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You will study the underpinning knowledge of clinical physiology and gain valuable clinical experience in a real hospital environment. You will learn via lectures, tutorials, practical demonstrations, simulations, online resources, and in the clinical environment. What are the academic entrance requirements? You will need to hold an undergraduate science honours degree recognised by the University of Glamorgan. Your degree is likely to be acceptable by the University of Glamorgan if you gained it from a UK university. This degree must be an honours degree and also contain a large proportion of human physiology. For example acceptable degrees include BSc (Hons) Sports Science, Human Physiology, and Human Biology. Why do I need a degree with human physiology? The traditional time to train a clinical physiologist is four years. The accelerated degree at Glamorgan is only three years. This is possible because individuals with appropriate degrees have already studied topics that are part of this degree. We can award you credit for the topics you have already studied toward the clinical physiology degree. This process is known as accreditation for prior learning or APL. As part of the application process you will need to demonstrate that your degree contains the appropriate amount of physiology for APL. Does my degree contain enough human physiology? The course has strict criteria on what prior learning we can credit (APL) you for. As part of your application process you will need to state how your degree meets these APL requirements. Can I apply with a BA undergraduate degree such as Sports Studies? The academic entrance requirement of the programme is a BSc Honors undergraduate degree in science with physiology. To apply for the programme an applicant is required to have studied 360 credits of a honors science undergraduate degree. Where 120 credits have been studied at year 1 (or level 4), 120 credits at year 2 (or level 5) and 120 credits at year 3 (or level 6). Although some modules undertaken during the BA programme may have contained science, a candidate offering a BA programme would not have studied enough science credits to apply for the programme. Is it possible to study additional credits to attain the required credit total? Candidates may wish to study additional undergraduate science credits to reach the required 360 credits of the necessary levels prior to applying for a training place. Candidates are advised to contact the admissions tutor prior to considering this route. Candidates are encouraged to consider undertaking the traditional four year training programme instead of studying for additional credits as the latter may prove to be a longer training route. Can I apply with a non-honors undergraduate degree or a masters level degree? The academic entrance requirement of the programme is an undergraduate BSc honors degree in science with physiology. Non-honors undergraduate degrees, masters degrees, PhDs, and equivalent degrees are not acceptable as entrance requirements. Can I offer relevant experience and/or additional qualifications instead of the science honors degree? Additional qualifications and relevant experience are desirable when applying for a training place. However they cannot be used instead of a science undergraduate honors degree with human physiology. Are there any other requirements? Personal qualities and attributes are just as important as academic ability. The role of clinical physiologist is not only to diagnose but to care for the patient. During your application process you will need to demonstrate an understanding of healthcare science and of caring professions. Prospective students are expected to have knowledge of the clinical physiology profession, and have visited a clinical physiology department. Generally applicants from a caring background or with experience of caring would have an advantage. How do a visit a clinical physiology department? Inquire at your local NHS or private hospital. Some hospitals have joint cardiac and respiratory departments; and are sometimes titled clinical investigation units, clinical measurement departments or cardio-pulmonary units. Other titles for cardiac physiology departments include ECG departments or cardiology departments. Write a letter to the head of the clinical physiology department asking if they would be able to help you. Contact information for NHS hospitals. Can I visit the University of Glamorgan? Yes. Visits are welcomed by appointment only and can be made by contacting the admissions tutor. You will be able to view the facilities and discuss your interest and/or application. I have heard there are no course fees to train as a cardiac physiologist, is this true? Yes. Your course fees are paid for by the Welsh Assembly Government for the duration of your training. You may also have other training expenses paid but this is dependent on your employer. Do I receive a salary during my training? Yes. You will receive a three year salary during your training. Your salary is provided to you from your NHS Trust and the Welsh Assembly. In affect while studying at the University of Glamorgan you will be a NHS Trust employee with a job as a student clinical physiologist and a full time student with the University. Current amounts are based upon the ‘Agenda for Change Annex U’ pay scales. The course is structured to train a clinical physiologist in three years duration and is an intensive programme. You will study a range of modules per year. Each module is assessed either by examination, coursework or a combination of both. The emphasis of the scheme is on clinical training and experience. The majority of your training will be in the clinical environment with attendance at university at set times throughout your training. Typically in year 1 you would attend university for 10 weeks while the remaining 42 weeks will be spent in a clinical environment, ‘earning as you learn’. As well as studying for a full undergraduate degree, you will also be studying and learning the skills to practice as a clinical physiologist, satisfy the requirements of your employer, and successful pass two professional examinations to gain membership of either the Society for Cardiological Science and Technology (cardiac physiologist) or the Association for Respiratory Physiology and Technology (respiratory physiologist). In addition to this, you may have a study additional APL topics during the first year of the scheme. What if I fail a module or wish to delay my training once I have started? Your course fees are funded by a NHS Trust and the Welsh Assembly Government. You will be funded and salaried for three full years of training. If you need to resit a year or delay your training this means that your training will take longer than three years. Failure to pass your examinations or a delay in your training may mean that you will be required to leave the training programme; as it is possible that the funding organisations would not fund any additional years. Can I change training programmes once I have started? No, this is because of three reasons. The first is that your training place is also your job. To change training schemes from cardiac to respiratory or vice versa would mean you have to undergo new job interviews with an employer. This would not be possible within the same academic year due to the constraints of the selection process. The second is that your funding is dependent on you accepting a training post to become either a cardiac or respiratory physiologist. This funding is not transferable