News
Anita Smith achieves the RSciTech award
Anita Smith has become the most recent APT to attain the Registered Science Technician award and spoke to the AAPT about this achievement
What key steps did you take to compile your application portfolio?
I accessed the Science Council website and went through all of the competency guidance and example reports for the RSciTech level.
I made sure to read through them thoroughly and made notes and bullet points of areas within my own work that I could include in each of the competency areas. Regular catch ups with my line manager to talk through my progress of filling the application in were invaluable The resources the AAPT provided were really helpful and support from Christian was great in ensuring my application was a success.
Which part of the application was most challenging, and how did you address it?
I found it quite challenging to align my experience working in whole body donation into the competency section of the application. I talked through potential scenarios that would demonstrate my abilities during my annual appraisal with my line manager. He was able to guide me in areas I hadn’t considered and reminded me of occasions where I had faced difficulty and how I made decisions to overcome issues. Self-reflection isn’t something that comes naturally for me (and many APTs!) and so using his fresh perspective during that appraisal was helpful.
How will RSciTech registration impacted your career or professional credibility?
As part of my professional development, I am keen to undertake the RSPH Level 4 Diploma in Healthcare Science (Anatomical Pathology Technology) and Science Council registration is a prerequisite to access this course. Professional registration is something I feel should be a standard undertaking for APTs and those like myself who work within the death industry. It holds us to a professional standard and makes us accountable for our actions.
Were there any surprises or lessons learned during the process?
Having to think about the different areas of competence and how my day-to-day work aligned into those sections gave me a real sense of achievement. I have only been in this post for just over two years and so it was really nice to look back and be able to see how much I have learned and how far I have come along in that short space of time.
How did AAPT support you during the application process?
I reached a really challenging point in my application process where I was struggling with the competency section. I reached out to a fellow APT who I knew had recently completed their application for some guidance and support. They were helpful in putting me on the right path and ensuring I hit the required level of explanation that was needed to achieve the award.
What resources or tools from AAPT were most valuable for your application?
I found all the support on the website from AAPT useful and often used the links and guidance contained there. The templates were really helpful for me to structure my answers in a way that fully answered the competency in question and made the process much easier.