Apprentice Biomedical Scientist

OXFORD UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

OXFORD (OX3 9DU)

Closes on Sunday 20 July 2025

Posted on 6 June 2025

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Summary

As a training apprentice you will gain experience and knowledge of all sections of microbiology (bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, serology, and molecular microbiology). You will undertake manual and automated processes, interpretation, and report generation to aid clinicians in patient care pathways.

Wage

£29,970 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

As an apprentice, pay will be as per Annex 21. Year 1 65%; year 2 70%, year 3 75%, year 4 80%; year 5 on HCPC registration Band 5 entry point.

Training course
Biomedical scientist (level 6)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Will be required to undertake all shift patterns required for service delivery, including core day, late, night, weekend & bank holiday.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

3 years

Positions available

3

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

  • The post holder will be working towards educational qualification and registration as a Biomedical Scientist (BMS) using the Departmental SOPs and Protocols throughout all sections of the department.
  • The post holder must attend an IBMS accredited university apprenticeship-based degree course and complete the IBMS Certificate of Competence Portfolio in the prescribed period, normally no more than four years in employment as an Apprentice BMS role.
  • The post holder will be supported with study time to complete the requirements of the apprenticeship, in line with job role & service provision.
  • The post holder will keep a diary of study time to support the apprenticeship requirements
  • The post holder will be required to work at any of the laboratory sites within the Trust as and when required.
  • The work may include weekend, bank holiday and evening or night duties, which requires a flexible approach to the hours of employment, according to individual contract.

