IBMS Executive Head of Education Sue Jones discusses the brand-new series of Training Officer Support Forums that will be running throughout the year.
The IBMS regularly hosts Training for Trainers events online to support colleagues with training and mentoring roles in the laboratory and to complete training to become an IBMS verifier or examiner.
We delivered 10 Training for Trainers events during 2023 and boosted the number of active verifiers and examiners – something that is in turn helping to reduce the waiting times for assessment of our portfolios. We have used these sessions to provide information on the version 5.0 registration training portfolio, and how to use the digital platform OneFile, as well as best practice in supporting colleagues to complete our range of specialist portfolios and examine them effectively. These regular online sessions ensure that attendees maintain high standards of training and assessment of our portfolios.
Following feedback from the IBMS Service User and Carer Group, we have launched a new series of Training Officer Support Forums, specifically designed to bring members and experienced training officers together in a less formal setting, to discuss training plans, how to prepare for verification or examination, and to share best practice in training and assessing candidates.
These drop-in sessions take place on the first Tuesday of every month, 12-1pm, hosted by an IBMS member with extensive training experience to ensure that all of your questions can be answered or passed on to relevant IBMS colleagues. Our aim is to create a regular forum for experienced and new training officers to share ideas and problem solve, creating a collaborative community of practice.
“These online sessions ensure that attendees maintain high standards of training and assessment of our portfolios”
In March 2024, our first support forum was hosted by Catherine Lorenzen, Chief Biomedical Scientist in Blood Transfusion at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital and Kent and Canterbury Hospitals Pathology. We were delighted that over 70 participants joined the session, keen to become better informed about training, examples of good evidence and portfolio verification. Discussion focused mainly on the registration training portfolio and the changes between version 4 and 5, how to use OneFile and how to evidence CPD to become an IBMS verifier.
During this first session, it was clear that members who have completed the IBMS CEP in Training course in the past few years miss the discussion forums available as part of the qualification. In response, IBMS Head of Examinations Chris Ward and I are discussing how to develop online discussion forums for CEP alumni and how we can facilitate this as an ongoing ad hoc means of support for training officers, in addition to the drop-in support forums.
To find out more about the forums and register for upcoming sessions, please visit the IBMS website’s resources section and then search the events.
Image credit | iStock
