Career Pathways
HCPC, IBMS, Associate Practitioner or MLA: Which Route Should You Take?
If you are trying to start a career in a UK pathology or biomedical science laboratory, you have probably come across terms such as HCPC registration, IBMS, Associate Practitioner (AP) and Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA).
It is easy to assume these are four competing options and that you have to pick one at the beginning. In practice they are connected parts of the same career pathway. The right starting point depends on your qualifications, your laboratory experience and where you want your career to end up.
Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA): A Practical Way In
If you have little or no UK laboratory experience, a Medical Laboratory Assistant role can be a practical way to get into a pathology or diagnostic laboratory and start building experience.
MLAs support Biomedical Scientists and other laboratory professionals with routine laboratory and administrative work, including:
- Receiving and preparing patient samples
- Specimen labelling and processing
- Data entry and laboratory administration
- Preparing equipment and work areas
- Supporting routine laboratory procedures
- Following health and safety and quality procedures
This can be especially useful if you are trying to secure a first position in an NHS or private diagnostic laboratory. The IBMS also offers support-staff qualifications, including its Certificate of Achievement.
An MLA role may be right for you if you want to get into a laboratory environment quickly, you need practical UK laboratory experience, you do not yet meet the requirements for Biomedical Scientist registration, or you want to build experience before progressing further.
Typical progression: MLA, then Associate Practitioner or Trainee Biomedical Scientist, then Biomedical Scientist.
Associate Practitioner: Greater Technical Responsibility
An Associate Practitioner generally works at a higher level of responsibility than a laboratory assistant, while still working within an appropriate professional and governance structure.
Depending on the laboratory, an AP may carry out more complex technical procedures, operate equipment, process samples and contribute to quality processes. For someone who already has laboratory experience but is not yet eligible for HCPC registration as a Biomedical Scientist, this can be a valuable step.
There is one point worth being very clear about: obtaining an Associate Practitioner position does not automatically make you eligible for HCPC registration.
This route may be right for you if:
- You already have some laboratory experience
- You want greater technical responsibility
- You are not yet HCPC registered
- You want to develop towards Biomedical Scientist level
- You are looking for an employer that may support further training or an IBMS portfolio
Possible progression: Associate Practitioner, then Trainee Biomedical Scientist, then the IBMS Certificate of Competence, then HCPC registration as a Biomedical Scientist.
Where the IBMS Fits In
The Institute of Biomedical Science plays an important role in education, training and professional development for biomedical science in the UK. If your goal is to become an HCPC-registered Biomedical Scientist, the IBMS route matters a great deal.
For the standard route, you normally need an appropriate IBMS-accredited or HCPC-approved degree, and you must complete the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio in an approved training laboratory. Once that is completed and verified, the IBMS can award the Certificate of Competence, which allows you to apply to the HCPC for registration.
If your degree is not accredited, that does not necessarily close the door. Where you hold a relevant non-accredited science degree, the IBMS can assess your qualifications and identify whether supplementary education is required. There is also a Certificate of Competence by Equivalence route for appropriately experienced individuals who meet the eligibility requirements.
This route may be right for you if:
- Your ultimate goal is to become a Biomedical Scientist
- You have an IBMS-accredited Biomedical Science degree
- You have another relevant science degree that may need IBMS assessment
- You are looking for a laboratory where you can complete the Registration Training Portfolio
- You already have substantial relevant professional experience and may qualify for an equivalence pathway
Standard progression: relevant degree, IBMS academic requirements, Registration Training Portfolio, Certificate of Competence, HCPC registration.
HCPC Registration: The Protected Title
The Health and Care Professions Council is the statutory regulator, which is different from joining a professional organisation or simply holding a laboratory job.
Biomedical Scientist is a legally protected title in the UK. You must be appropriately registered with the HCPC to use that title.
For many UK-trained applicants the journey involves completing the appropriate academic qualification and the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio, obtaining the IBMS Certificate of Competence, and then applying for HCPC registration. Once registered, you can apply for roles that require registration and continue developing into specialist and senior positions.
This route may be right for you if:
- You want Biomedical Scientist to be your professional career
- You want to apply for roles requiring HCPC registration
- You have completed, or are working towards, the required academic and practical competencies
- You want to progress towards specialist, senior or management positions
If your goal is to practise professionally as a Biomedical Scientist, this is the destination.
So Which Route Should You Choose?
It helps to start from your current situation rather than from the job titles:
- Little or no laboratory experience: start with an MLA role
- Want to enter an NHS or pathology laboratory: an MLA position may be a practical entry point
- Already have laboratory experience: consider Associate Practitioner roles
- Biomedical Science degree but no portfolio: look for MLA, AP or Trainee Biomedical Scientist roles where portfolio support is available
- IBMS-accredited degree: focus on the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio
- Non-accredited science degree: consider an IBMS degree assessment
- Already working at Biomedical Scientist level but not registered: investigate the Certificate of Competence by Equivalence
- Want to become a registered Biomedical Scientist: work towards the IBMS requirements and HCPC registration
- Want an entry-level laboratory career for now: MLA
- Want more technical responsibility without HCPC registration: Associate Practitioner
Think of It as a Career Ladder
Rather than treating MLA, AP, IBMS and HCPC as four separate choices, it is more useful to see them as stages of one journey:
- Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA)
- Associate Practitioner or Trainee Biomedical Scientist
- IBMS Registration Training and Certificate of Competence
- HCPC registration
- Biomedical Scientist
- Specialist or Senior Biomedical Scientist
- Advanced, management or consultant-level practice
You do not necessarily have to complete every stage. Your starting point depends on the qualifications and experience you already have, and someone with the right academic background may enter further along the ladder.
The Question Worth Asking
Instead of asking, "Should I choose HCPC, IBMS, Associate Practitioner or MLA?", a better question is, "Where am I now, and where do I want my laboratory career to go?"
If your goal is simply to gain laboratory experience, an MLA position may be the best place to start. If you already have experience and want more technical responsibility, consider Associate Practitioner positions. If you have the relevant academic background and want to become a Biomedical Scientist, investigate the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio and whether your qualifications satisfy the academic requirements.
One Thing to Check Before You Accept a Role
An MLA or Associate Practitioner job does not automatically guarantee access to the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio. Portfolio training must be undertaken within an appropriately approved training environment.
If portfolio training is part of your plan, ask a prospective employer directly whether they can support it before you accept the position.
Final Thoughts
The route can look complicated at first, mainly because the terms are used interchangeably when they mean quite different things. Once you understand where each piece fits, working out your next step becomes much easier.
For official guidance, the Institute of Biomedical Science covers professional registration and training requirements, and the Health and Care Professions Council covers Biomedical Scientist registration and the protected title.