Where you'll work

JOHN RADCLIFFE HOSPITAL
HEADLEY WAY
HEADINGTON
OXFORD
OX3 9DU

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER

Your training course

Biomedical scientist (level 6)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Identify the limits of own practice and when to seek advice or refer to another professional or service.
  • Recognise the need to manage own workload and resources safely and effectively, including managing the emotional burden that comes with working in a pressured environment.
  • Keep own skills and knowledge up to date.
  • Maintain high standards of personal and professional conduct.
  • Promote and protect the service user’s interests at all times.
  • Actively look for signs of abuse and engage in relevant safeguarding processes.
  • Respect and uphold the rights, dignity, values, and autonomy of service users, including own role in the assessment, diagnostic, treatment and/or therapeutic process.
  • Recognise that relationships with service users, carers and others should be based on mutual respect and trust, and maintain high standards of care in all circumstances.
  • Obtain valid consent, which is voluntary and informed, has due regard to capacity, is proportionate to the circumstances and is appropriately documented.
  • Exercise a professional duty of care.
  • Apply legislation, policies and guidance relevant to own profession and scope of practice.
  • Recognise the power imbalance which comes with being a health care professional, and ensure it is not for personal gain.
  • Work in accordance with the British, European and International Standards that govern and affect pathology laboratory practice.
  • Identify own anxiety and stress and recognise the potential impact on own practice.
  • Develop and adopt clear strategies for physical and mental self-care and self-awareness, to maintain a high standard of professional effectiveness and a safe working environment.
  • Recognise that they are personally responsible for and must be able to justify their decisions and actions.
  • Use own skills, knowledge and experience, and the information available, to make informed decisions and / or take action where necessary.
  • Make reasoned decisions to initiate, continue, modify or cease treatment or the use of techniques or procedures, and record the decisions and reasoning appropriately.
  • Make and receive appropriate referrals, where necessary.
  • Exercise personal initiative.
  • Demonstrate a logical and systematic approach to problem solving.
  • Use research, reasoning and problem solving skills when determining appropriate actions.
  • Respond appropriately to the needs of all different groups and individuals in practice, recognising this can be affected by difference of any kind including, but not limited to, protected characteristics, intersectional experiences and cultural differences.
  • Recognise the potential impact of own values, beliefs and personal biases, which may be unconscious, on practice and take personal action to ensure all service users and carers are treated appropriately with respect and dignity.
  • Actively challenge barriers to inclusion, supporting the implementation of change wherever possible.
  • Adhere to the professional duty of confidentiality.
  • Respond in a timely manner to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public and recognise situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public.
  • Use effective and appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Communicate in English to the required standard for the profession.
  • Work with service users and/or carers to facilitate the service user’s preferred role in decision-making, and provide service users and carers with the information they may need where appropriate.
  • Modify own means of communication to address the individual communication needs and preferences of service users and carers, and remove any barriers to communication where possible.
  • Use information, communication and digital technologies appropriate to own practice.
  • Communicate the outcomes of biomedical procedures.
  • Keep full, clear and accurate records in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Manage records and all other information in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Use digital record keeping tools, where required.
  • Recognise and communicate the risks and possible serious consequences of errors and omissions in both requests for, and results of, laboratory investigations.
  • Use systems for the accurate and correct identification of service users and laboratory specimens.
  • Work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Contribute effectively to work undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Identify anxiety and stress in service users, carers and colleagues, adapting own practice and providing support where appropriate.
  • Identify own leadership qualities, behaviours and approaches, taking into account the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Demonstrate leadership behaviours appropriate to own practice.
  • Act as a role model for others.
  • Promote and engage in the learning of others.
  • Engage in evidence-based practice.
  • Gather and use feedback and information, including qualitative and quantitative data, to evaluate the responses of service users to own care.
  • Monitor and systematically evaluate the quality of practice, and maintain an effective quality management and quality assurance process working towards continual improvement.
  • Participate in quality management, including quality control, quality assurance, clinical governance and the use of appropriate outcome measures.
  • Evaluate care plans or intervention plans using recognised and appropriate outcome measures, in conjunction with the service user where possible, and revise the plans as necessary.
  • Select and apply quality and process control measures.
  • Identify and respond appropriately to abnormal outcomes from quality indicators.
  • Apply the principles and applications of scientific enquiry, including the evaluation of treatment efficacy and the research process.
  • Evaluate analyses using qualitative and quantitative methods to aid the diagnosis, screening and monitoring of health and disorders.
  • Change own practice as needed to take account of new developments, technologies and changing contexts.
  • Gather appropriate information.
  • Analyse and critically evaluate the information collected.
  • Select and use appropriate assessment techniques and equipment.
  • Undertake and record a thorough, sensitive, and detailed assessment.
  • Undertake or arrange investigations as appropriate.
  • Conduct appropriate assessment or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and effectively.
  • Critically evaluate research and other evidence to inform own practice.
  • Engage service users in research as appropriate.
  • Perform and supervise procedures in clinical laboratory investigations to reproducible standards.
  • Operate and utilise specialist equipment according to own discipline.
  • Validate scientific and technical data and observations according to pre-determined quality standards.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in practical skills in cellular science, blood science, infection science, molecular and genetic science and reproductive science, where appropriate to the discipline.
  • Demonstrate practical skills in the processing and analysis of specimens including specimen identification, the effect of storage on specimens and the safe retrieval of specimens.
  • Demonstrate practical skills in the investigation of disease processes.
  • Work in conformance with standard operating procedures and conditions.
  • Work with accuracy and precision.
  • Perform calibration and quality control checks.
  • Demonstrate operational management of laboratory equipment to check that equipment is functioning within its specifications and to respond appropriately to abnormalities.
  • Formulate specific and appropriate management plans including the setting of timescales.
  • Select suitable specimens and procedures relevant to service users’ clinical needs, including collection and preparation of specimens as and when appropriate.
  • investigate and monitor disease processes and normal states.
  • Use standard operating procedures for analyses including point of care in vitro diagnostic devices.
  • Use statistical packages and present data in an appropriate format.
  • Design experiments, report, interpret and present data using scientific convention, including application of SI units and other units used in biomedical science.
  • Safely interpret and authorise service user results.
  • Comply with all relevant health and safety legislation, local operational procedures and policies.
  • Work safely, including being able to select appropriate hazard control and risk management, reduction or elimination techniques in a safe manner and in accordance with health and safety legislation.
  • Select appropriate personal protective equipment and use it correctly.
  • Establish safe environments for practice, which appropriately manages risk.
  • Empower and enable individuals, including service users and colleagues, to play a part in managing their own health.
