About Certificate of Competence

All UK-educated applicants will require an IBMS Certificate of Competence unless they gain an alternative Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) approved qualification.

All overseas-educated applicants will require an IBMS Certificate of Competence unless they have some experience of working as a biomedical scientist (or equivalent) abroad, and are applying directly to the HCPC as an international applicant.

The IBMS Certificate of Competence is awarded on meeting the academic education and clinical laboratory training requirements for completion of the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio. The portfolio provides evidence that an individual meets the HCPC standards of proficiency and is fit to practice as a biomedical scientist. The certificate is a professional qualification that is the first step along a career pathway that is supported by the Institute qualification structure.

The award of the Institute's Certificate of Competence is used to apply to the HCPC for registration as a biomedical scientist and to the IBMS for admittance into the class of Licentiate member.

Academic Component

The academic component will be completed by a  IBMS-accredited degree which may or may not have an integrated clinical laboratory placement for completion of the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio.

Please note that there are no Masters level qualifications that are accredited by the Institute for the purpose of gaining the Certificate of Competence.

Practical Component

The practical component requires the Registration Training Portfolio for the Certificate of Competence to be undertaken and completion verified by the Institute.

If you are completing or have completed an accredited degree and wish to complete the practical component you will need be working in an IBMS approved training laboratory. How to complete a portfolio

If you have completed a non-accredited degree and wish to complete the practical component  for registration you will first need to have your degree assessed by the Institute and may need to complete additional education from an IBMS accredited undergraduate degree level to satisfy the requirements for the academic component. The exact requirement will depend on the content of the applicant’s qualifications(s). Please note universities may charge full cost for the additional study.

Awarding the certificate

The certificate is awarded by the Institute following a visit from an IBMS representative (called an External Verifier) who will make a recommendation in their report and submit it to the Institute within two weeks.

External verifier

External verifiers are appointed by the IBMS to review the evidence provided by a candidate in their registration portfolio and confirm whether it demonstrates competence against the standards of proficiency set down by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Certificate of Competence and IBMS membership

Licentiate is the initial class of corporate IBMS membership for a person who has been awarded the Institute's Certificate of Competence. Applicants can also become a Licentiate if they demonstrate equivalence as determined by the Institute through an individual assessment.

For further information on the equivalence process please contact the membership department on mc@ibms.org.

Further information

Routes to Registration
Evaluation of Qualifications
Registration Training Portfolio