Certificate of Expert Practice

For biomedical scientists at Member or Fellow level with at least two years of post-registration experience to specialise and demonstrate their knowledge and skill

Advance your career with an IBMS professional qualification

Overview

The IBMS Certificate of Expert Practice (CEP) Distance Learning courses are online qualifications designed for biomedical scientists at Member (MIBMS) or Fellow (FIBMS) level with at least two years of post-registration experience.

These qualifications allow you to specialise in:

  • Laboratory IT and Clinical Informatics
  • Leadership and Management
  • Point of Care Testing
  • Quality Management
  • Training

Upon completion, these qualifications support your career progression and can be used to advance to other IBMS qualifications.

Assessment

Each course is delivered through Ulster University's Blackboard Learn platform and follows a structured format:

Course structure
✔ A two-week introductory module (common to all courses)
Six specialist modules, each lasting two weeks (except for the Easter module, which lasts three weeks)
Continuous assessment to support self-monitoring

Modules by specialism

Laboratory IT and Clinical Informatics

  • Medical Laboratory Information Technology
  • Data Analysis, Interpretation and Presentation
  • Clinical and Data Governance
  • Procurement and Project Management
  • Systems Interface and Middleware
  • Digital Futures

Leadership and Management

  • Introduction to Management
  • Working in Organisations
  • Managing People
  • Finance
  • Customer Relations
  • Change and Projects

Point of Care Testing (POCT)

  • Introduction to POCT
  • Quality and Accreditation in POCT
  • Principles of Measurement - Analytical Considerations
  • Development of a Service Need
  • Connectivity and Data Management in POCT
  • Training in POCT

Quality Management

  • Introduction to Quality Management
  • Quality Management Systems
  • Governance, Risk Management and Compliance
  • Audit
  • Conformance Management
  • Change

Training

  • Roles and Responsibilities
  • Professional and Academic Qualifications
  • Planning and Organising Laboratory Training
  • Communication
  • Learning Techniques and Presentation Skills
  • Assessment and Evaluation


Assessment process

Tutor-led forums for discussion and clarification of course content
Two assessments – one at the midpoint and one at the end of the course
End-of-course online examination


📌 Full details on course structure and assessment are available in the CEP Course Information Summary.

📌 Course dates for 2025

  • Applications openW/C 19 August 2024
  • Closing date for applications13 December 2024
  • Introductory module starts17 January 2025
  • Course completion8 May 2025
  • Final examination22 May 2025
  • Result notification16 June 2025
  • Certificates issuedW/C 21 July 2025

 

Applying

Entry requirements

Leadership & Management, Quality Management and Training

To apply, you must:
✔ Be a Member or Fellow of the IBMS
✔ Be HCPC registered
✔ Be resident in the UK 
Maintain IBMS membership throughout the qualification

Point of Care Testing (POCT)

To apply, you must:
✔ Be a Licentiate, Member or Fellow of the IBMS
✔ Be HCPCNursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or General Medical Council registered
✔ Be resident in the UK 
Maintain IBMS membership throughout the qualification

Laboratory Information Technology and Clinical Informatics 

To apply, you must:
✔ Be a Licentiate, Member or Fellow of the IBMS
✔ Be an Honours degree graduate with at least two years equivalent experience in laboratory (pathology) information technology (IT).
✔ Be resident in the UK 
Maintain IBMS membership throughout the qualification

How to apply

📩 Submit the following to [email protected]
✔ Completed application form, use the correct form in Resources section below specific to the specialism.
✔ Payment of £770 (for 2025)

Payment options

Fees can be paid via:

Purchase Order - submitted with the application form
Credit or debit card - upon submission of your application form you will be contacted for payment details.

📌Please note
  • On the application form, you must briefly describe why you are applying. This information is used for understanding your experience and motivation—it does not affect your application decision.
  • Candidates can only take one CEP course at a time.
  • Places for each CEP course are limited (60 candidates for 2025). Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Funding

📌 As of 2025, no grant funding is available for CEP courses. If funding becomes available, eligible candidates will be notified directly.

Deferrals, withdrawals, and mitigating circumstances

📌 To defer, withdraw, or report mitigating circumstances, contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Need more help?

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the Higher and Expert qualifications please contact us.