There are two associated problems here that we have been discussing in CPA
for some time:
1). In some trusts BMS4's have been converted to "Grade C scientists" by an
internal decision of the Trust, largely to enable them to receive a higher
salary than their BMS4 grade would allow. They are sometimes scientists
(i.e. having a university science degree) with many years of experience in
their specialty and currently having heavy and high-profile responsibilities
in providing a cytology screening service, and sometimes in a hospital where
the consultant histopathologists take little interest in the cytopathology
service. However these have not been trained formally beyond their special
exam of the IBMS; in particular they do not have membership of the Royal
College of Pathologists "or an equivalent qualification". It is quite clear
that as a result of the recent legislation they cannot be State registered
as Clinical Scientists (although I understand that at present there is no
bar to them calling themselves "clinical scientists"). Such promotion is an
internal trust decision and could theoretically happen in biochemistry.
2). There may in the near future be scientists who wish to train as Grade A
and or Grade B scientists leading them to formal examinations to enable them
to pass the examination to become members of the College. However there is
currently no course limited to Cytopathology and it would not be possible or
appropriate for them to have to sit the exam in histopathology with its
major emphasis on histology and morbid anatomy. I understand that the
College Histopathology SAC is discussing the possibility of introducing this
limited specialty and considering whether it is possible for non-medical
scientists to obtain membership by examination in Cytopathology only.
(There have in the past been occasional non-medical consultant cytologists
with MRCPath, which, presumably, they gained by published work in the same
way in which some biochemists have been made members).
In the meantime there may be a shorter route for present BMS members of
staff to transfer to the Clinical Scientist structure and be accepted for
any such examination without the necessity of starting from scratch again,
in just the same way as occasional biochemistry BMS's have transferred to
the Grade B scientist grade and have gone on to take the MRCPath exam and in
due course become consultant biochemists.
CPA's involvement has been in assessing whether a Grade C cytologist can be
accepted as the Head of a Cytology Department and as a Director of the
Cytopathology service. It has decided, in common with its policy in other
specialties, that a Head of a Cytology Department must be appointed by a
properly constituted appointments committee and have MRCPath or equivalent
(this latter would be determined by the appointments committee on which
would sit a college representative). An internal promotion to such a post
would only be acceptable if approved by a properly appointed panel, in just
the same way as occurs in clinical biochemistry. As has been pointed out
there is currently no such panel for Cytopathology - but this does not mean
that one could not be set up without too much delay.
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