Applying to the Academy for Healthcare Science Accredited Register for CRPs
Am I eligible to join?
The aim of the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) Accredited Register for CRPs is to ensure all Registered CRPs share a common foundation of skills and experience. To be eligible for registration you must:
Be a member of the CRP Directory
Hold a current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Certificate
Hold a Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certificate completed within the last 3 years
Meet your employing organisation’s requirements for English language ability
Have completed your employer’s statutory/mandatory training
Use a named competency framework or an equivalent evidence based approach to knowledge and skills development
Have at least one year’s experience working comfortably at practitioner level/ level 5 of the Skills for Health Career Framework. The AHCS website lists the experience and application requirements for applicants, which vary depending on your qualifications
Demonstrate in your application that you meet the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs
Competency Frameworks
Line managers need to confirm that their organisation uses a competency framework (or equivalent evidence based approach to knowledge and skills development) to track professional development. You may have a defined competency framework in use in your organisation, or you can access and/or adopt use of one of the resources identified below.
Competence approaches - CRP
Clinical Research Practitioners Competency Toolkit
Competence approaches - multi-professional
What Evidence do I need to provide the AHCS to register?
As part of your application, you’ll have to provide structured reflections and supporting evidence that demonstrate how you are meeting the CRP Scope of Practice and Standards of Proficiency for CRPs.
You need to write 3 reflections on how your experiences in the following areas have affected your work. Each reflection should reference at least one of the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs:
Professional accountability (standards 1-6 of the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs)
Leadership (standards 15 and 16 of the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs)
Working across boundaries (standards 7 to 14 of the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs)
You also need to complete a Documented Assurance and Line Manager Confirmation document to confirm you meet the eligibility criteria for registration. This has five parts to it:
Information about the applicant
Evidence of a practice development conversation with a statutory registered health professional (this could be your line manager or someone else)
Two pieces of feedback
Evidence that your communication skills have been observed
Line manager confirmation checklist
Click on the buttons below to find out more about the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs.
Avoid these common application mistakes
Make sure you avoid the most common mistakes that could delay your application. These are listed below:
Experienced Practitioner Gateway application (First step for applicants who do not have a level 6/degree qualification)
Qualifications: Make sure you do not have a level 6 (e.g. a degree) qualification. If you do, there is no need to make an Experienced Practitioner Gateway Application
Experience: You have a minimum of 3 years’ experience working at practitioner level/ level 5 of the Skills for Health Career Framework in your CRP role
Documents uploaded:
The Current Work section of the Eligibility Form includes all the required information. In this section you need to:
Provide a description (not bullet pointed) of your duties and responsibilities as a CRP
Demonstrate that you are working at the level of practitioner/ level 5 of the Skills for Health Career Framework
Provide a brief outline of how you developed yourself at practitioner/ level 5 of the Skills for Health Career Framework
Confirm that your mandatory and statutory training is up to date in the Your Other Learning section of the Eligibility Form
List your learning in date order in the Your Other Learning section of the Eligibility Form
Employer information: Make sure your current employer's details are the same in all your application documents
Reflective accounts: When writing your reflections, refer to the relevant standards of proficiency and give examples of how you meet them
Documents uploaded:
Use the templates provided to provide your supporting information
Upload your documents in chronological order
If you’re uploading certificates, make sure these are your certificates and not a screen shot
Remember to upload your current GCP certificate
International qualifications: If your Level 6 qualification is from outside the UK, upload a European Network of National Information Centres (ENIC) certificate of comparability with UK Standards
Name changes: If your name has changed from the one on your qualifications, upload a change of name certificate
Line manager's approval: Have your line manager tick or highlight each of the boxes in the Confirmation checklist of registration requirements in section 2.3 and sign the Declaration (Section 2.4)
We also strongly recommend that you speak to one of the CRP Engagement Leads to discuss your application before you submit it.
Need more detailed guidance for you and/or your manager about the process?
We offer drop in sessions where you can ask questions about any aspect of the application process.
Drop in sessions:
Friday 29 November 2024 between 15.00 – 16.00: Click here to join the meeting
If you would like to speak to someone in your region, please contact one of the CRP Engagement Leads.
Comprehensive guidance for both applicants and line managers is available on the AHCS website.
Ready to start your application?
Head over to the AHCS registration page to start your application.
