Professional Bodies

Rosalind Sadler

West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory

Hello!

• My name is Ros, and I’m a Genetic Technologist.

• I have been registered for 4 years.

• I am also a member of the ACC and the BSHG.

• Woop Woop!

NHS• When asked what I do for a living, I first tell

people I work for the NHS.• This makes them think that I am either:

Doctor NurseMidwife

And then?• I say that I work in a laboratory…• Then I say it’s a genetics laboratory…

Work

• So, when I actually tell people I’m a Genetic Technologist, they have NO idea what I actually do!

• Why is this?• It is a relatively new job title (old ones being

Medical Technical Officers).• There’s not that many of us (approx 300).• It’s only in the last couple of years that any

formal training has been organised (thanks to professional bodies).

But we’re registered!

• Well, yes, we are registered with the Voluntary Registration Council (VRC).

• However, if we want to move further forward, we need help and advice.

• How do we go about this?

• By joining up with other existing professional bodies, such as the ACC or the CMGS (or if they combine, the new über body).

Oh, here we go…• I’m afraid so!

• Why do we keep banging on about joining a professional body?

• As professionals, we need to be members of a professional body

• Ultimately, the aim of registering voluntarily is that eventually we want to be state registered.

• We can’t really do this alone! We need the help, advice and support that established groups can give us.

Why state registered?• If a job title is state registered, you must be on

that register to use it.

• It also helps to protect patients. It gives assurance that staff who are registered are deemed competent to fill that role and will not be a risk to the profession, and therefore the patient.

• If you were being treated, you’d want to know that your sample was being dealt with by a professional. If a surgeon wasn’t registered, would you trust them?

The benefits for you• It shows that you are a professional individual.• It is cheaper for you to attend conferences run by

those professional bodies.• You get access to a lot of information, and the

chance to talk to people from other parts of the profession.

• You can have a say in the future of our profession – all views and ideas are welcome, and if you’re willing to take the time to join, people know you are serious and will take you seriously too.

The benefits for us all• The ACC and CMGS have been providing training for

the new GT schemes, creating competencies for this and holding assessments for people undergoing training.

• There is a working group outlining a Higher Technologist Training Scheme, and also a career pathways for assistants starting from band 2 upwards.

• If we didn’t already have GT’s in the professional bodies, none of this would be happening.

• We even have elected GT’s who sit on the professional body councils, making sure our voices and points of view are heard.

Spring Meeting 2012

• Next year the ACC/CMGS Spring Meeting is being held in Birmingham.

• 3 day event at the ICC.

• Question: Would we like a session (half day) at this event, or do we prefer a separate one for ourselves?

• Would anyone be prepared to do a poster?• www.birminghamgenetics2012.org

And finally• Please join a professional body.

• We really can’t move our profession forward if we don’t get more technicians on board. The more of us there are, the louder our voice!

• If you join the BSHG (British Society for Human Genetics) you can opt for inclusive registration into either the ACC or CMGS (or future amalgamation of the two) at no extra cost – two birds, one stone!

• We are all professionals, and we should be proud of it! So let’s get some well earned recognition for our brilliant efforts!

The end

• If my talk has inspired you to join up, and you’d like some information, the following websites are very useful:

• VRC - http://www.vrcouncil.org/• BSHG - http://www.bshg.org.uk/• ACC - http://www.cytogenetics.org.uk/• CMGS - http://www.cmgs.org/• And if in doubt, just ask someone at your

lab (scientist or maybe even a GT) about how to join up.

Thank you for listening!