Healthcare Science Week celebrates and inspires
06/03/2020
This article is more than four years old.
Healthcare Science Week is a yearly celebration to raise awareness around the vital work that is undertaken by healthcare scientists. This year it runs from Thursday 6 to Saturday 15 March.
The aim is to provide a platform for healthcare scientists across 52 different specialisms to promote the profession and inspire the future workforce.
Events are taking place across the country, from stands to inform the public to careers fairs and laboratory visits.
At Oxford University Hospitals, our Healthcare Scientists are marking the week with a series of healthcare science information stands on our hospital sites:
Monday 9 March 9.30am - 1.00pm
Level 2, John Radcliffe Hospital
Monday 9 March 1.30pm - 4.30pm
West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital
Tuesday 10 March 9.30pm - 4.30pm
Churchill Hospital entrance
Tuesday 10 March 10.00am - 4.00pm (Cardiac Physiology stand)
Level 2, John Radcliffe Hospital
Wednesday 11 March 9.30pm - 4.30pm
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre atrium
There will be a variety of healthcare science specialisms represented at these stands, including genetics, bioinformatics, physics, engineering, vascular science, cardiac science and many more.
Staff from many specialisms will be on hand, to chat about the work they do and answer any questions.
Visitors will be able to take a close look at a handheld Doppler machine, a microscope, radiotherapy mask and even a miniature model of a linear accelerator.
They can also have a go at some chromosome matching, guess the chocolate bar from the MRI image or find out what happens to a patient sample as it travels through the laboratory.
At the Cardiac Physiology stand on 10 March there'll be opportunities for visitors to have an ECG and blood pressure test, as well as try a Virtual Reality (VR) headset which will immerse them in a 360 degree interactive video of our Cath Labs.
They will also be able to find out how the data from these tests is used, and chat to our Here for Health team about ways to keep their heart healthy.
Healthcare Scientists are involved in 80 percent of all patient diagnosis, and provide a range of important services across the NHS.
They support clinical staff through laboratory testing, research and innovation, and the development of new treatments and equipment to improve patient care.
Hannah Green, Genomics Healthcare Scientist trainee, said:
"When people ask me what I do, I normally say I work in a hospital, because if I say I'm training to be a healthcare scientist I'm normally met with blank stares.
"Because so few people know what healthcare scientists do, Healthcare Science Week is a valuable opportunity to showcase the contribution of healthcare scientists."
Pictured: Healthcare Scientists from the Trust spread the word in 2019
Find out more on the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) website: Healthcare Science Week 2020
See social media posts by searching for #HCSW2020