Siri Place is in her final year of a BSc Medical Biochemistry degree following the completion of a placement year at P53 Lab in Singapore. Her story shows that although it is not easy to find a placement year, persistence, hard work and taking chances can pay off!
In June 2017 Abigail Heffer graduated from the University of Leeds with a 2:1 in BSc Biological Sciences (Ind), she now works at ApotheCom as a Senior Account Executive. Abigail secured a placement year at Roche during her studies- with CV support from the Careers Centre. Follow Abigail’s journey from University of Leeds student to the rewarding, dynamic, fast paced world of Medical Communications.
Applying for a placement year
From relatively early on in my degree, I knew a lab-based career wouldn’t be for me. I wanted the buzz of an office, and to have a role that necessitated communicating with a wide range of different people and personalities. An office-based role in the pharmaceutical industry seemed like it might be a good fit, and so at the beginning of my second year at University I applied for industrial placements with the major players – Pfizer; GSK; AstraZeneca; Johnson & Johnson – but with no success.
Careers Centre support
I hadn’t previously considered visiting the University Careers Centre, but as something in my applications wasn’t hitting the mark, I turned to them for support. The Career Advisers were incredibly helpful, making some key tweaks to my CV and covering letters that would help me stand out from other candidates. Multiple applications and many mock interviews later, I was very happy to find out that I had been offered a placement with Roche in their Clinical Operations department, Welwyn Garden City.
Emily Talbot studied Human Physiology at Leeds, graduating in 2016 and secured a place on AstraZeneca’s IMED programme. In this post she outlines the path she took to her current role and shares her advice for other students.
How I Got My Place on the IMED Early Phase Drug Discovery Graduate Programme at AstraZeneca
For science students, there is one question which circulates in the mind of many who want to remain in science after University: do I have to do a PhD? I studied Human Physiology and as graduation loomed closer, I knew I wanted to remain in science but wasn’t ready to commit to a PhD.
In a second year epiphany/panic, I decided I didn’t want to do an industrial placement year so I looked for opportunities within the Faculty of Biological Sciences. Read more ›
Naeemah Patel is studying BSc Pharmacology at Leeds and is currently undertaking a placement year within the Student Placement team at the University, working with the Volunteering and Students into Schools teams. Naeemah secured this placement through the Leeds Internship Programme and in this post outlines her role and her advice to other students seeking placements.
I am currently on my placement year, based within the University of Leeds Careers Centre, working as Student Support and Engagement Intern for Volunteering Opportunities and the Students into Schools programme. My role within the Student Placement Division is really varied, involving jobs such as managing LeedsforLife opportunities, co-ordinating our social media, administration of student data on My Career and giving one-to-one support and guidance to students through weekly drop-in sessions. Read more ›
Niamh Hall has just completed her BSc in Human Physiology at Leeds and successfully gained a place on this year’s NHS Scientist Training Programme. In this post she shares her tips and advice for other students interested in this career.
If you are reading this it is most likely because you have an interest in science and healthcare. If so, you may have heard of the NHS Scientist training programme (STP) and you may have heard that it is extremely competitive. I am here to tell you that a first time applicant in their 3rd year with no year in industry or previous experience can apply and can be successful in obtaining a place on the programme. I’ve been asked to write this article to give an insight into what my job will entail and to give a few hints and tips to anyone thinking of applying in the future.
Katie Timms is undertaking a PhD in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Leeds’ Institute of Medical & Biological Engineering, following her undergraduate degree in Medical Sciences (2015), also from the University of Leeds. In this post she explains why she chose to do a secondment during her PhD and how networking and her proactive approach helped her to secure it.
Why did I decide to undertake a secondment?
Browsing through twitter one afternoon I came across a poster describing alternative careers for scientists, based on the Science Council’s ’10 type of scientists’. In case you were wondering, there’s a quiz on the Science Council’s website! I have always been interested in science and research, but was curious about the alternative careers available following my PhD. Read more ›
Biological Sciences student Alisha talks about her decision to do an industrial placement abroad with UCB biopharma, Belgium. She talks about the experience and give some useful advice for students looking to do a placement abroad.
About the placement:
For my year in industry I decided to go to Belgium to work at UCB biopharma in Braine L’alleud (near Brussels). Here I worked in the investigative toxicology department on a project involving drug induced cardiac injury. My activities varied on a day to day basis from undertaking experiments in the lab, to analyzing data and compiling literature reviews in the office. This meant that I got to experience how research projects worked in medium sized pharmaceutical companies such as UCB, and being in a relatively small department meant that I was making a real contribution to the project, which will lead to me having my name on a poster and published article next year. Read more ›
Katie Bjerkan studied BSc Pharmacology at Leeds, graduating in 2015. She gained a place on the NHS STP as a Clinical Pharmaceutical Trainee immediately after her undergraduate degree. She recently gave a talk at the University about the programme and getting in. This post is a summary of her talk and further information about the STP.
If you want to apply your scientific or technical knowledge in a healthcare setting, in a role which combines scientific or technical work with patient interaction, then a career in Healthcare Science might be for you.
What is a Healthcare Science?
Healthcare science encompasses a diverse range of scientists, engineers and professionals working in the healthcare setting whose aim is to apply scientific principles to improve health and well-being. Although they make up a relatively small proportion of the NHS workforce, healthcare scientists are involved in about 80% of all clinical decisions. Read more ›
Are you passionate about science but not keen on a career ‘at the bench’? If you are a great communicator, then science communication might be worth considering. This post outlines what it is, gives an overview of the range of jobs and potential employers and links to further resources.
What is it?
Science communication is a broad and evolving field. Traditionally, science communication was the realm of scientists themselves or specialised science journalists (i.e. reporting on scientific developments for media outlets). Whilst both of these are still part of the sector, it is growing increasingly diverse Read more ›
Jenny Smith is a final year PhD student, studying Medical and Biological Engineering, and has just secured a training contract with Urquhart-Dykes and Lord LLP, at their Leeds office. In this post she outlines how she found out about the profession and secured her role
Career inspiration
With a year to go of my PhD, I started investigating new career paths, after deciding continuing in research and academia wasn’t for me. I attended a University of Leeds Careers Centre conference, ‘Gown to Town: Alternatives to an academic career’, and whilst there heard a talk by a patent attorney Read more ›
Siri Place is in her final year of a BSc Medical Biochemistry degree following the completion of a placement year at P53 Lab in Singapore. Her story shows that although it is not easy to find a placement year, persistence, hard work and taking chances can pay off!
Emily Talbot studied Human Physiology at Leeds, graduating in 2016 and secured a place on AstraZeneca’s IMED programme. In this post she outlines the path she took to her current role and shares her advice for other students.
Niamh Hall has just completed her BSc in Human Physiology at Leeds and successfully gained a place on this year’s NHS Scientist Training Programme. In this post she shares her tips and advice for other students interested in this career.
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