Neuropathology Training

The department actively encourages training and continuing professional development for all staff. 

Generic and specialist training is carried out for biomedical scientists, and the department is registered with the Institute of Biomedical Sciences for this purpose.
The department also takes trainee biomedical scientists and other healthcare scientists who require some training in neuropathology in order to complete their portfolios.

Neuropathologists/SpR training Programme

The Health Education South West (HESW) Diagnostic Neuropathology 4- year Training Programme encompasses GMC-approved training centres: the Neuropathology Department at Southmead, Flax Bourton coroner’s Mortuary, and Histopathology departments at Cheltenham General Hospital and Musgrove park. The Programme forms part of the HESW Pathology School.

HESW is responsible for quality assuring the training programme, and both are regulated by the GMC.
The programme is led by a Training Programme Director (TPD), who holds a contract for this work with the Deanery and sits on the Board of the Pathology School. The TPD is Dr Kathryn Urankar. 

Trainees, recruited nationally, hold a contract with North Bristol NHS Trust.

Educational Supervisor is Dr Kathryn Urankar.

Training, delivered according to the curriculum and a learning agreement, includes a series of workplace-based assessments, as dictated by the RCPath.  These, together with Educational Supervisor’s reports, exam results etc, form the evidence submitted by the trainee to HESW on an annual basis for the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP). This process allows the trainee to progress through different years of the programme, according to evidence of their competence, usually in four years. Completion of the programme, including gaining the FRCPath, will lead the successful trainee to a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). This in turn means the Trainee can apply to join the specialist register of medical practitioners.