History of the Association of Renal Technologists

The Association of Renal Technologists (ART) was founded as the Association of Renal Technicians in 1975 following a number of seminars organised under the direction of the Department of Health, the first of which took place in 1973 at the Falfield Hospital Engineering Centre.

ART continued as a forum for sharing ideas for many years and the Annual meetings were a great success. The first annual meeting was at Buxton in 1975, followed by one at Keele University and a number of years at Warwick University. ART plays an important part in enabling Renal Professionals to share ideas and information, not only renal technologists, but also doctors, nurses and industry have all made use, at various times, of ART forums. The British Renal Symposium (BRS) grew out of the ART national meetings and now involves renal professionals from all disciplines. While remaining an active member of BRS, the Association again holds its own National Meeting as well as a number of regional meetings.

The ART website (www.artery.org.uk) is continually being expanded to include new links and items of interest. The Association newsletter – ARTERY – is published quarterly carrying articles and information of interest to all Renal Professionals.

In 2003 ART signed an affiliation agreement with the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) to enable a wider sharing of experience. Current projects include the development of a training programme in conjunction with The Voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists, which was formed by ART and IPEM. It is anticipated that the training programme will ultimately lead to a degree in Renal Technology. The formation of the Voluntary Register is in preparation for State Registration through the Health Professions Council which should take place during 2006