New apprenticeships Mammography Associate (L4)
About the role
This Level 4 apprenticeship standard is designed as typical 12 month programme and is for apprentices who wish to gain the skills, knowledge, behaviours and values required for the role.
Mammography Associates work within the breast imaging workforce undertaking routine two-view mammography (x-ray images of breasts) working within in a multi-disciplinary team within a hospital or in a community setting (e.g. mobile breast screening units, medical centres), undertaking mammography of individuals as part of a breast screening programme.
They will also be able to undertake routine mammography on individuals with symptoms of breast disease. They will have a good understanding of breast anatomy, physiology and pathology, including clinical signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and be able to apply knowledge of ionising radiation regulations.
They will be technically skilled in operating specialised mammography equipment and be responsible for monitoring equipment function and performance. They will have responsibility for producing mammography images of consistently high quality to meet rigorous NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) standards. They will have excellent interpersonal skills and provide high quality care for individuals attending for mammography working work under the supervision of a radiographer.
On this page
Standard
Mandatory requirements
In order to meet the apprenticeship standard apprentices will be required to hold or achieve:
- Minimum of Level 2 English
- Minimum of Level 2 maths
For those with an education, health and care plan, or a legacy statement, the apprenticeships English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3 and British Sign Language qualification are an alternative to English qualifications for
End-point assessment
As an ESFA-approved Assessment Organisation, we provide a full range of assessment services, resources and support from our experienced EPA team to equip you and your learners with the diverse requirements of the apprenticeship standards.
You can use Pearson as your end-point assessment organisation, regardless of whether you choose to use our on-programme offer or not.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has agreed Covid-19 temporary discretions for Level 4 Mammography Associate apprenticeship standard. These agreed temporary discretions relate specifically to the observation and discussion assessment. Please see the guidance below:
There are two components that make up end-point assessment:
1. Examination paper
2. Clinical practice observation and discussion
Each component of end-point assessment is graded. Apprentices will also receive a grade for the overall end-point assessment. This will be Fail/Pass/Distinction
Examination paper
The examination will assess the knowledge and understanding for Mammography Associates. The exam will consist of 60 questions and must be passed prior to taking the clinical practice observation and discussion,each question must present the apprentice with 4 options from which the apprentice must select one option.The exam paper must include 5 diagram based questions.
Each question answered correctly must be assigned 1 mark, any incorrect or missing answers must be assigned 0 marks. Apprentices must have 1 hour to complete the exam paper.The exam paper must be closed book i.e. the apprentice cannot refer to reference books or materials.
The examination will assess knowledge of:
- Clinical Mammography
- Mammography Science
- Quality Assurance
Apprentices must have passed the exam paper to progress to the observation of clinical practice and discussion. Passing the exam paper will indicate the apprentice has the necessary underpinning knowledge for clinical practice.
This component is graded Fail/Pass/Distinction
Observation of Clinical Practice and Discussion
The observation and discussion will take place in the apprentice’s workplace under normal conditions. It must last for three hours (plus or minus 10%) at the discretion of the assessor and to provide scope for an apprentice to demonstrate their full abilities.
The requirements of the observation of clinical practice and discussion are as follows:
- The apprentice will be observed* providing mammography to a succession of individuals.
- The required knowledge, skills and behaviours will be observed by the independent assessor.
- The focus of the discussion will be to ensure that the apprentice has the opportunity to explain knowledge, skills and behaviours that did not occur naturally during the observation
- The answers to questions during discussions will also be documented by the independent assessor.
*The observation will be terminated if at any time during the assessment the assessor observes unsafe practice. In these circumstances, the apprentice will be graded as a fail.
Our range of EPA resources such as EPA specification, additional resources document and practice knowledge test are designed to enhance learners’ knowledge and/or hone essential skills required.
They are available to our customers who have signed up to Pearson EPA and include information on:
- Structure
- Grading
- Gateway requirements
- Assessment content
- Evidence requirement for each component
We have designed a step-by-step guide, with signposts to our key supporting information, resources and services available at every stage of the process.
