Clinical Scientist and Clinical Perfusion Training Posts
Overview
Each year, Public Services Delivery Scotland Healthcare Science Education invites NHS Healthcare Science Service Leads and NHS Boards to submit expressions of interest for the commissioning of supernumerary pre-registration Clinical Scientist and Clinical Perfusion training posts.
Important Information
This opportunity is not an individual bursary, staff development fund, or funding award for existing employees. The funding supports the establishment of a commissioned NHS training post within a Healthcare Science service, enabling services to recruit a trainee through an approved Clinical Scientist or Clinical Perfusion training pathway. The post is a paid NHS position established within the service and must be recruited through an open and competitive external recruitment process, in line with standard NHS Scotland recruitment practice.
Funding is provided to support the trainee's salary and associated training costs throughout the approved training programme, leading to professional or statutory registration where applicable.
Annual Expressions of Interest
Healthcare Science Service Leads are invited each year to express interest in hosting a training post by completing the national application process.
Dates for Expressions of interest for the 2027 intake
- · open on 20 July 2026
- · close on 28 August 2026.
Applications are assessed through a national competitive process that considers factors including alignment with workforce priorities, service need and available training capacity.
Please click on the kink below to access the Clinical Scientist Expressions of Interest Form for the 2027 intake:
Clinical Scientist Expressions of Interest 2027 – Fill in form
Recruitment and Start Dates
Following approval and the completion of a signed Service Level Agreement,
posts are typically advertised by the employing NHS Board during the Spring of the following year, with successful trainees normally commencing training in September 2027.
As these are commissioned NHS training posts, recruitment must be conducted through the NHS Board's standard recruitment procedures and be open to external applicants. Existing staff may apply through the normal recruitment process but are not automatically eligible for appointment.
About the Training Programme
These supernumerary training posts provide a route for science graduates to enter NHS Scotland and undertake a structured training programme in a Healthcare Science specialty. Depending on the profession, the programme may include an MSc and leads to either:
- Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Clinical Scientist; or
- Registration with the Society of Clinical Perfusion Scientists register.
Further Information
A template for evidence submission is available from the website news page. For any queries, please contact the PSD Scotland Healthcare Science team at HCS@nes.scot.nhs.uk
To find out more about Clinical Scientist training in Scotland please visit our website page at https://www.hcstraining.nhs.scot/trainees/clinical-scientist-pre-registration-training/.
Last updated: July 22, 2026