  • Engage in occupational health, including being aware of immunisation requirements.
  • Identify the limits of own practice and when to seek advice or refer to another professional or service.
  • Recognise the need to manage own workload and resources safely and effectively, including managing the emotional burden that comes with working in a pressured environment.
  • Keep own skills and knowledge up to date.
  • Maintain high standards of personal and professional conduct.
  • Promote and protect the service user’s interests at all times.
  • Actively look for signs of abuse and engage in relevant safeguarding processes.
  • Respect and uphold the rights, dignity, values, and autonomy of service users, including own role in the assessment, diagnostic, treatment and/or therapeutic process.
  • Recognise that relationships with service users, carers and others should be based on mutual respect and trust, and maintain high standards of care in all circumstances.
  • Obtain valid consent, which is voluntary and informed, has due regard to capacity, is proportionate to the circumstances and is appropriately documented.
  • Exercise a professional duty of care.
  • Apply legislation, policies and guidance relevant to own profession and scope of practice.
  • Recognise the power imbalance which comes with being a health care professional, and ensure it is not for personal gain.
  • Work in accordance with the British, European and International Standards that govern and affect pathology laboratory practice.
  • Identify own anxiety and stress and recognise the potential impact on own practice.
  • Develop and adopt clear strategies for physical and mental self-care and self-awareness, to maintain a high standard of professional effectiveness and a safe working environment.
  • Recognise that they are personally responsible for and must be able to justify their decisions and actions.
  • Use own skills, knowledge and experience, and the information available, to make informed decisions and / or take action where necessary.
  • Make reasoned decisions to initiate, continue, modify or cease treatment or the use of techniques or procedures, and record the decisions and reasoning appropriately.
  • Make and receive appropriate referrals, where necessary.
  • Exercise personal initiative.
  • Demonstrate a logical and systematic approach to problem solving.
  • Use research, reasoning and problem solving skills when determining appropriate actions.
  • Respond appropriately to the needs of all different groups and individuals in practice, recognising this can be affected by difference of any kind including, but not limited to, protected characteristics, intersectional experiences and cultural differences.
  • Recognise the potential impact of own values, beliefs and personal biases, which may be unconscious, on practice and take personal action to ensure all service users and carers are treated appropriately with respect and dignity.
  • Actively challenge barriers to inclusion, supporting the implementation of change wherever possible.
  • Adhere to the professional duty of confidentiality.
  • Respond in a timely manner to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public and recognise situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public.
  • Use effective and appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Communicate in English to the required standard for the profession.
  • Work with service users and/or carers to facilitate the service user’s preferred role in decision-making, and provide service users and carers with the information they may need where appropriate.
  • Modify own means of communication to address the individual communication needs and preferences of service users and carers, and remove any barriers to communication where possible.
  • Use information, communication and digital technologies appropriate to own practice.
  • Communicate the outcomes of biomedical procedures.
  • Keep full, clear and accurate records in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Manage records and all other information in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Use digital record keeping tools, where required.
  • Recognise and communicate the risks and possible serious consequences of errors and omissions in both requests for, and results of, laboratory investigations.
  • Use systems for the accurate and correct identification of service users and laboratory specimens.
  • Work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Contribute effectively to work undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Identify anxiety and stress in service users, carers and colleagues, adapting own practice and providing support where appropriate.
  • Identify own leadership qualities, behaviours and approaches, taking into account the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Demonstrate leadership behaviours appropriate to own practice.
  • Act as a role model for others.
  • Promote and engage in the learning of others.
  • Engage in evidence-based practice.
  • Gather and use feedback and information, including qualitative and quantitative data, to evaluate the responses of service users to own care.
  • Monitor and systematically evaluate the quality of practice, and maintain an effective quality management and quality assurance process working towards continual improvement.
  • Participate in quality management, including quality control, quality assurance, clinical governance and the use of appropriate outcome measures.
  • Evaluate care plans or intervention plans using recognised and appropriate outcome measures, in conjunction with the service user where possible, and revise the plans as necessary.
  • Select and apply quality and process control measures.
  • Identify and respond appropriately to abnormal outcomes from quality indicators.
  • Apply the principles and applications of scientific enquiry, including the evaluation of treatment efficacy and the research process.
  • Evaluate analyses using qualitative and quantitative methods to aid the diagnosis, screening and monitoring of health and disorders.
  • Change own practice as needed to take account of new developments, technologies and changing contexts.
  • Gather appropriate information.
  • Analyse and critically evaluate the information collected.
  • Select and use appropriate assessment techniques and equipment.
  • Undertake and record a thorough, sensitive, and detailed assessment.
  • Undertake or arrange investigations as appropriate.
  • Conduct appropriate assessment or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and effectively.
  • Critically evaluate research and other evidence to inform own practice.
  • Engage service users in research as appropriate.
  • Perform and supervise procedures in clinical laboratory investigations to reproducible standards.
  • Operate and utilise specialist equipment according to own discipline.
  • Validate scientific and technical data and observations according to pre-determined quality standards.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in practical skills in cellular science, blood science, infection science, molecular and genetic science and reproductive science, where appropriate to the discipline.
  • Demonstrate practical skills in the processing and analysis of specimens including specimen identification, the effect of storage on specimens and the safe retrieval of specimens.
  • Demonstrate practical skills in the investigation of disease processes.
  • Work in conformance with standard operating procedures and conditions.
  • Work with accuracy and precision.
  • Perform calibration and quality control checks.
  • Demonstrate operational management of laboratory equipment to check that equipment is functioning within its specifications and to respond appropriately to abnormalities.
  • Formulate specific and appropriate management plans including the setting of timescales.
  • Select suitable specimens and procedures relevant to service users’ clinical needs, including collection and preparation of specimens as and when appropriate.
  • investigate and monitor disease processes and normal states.
  • Use standard operating procedures for analyses including point of care in vitro diagnostic devices.
  • Use statistical packages and present data in an appropriate format.
  • Design experiments, report, interpret and present data using scientific convention, including application of SI units and other units used in biomedical science.
  • Safely interpret and authorise service user results.
  • Comply with all relevant health and safety legislation, local operational procedures and policies.
  • Work safely, including being able to select appropriate hazard control and risk management, reduction or elimination techniques in a safe manner and in accordance with health and safety legislation.
  • Select appropriate personal protective equipment and use it correctly.
  • Establish safe environments for practice, which appropriately manages risk.
  • Empower and enable individuals, including service users and colleagues, to play a part in managing their own health.
  • Engage in occupational health, including being aware of immunisation requirements.

