SoR issues update on HCPC eligibility for graduates with MSc qualifications

The Society of Radiographers is signposting the resources available for employers who wish to check if MSc graduates have completed a qualification that makes them eligible for HCPC registration.

In response to enquiries from SoR members about graduates who have completed an MSc in medical imaging, but who do not hold Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration, the SoR is pointing employers to helpful resources.

The SoR says that graduates of these medical imaging courses have completed MSc’s that could lead to a number of careers, such as medical physics. However, these MSc medical imaging courses are not pre-registration routes that would lead to eligibility for HCPC registration.

Employers are being directed to these two key sources of information to check whether graduates’ MSc qualifications count as a pre-registration route.

Dr Emma Hyde, head of education and research at the Society of Radiographers, said: “We know that it can sometimes be difficult to decide whether a qualification is appropriate and leads to the ability to register as a radiographer with the HCPC, or not,” she said. “If you are unsure, always refer to our directory of approved pre-registration radiography programmes on the College website.”

What are the resources available?

The first of these resources is the College of Radiographers' (CoR) approved directory of pre-registration programmes. Available here, the directory details all CoR-approved programmes that lead to professional qualification and eligibility to apply for HCPC registration.

The second resource is the HCPC list of approved programmes, which is available here. Users can search for a specific training programme using the approved programmes’ search engine and find out whether a graduate’s MSc course would result in HCPC eligibility.