Rae Wallace - Biomedical Scientist, Ninewells Hospital

I am currently a Biomedical Scientist in NHS Tayside working within Biochemistry and have been for around a year now. Preceding that, I was a Medical Laboratory Assistant within Blood Science for a year. ‘Then why are you writing an article about Point of Care?’ I hear you ask. Well, Point of Care kicked off my career within the scientific field, and I believe it can really help push both undergraduates and laboratories further into success. 

Back in 2021 in my 3rd year of University, I was lucky enough to secure a placement within Ninewells hospital to complete my IBMS Registration Portfolio. This placement was in a department that had never taken on a placement student before, Point of Care. I completed my portfolio within 18 weeks with the help of the Point of Care senior and MLA. I was able to share my experiences in Point of Care with other placement students, who were unsure of what POC really was. 

I learnt so much not just about what it takes to be a BMS, but with my experience on the wards fixing gas analysers, taking part in multi-disciplinary meetings, and more ‘on the ward work’ I was able to view my part in patient care in a whole new light. This was, and still is, a huge motivator for me when working as a Biomedical Scientist within the different divisions. 

During my placement I had to complete the normal evidences required for the IBMS. Along with this, I expanded on three evidences to create my coursework for university. This included the sample journey, and case study. The case study is two coursework entries, as one is an essay, which then is converted into a presentation. Through these three pieces of work, I reviewed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) to find information and was able to inform the POC team of some edits that could be made to make them easier to follow. When staff members write SOP’s they are fully knowledgeable in that subject area and can miss key pieces of information when writing, however as a placement student I was able to view them with fresh eyes.

Following my placement, Point of Care offered me a project for my honour's degree, which I gladly accepted. This focused on the creation of e-learning training modules for the users of POC devices which is a broad area including BMS’s, nurses, doctors, healthcare assistants etc. At this point, me and Point of Care had a very mutualistic relationship. While I benefited by receiving my project and in turn my degree, the POC team received aid from myself in an area they didn’t have the resources to spread out too. Like the SOP’s, I was able to expand on the information that was given to POC users and fully focus on it being done in an enjoyable way. I focused on four analysers, glucose meters, ketone meters, gas analysers, and a direct ISE method for determining electrolytes. 

My time in point of care has widened my perspective on how Biomedical Scientists aid healthcare workers and patients. Without my experience in POC, my life as a scientist would likely be very different. My placement semester completely brought my grades up, and I graduated with first class honours due to experiencing out of university teaching. I was able to get a job as a Biomedical Scientist before even gradating and was able to focus on truly getting to the grips of life as a BMS without having to worry about getting enough CPD time to work on my portfolio. I would recommend it to any BMS student and would advise disciplines to think of the many advantages having a student would bring.