Dr Mike Carter talks to London Met students about a career in Biomedical Science
Date: 11 February 2015
London Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing’s new employability initiative London Met FUTURE recently hosted Dr Mike Carter from Public Health England who presented a talk on how to become a biomedical scientist.
The event was a huge success, attended by biomedical science students from varying stages in their course at London Met who are planning their professional careers.
Becoming a registered biomedical scientist can be a confusing process. Students must gain an undergraduate IBMS accredited degree, complete a competence portfolio, undertake work and research placements and register with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Dr Mike Carter is an expert on this process, as a biomedical scientist by training and by profession, as a Scientific Education and Training Manager and as the Placement Programme lead. Dr Carter is a key player in the promotion of biomedical science as a career path, working and liaising with schools, colleges and universities to enhance the teaching of biomedical science and the awareness of it as a career path.
Dr Carter describes the discipline as “a science in the service of life”, without which scientists and doctors would not be able to effectively diagnose or treat disease.
Dr Carter talked about several important elements in the pursuit of a career in biomedical science. As well as outlining the minimum qualifications necessary he describes how rewarding the career can be, the qualities one needs to be successful as well as some useful application tips.
“Professional skills and competence, flexibility, adaptability and transferable skills are key,” said Dr Carter.
The talk stressed the importance of work placements, as they provide valuable laboratory experience, enable networking opportunities and can help the development of interpersonal skills.
The event was organised by Gabriele Butkute, the Faculty’s enterprise and marketing intern, and will be followed by more employability events in the future.
Dr Mike Carter is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as a biomedical scientist, is a Chartered Scientist and is a volunteer member, trainer and assessor for St John Ambulance.
The Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing is proud to have IBMS accreditation for its Biomedical Science degrees.
