Biomedical Science Day, an annual day of celebration highlighting the incredible contributions of Biomedical Scientists nationwide to the healthcare system, occurred this year on Thursday, 6th of June 2024.
First established by the Institute of Biomedical Science in 2017, Biomedical Science Day is celebrated in several ways by all involved in the Biomedical Science field, whether working as Biomedical Scientists or students. Competitions are held to unleash the creativity of those who work at the heart of healthcare.
This year, students from the University of Salford immersed themselves in the celebrations of this incredible day through three events that ran simultaneously. Level 4 and apprentice Biomedical Science students visited Manchester's NHS Blood and Transport Centre. Additionally, a group of student ambassadors visited Connell Co-Op College, East Manchester, whilst another group visited Holy Cross College, Bury. Both groups delivered similar talks to students promoting Biomedical Science as a potential degree and career. Volunteers distributed merchandise to attendees who had the opportunity to ask questions about the Biomedical Science field and student life at the university.
The ambassadorial team that went to Holy Cross College was joined by practising biomedical scientist Waqas Hussain, from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. He spoke of the role of a biomedical scientist on a daily and some of the equipment and tests they conduct within Biochemistry, sharing his professional experience with the college students.
In an event running simultaneously, a visit to NHS BT Manchester was organised, based in South Manchester. The event was organised by Tahmina Hussain, with Manisha Mort being critical to its success. Lloyd Mcleggon-Watkinson, a Biomedical Science Degree apprentice, accompanied Tahmina and a group of Level 4 students who tried their hand at virtual reality blood grouping, a groundbreaking training resource recently launched by NHSBT through their collaboration with Meta.
The organisers received positive feedback from attendees, participants, and Salford ambassadors. Iqra, who was a Salford ambassador during the Connell Co-Op College Visit, stated:
"I absolutely loved today's event. I would consider it a sudden breakthrough in my career and academic life as it demolished my idea of underestimating my confidence. I went from being a caterpillar to a butterfly spreading the beautiful colours of Biomedical Science to younger people."
Attendee Lloyd, who attended the NHSBT event, said: "My current work in Immunology doesn't expose me to all of the disciplines within healthcare science, so I seized the opportunity to view the NHSBT laboratory when it became available. And it was, coincidentally, on Biomedical Science Day… Without valuable donations, there would be no service to maintain blood products for patients in need. What I have seen is a highly organised and complex service where laboratory staff, including biomedical scientists, can create products that contribute to maintaining the quality of life for patients with haemoglobinopathies (e.g., thalassaemia, sickle cell) or life-saving interventions in the event of a haemorrhage."
Dr Matthew Jones, who led the Holy Cross Event, reported that the event was highly commended by Holy Cross College & University Centre staff, with the staff invited back to attend an upcoming careers event and repeat this event again next year. The event was also very well received by students, with 98.4% of participants stating that they had a positive experience, and 96.8% of attendees said that they found the delivered activities fun and exciting. College students participating in the event found that it increased their knowledge of Biomedical Science.
The day's events posed fantastic skill development opportunities for our ambassadors, some of whom took the brave step out of their comfort zones and volunteered to represent the University of Salford. Sanaria said:
"I had a great time being able to educate and highlight the diversity of doing a biomedical science degree and the career paths. It was a great opportunity for me to network and help students with their future career prospects."
The events were all featured on the IBMS website. You may see the article by following this link .
