging from lab testing blood samples to monitoring patients' heart function.
Also known as: Assistant technical officer
- Starter salary£25,000 a year
- Experienced£31,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a healthcare science assistant, you could:
- take readings from monitoring and diagnostic equipment
- label, sort and store patient specimens
- analyse tissue and fluid samples
- prepare specimens for further testing
- sterilise equipment and dispose of hazardous waste
- enter patient data and test results onto a database
- work closely with other healthcare professionals
Working environment
You could work in an office, in a laboratory or at a GP practice.
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- science skills
- analytical thinking skills
- maths knowledge
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- to be flexible and open to change
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to work well with others
- administration skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a healthcare science assistant
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
College
You could take a college course, which may help when looking for work or an apprenticeship.
Courses include:
- applied science
- biology, chemistry, maths or physics
- T Level in Healthcare Science
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
Apprenticeship
You can apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:
- Healthcare Science Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Healthcare Science Associate Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
Volunteering
You may have an advantage when applying for jobs or an apprenticeship if you have volunteering experience in health or social care.
You can also find volunteering opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Do IT .
Direct application
You can apply directly for jobs. You'll usually need:
- good literacy, numeracy and IT skills
- an understanding of medical terminology
- some experience of working in a healthcare or lab setting
Career path and progression
With experience and further training, you could apply for a post as a senior healthcare science assistant or healthcare science associate.
You could join the NHS Practitioner Training Programme to train as a clinical scientist or biomedical scientist .
You might also work in
- cardiology – checking for heart abnormalities
- phlebotomy – analysing blood samples
- cytology – screening for diseases like cancer
Registration
- you could register with the Academy for Healthcare Science to demonstrate your professional skills and competence
Guides for this industry
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