We welcome applications for membership from all who work in respiratory healthcare in all healthcare settings in medicine and related professions. BTS members breathe life into our work. We hope that you want to join us because you want to make a difference to the quality of care and the patient experience for all those who have respiratory conditions.
We offer many benfits of membership:-
- Since 2011, all BTS members, in all membership categories, have full access to BTS e-learning modules included in their membership subscriptions.
- Thorax is our respected and widely disseminated journal- it has the world's second highest impact factor in the field, and an ever-growing international reputation. It is published jointly with the British Medical Journal, and is available to members who subscribe in a number of categories.
- BTS members enjoy special rates at the Society's 2 annual conferences and our highly-rated short course programme. The BTS Winter Meeting showcases "Bench to Bedside" research and related clinical developments and attracts over 2,000 delegates each year, taking place always on the first Wednesday to Friday in December. The BTS Summer Meeting takes place in the last week of June (exceptionally in the first week in July in 2012). This is our main CME event annually, attracting between 400–500 delegates on average from a range of respiratory professions.
- Most of the BTS website is available to all visitors. The Members' only sections of the website provide access to a range of information and services which will be of particular benefit to members (for example in discussions about service re-alignment and resourcing) as well as providing a means by which the Society can communicate with members and provide effective administrative services. In May 2012, we will introduce a new membership management system which will be fully integrated with our website for more efficient on-line support.
- Lots of our members are actively engaged in BTS-related activities (on average, around 12% of our members each year), and we hope that all members gain benefit from their membership. We provide open and democratic access to the ways in which you can participate. Members are encouraged to become involved in our work via an annual call for volunteers each summer – opportunities include standing for election to BTS Council, or joining one of our Committees or Specialist Advisory Groups, and/or participating in our Guideline Groups. We regularly survey members' opinion – the 2011 survey was significant in the re-drafting of our Strategic Plan.
- Both BTS News (a half yearly magazine) and the monthly global email (eBTS News) contain items of general interest as well as news about the Society's activities in pursuit of our Strategic Plan. Members will be alerted to all new activities by global email and directed to the parts of the website which gives more detailed information.
Membership of the Society is not open to persons who are or have been full, or part-time, employees of, or paid consultants to, the tobacco industry, at any time during the previous 10 years.
How to apply
The membership year begins on 1 March each year. Please click here to view the different membership categories and subscription rates and for pro rata payment rates if you are joining part-way through the year. The document also tells you more about how we operate the membership system and what to do if you ever wish to cancel your membership. Please note that if you are not a member by 1 September each year we cannot allow you the members' rate at that year's Winter Meeting.
For an application form (PDF) please fill in the form by clicking here and return it to BTS Head Office at 17 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2PL.
All new UK members are encouraged to pay by Direct Debit. Those who do not will be charged an additional £15.00 admnistration fee. This addiona payment will also apply insubsequent years. Please download, complete and return the mandate form here.
If you wish to pay by cheque, please make the cheque payable to "The British Thoracic Society". The Society actively discourages payment by credit card because of the high bank charges involved, and we hope that the quarterly Direct Debit option will be helpful in this regard.
Please contact membership@brit-thoracic.org.uk if you have any queries. We look forward to welcoming you as a member. Thank you for your interest.