I am writing to you on behalf of the Medical Scientists Registration Board (hereby known as the Board), in relation to the Criteria and Standards of Proficiency for Medical Scientists Education and Training Programmes.
The Board has recently developed its education and training standards, the Criteria for Education and Training Programmes and Standards of Proficiency. The purpose of this was to ensure the Board’s education and training standards are fit for purpose in current regulatory and health and social care education context, ahead of the opening of the register for medical scientists.
Education and Training Standards
The Board’s education and training standards along with its guidance to education providers are now set out in the following documents:
Criteria for Education and Training Programmes: are the requirements set by the Board related to how a professional education and training programme is designed and managed. The criteria are used to ensure that a programme has a system in place to consistently and effectively produce graduates who meet the standards of proficiency for the profession.
Standards of Proficiency: are the threshold standards set by the Board for entry to the register. The standards of proficiency provide detail on the knowledge and skills that all graduates must possess at entry to the register.
Guidelines for Programme Providers: is designed to assist providers when they are preparing for approval or monitoring of an education and training programme by the Board. It provides guidelines on the meaning of the Board’s requirements and the nature of evidence that a provider may submit to demonstrate that the programme meets the requirements.
Approval of Education Programmes
One of the statutory functions of the Registration Boards is to approve education and training for the registration of professions. This power is set out in Part V of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended).
Approval and monitoring is the process by which the Board approve education and training programmes to ensure they meet the Board’s criteria and graduates meet the standards of proficiency for the profession.
Approval and monitoring consists of the following stages;
Programme Approval
Monitoring
The approval and monitoring of programmes is based on the Criteria and Standards of Proficiency for the profession.Education Providers in the Republic of Ireland that offer programmes which lead to qualifications acting as an entry point to a given profession will be eligible to apply to the Registration Board for approval of the programme/s. Approved programmes are subject to monitoring on an on-going basis.
Stage 1 Programme Approval
The first stage of the process is programme approval. The provider must demonstrate that the programme(s) associated with a specific qualification meets the criteria for education and training programmes and has a system in place to consistently and safely produce graduates who meet the standards of proficiency for the profession. Programme approval usually involves an approval visit to the site(s) where the programme is delivered.
Relevant documents relating to this process are attached with this correspondence for your information.
MSRB Standards of Proficiency for Medical Scientists
MSRB Criteria for Education and Training Programmes
MSRB Guidelines for Education Providers
Programme Approval and Monitoring Processes
CORU – Regulating Health and Social Care Professionals
Infinity Building, George’s Court. George’s Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7.
W: www.coru.ie
MSRB Profession Specific Criteria
MSRB Profession Specific Criteria Guidelines to Ed Providers