Your training plan

As a training apprentice you will gain experience and knowledge of all sections of microbiology (bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, serology, and molecular microbiology). You will undertake manual and automated processes, interpretation, and report generation to aid clinicians in patient care pathways. You will demonstrate a high standard of quality, as well as maintaining up to date knowledge of current working practices within diagnostic microbiology.

More training information

As part of the apprenticeship, you will receive 20% off-the-job training and will undertake day release to attend University. Successful candidates must be committed to a combined working and learning environment, and the need to undertake additional study outside of the work setting. Throughout your Apprenticeship you will be supported by a workplace mentor and training coordinator and be part of the OUH Apprenticeship team.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English Language, Maths (grade A*-C/4-9)

A Level in:

Including 2 science subjects (Biology, Chemistry, (grade BBC-ABB (112-128 UCAS points))

BTEC in:

Applied Science (grade DMM-DDM D*D* - Access: 112-128)

Other in:

two higher level science subjects (grade 27 points, minimum of 4)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience

Other requirements

Information about the course can be found here: https://www.westminster.ac.uk/business-services/workforce-development/higher-and-degree-apprenticeships/healthcare-science-practitioner-apprenticeship-applied-biomedical-science-bsc-honours Applicants will need to proactively engage with University applications at the beginning of August.

About this company

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

  • The post holder will undertake a 4-year taught and fully funded BSc in Biomedical Science to become an HCPC registered Biomedical Scientist. 

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

OXFORD UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Sarah Oakley

Sarah.Oakley@ouh.nhs.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000324939.

Apply now

Closes on Sunday 20 July 2025

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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.