between training schemes. The third is that your first year of clinical training is intensive and directly related to the training scheme you have chosen. It would not be possible to change from cardiac to respiratory or vice versa, as you would not have enough clinical training time to successfully complete the first year. Can I transfer to another degree scheme such as computer studies? No. The funding is specifically for training to become a physiologist and is not transferable to any other degree scheme. Can I transfer into the cardiac physiologist training programme? With UCAS entry undergraduate degree programmes it may be possible to transfer between schemes, for example from biochemistry to chemistry. It is not possible to transfer into the cardiac physiologist training programme from another scheme unless you are currently studying the programme at another UK university and meet specific requirements. Can I change which hospital I am employed with? Maybe. Your training place is funded jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and the NHS Trust for three years. The NHS Trust funding is not transferable between different Trusts. However the Welsh Assembly Government funding may be transferable between NHS Trusts in Wales. In exceptional circumstances there may be an opportunity for you to become employed by a different Trust and maintain your funding. Can I take a career break during my training? Usually no, due to the same reasons as if you fail to progress to the next academic year of training. However there may be special or exceptional circumstances where your employer may allow a career break. What kind of support will I receive during my training? You will receive support from several sources. As a full time student you have access to all the student support services the University of Glamorgan grants students undertaking other degree schemes. As a full time staff member of the NHS you will also receive all the support services granted NHS employees. As a student on the BSc Clinical Physiology programme you will also be able to access several levels of support unique to the programme. This includes clinical placement work based mentors, university link tutors, and professional body moderators. Their aim is to ensure you successful complete the programme and to receive as much support as necessary. For example in addition to the time you spend away from the workplace to attend University your employer will also grant you specific study periods during your working hours. What will I gain from the scheme? This depends upon which training scheme you have selected, either to train as a cardiac physiologist or respiratory physiologist. For both schemes on graduating from the University of Glamorgan you will gain the underpinning knowledge of clinical physiology, valuable clinical experience, a BSc(Hons) Clinical Physiology, professional membership of either the Society of Cardiological Science and Technology (MSCST) or accredited member of the Association for Respiratory Physiology and Technology (ARTP), and all the requirements for registration with the Registration Council of Clinical Physiologists (RCCP) to practice as a cardiac physiologist. What is the application process? Applications for the scheme open in early March and close in early June. Applicants are first selected on the grounds of their application form. Next applicants are selected by NHS employers. The final part of the process is for successful applicants to attend a join university and NHS employer interview. Applicants would need to satisfy not only the university to gain a place on the degree but also an NHS employer to gain employment at a NHS Trust. If the applicant is successful they would be registered as a student at the university and also gain employment as a student cardiac physiologist. Can I decide on a particular NHS Trust to be employed at? Prior to interview you be required to state two of the Welsh NHS Trusts you would prefer to be employed with. You may also state that you have no preference for NHS Trust selection. Is there a job description for the student physiologist post? Yes. In addition to meeting academic requirements you would also need to meet employer requirements. Examples of these requirements are available as job descriptions or profiles. You the University of Glamorgan and not to UCAS. You will need to download and submit an fully completed application form. This includes the standard university application form, APL forms and references. Remember that competition for places is fierce so ensure you have completed your application form in a legible style and provided all the required information. You can either submit the form electronically or post the form to the unit. Can I apply as an international student? Yes, we accept applications from international students. You are advised to contact the university to discuss your individual application. Please be aware that international students will need to satisfy the UK home office requirements for studying and working in the UK. If you are not eligible to work or study in the UK, your application will not be considered for interview. Do I need to attend the interview day or can I rearrange? You will need to attend the interview day scheduled for you. If you are unable to attend the interview day your application will not be considered for selection. Due to the logistical nature of the selection process an alternative interview day cannot be provided. You will be notified of this requirement if you are invited to attend an interview. Do I need to attend the APL training day? Yes. You will need to attend the accreditation for prior learning (APL) training day. The training day will provide you with an opportunity to review the APL topics of the course through lectures and discussion. Feedback from students undertaking the training programme have stated the benefits of the APL day to prepare students for the intensive four week training block. If yuo are invited to attend an interview you will be notified of this requirement. If you expect to experience any difficulties through attending the APL day, inform the admissions tutor. Can I transfer to the Glamorgan programme from another university cardiac scheme? If you are studying the BSc (Hons) Clinical Physiology (Cardiology) programme at another UK university, you may be eligible for a transfer into year 2 of the Glamorgan programme. You can be considered for transfer if you have (a) already successfully completed the first two years of the programme and (b) have also successfully passed the SCST undergraduate part 1 examination. Also be mindful that transferring candidates will need to (c) hold a science undergraduate honors degree and (d) have identified a Welsh NHS Trust that would consider sponsoring the candidate during the last two years of the training programme. You are advised to contact the admissions tutor for further information if you are considering a transfer. Assistance may be offered with finding a sponsoring NHS Trust. As a cardiac student can I transfer into any year of the Glamorgan programme? The university will only consider transfer applications into year two of the accelerated programme (comparable to year 3 of the traditional programme). Can I complete my cardiac training at the University of Glamorgan? Under special circumstances it may be possible to complete your cardiac physiologist training at the University of Glamorgan. You are advised to discuss your individual requirements with the admissions tutor before applying. |
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