Allied health professions are a diverse range of health professionals, whose designated titles are protected by law, and who are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). There are also other healthcare professions which are regulated by a number of regulatory bodies.
CAREERS
Other Registered Health Professionals
Registered Health Professionals
Allied health professions
Regulated by the HCPC
Arts Therapists (Art, Music and Drama)
Biomedical Scientists
Chiropodists / Podiatrists
Clinical Scientists
Dietitians
Hearing Aid Dispensers
Occupational Therapists
Operating Department Practitioners
Orthoptists
Paramedics
Physiotherapists
Practitioner Psychologists
Prosthetists / Orthotists
Diagnostic Radiographers
Therapeutic Radiographers
Speech and Language Therapists
Regulated by other bodies
Chiropractors (General Chiropractic Council)
Healthcare Scientists (HCPC or Academy for Healthcare Science)
Non-Medical Public Health Speciality Trainees (Faculty of Public Health), Specialists and Consultants (UK Public Health Register)
Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (General Optical Council)
Osteopaths (General Osteopathic Council)
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians (General Pharmaceutical Council)
Social Workers (Social Work England)
Spotlight on ...
Dr Aileen Barrett
How did you get involved in clinical education research?
Pre-Qualification/ Registration
Entry routes to these professions can vary, from full-time pre-registration undergraduate and postgraduate degrees (e.g., postgraduate diploma and masters) to degree apprenticeships at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Qualification allows an individual to apply for entry level clinical positions (subject to regulatory body approval), or to start a career in their own private practice. Opportunities to engage in ClinEdR are likely to be limited at this stage of training, although there may be opportunities in some professions to engage with ClinEdR, for example through dissertation or research project topics, as well as elective modules, placements and internships.
Post-qualification/registration
Once qualified and registered, individuals with an interest in ClinEdR may want to undertake a higher degree which may be clinically or educationally focused, and will usually involve a research component as an opportunity to develop research skills. These can include Masters programmes in Clinical / Medical Education / Health and Care Professions Education, professional doctorates, PhDs.
NIHR offers a variety of programmes for registered health and social care professionals to undertake formal research training from pre-doctoral to post-doctoral levels. For registered health and social care practitioners a first step to getting involved in ClinEdR is often through the supervision and teaching of practice placement students, and facilitating learning of colleagues. There may be additional opportunities to engage as educator-practitioners, opening the door to a future within ClinEdR.
Unfortunately, there is currently a scarcity of professional roles with a substantive research requirement although numbers appear to be increasing. Entering an academic role in a higher education institution, can sometimes result in the suspension of a clinical career as joint practitioner-academic posts are not routinely available for these professions. Some colleagues may choose to work part-time in higher education alongside maintaining their clinical / practitioner roles.
