Labratory Scientist Review

I work in the BioPharm team in the Product Development department of AstraZeneca at the Macclesfield site. I work with advanced in-vitro dissolution equipment looking at how our drug products perform in the human body, as we use in-vivo relevant conditions and media in the systems. I then report these results back to project teams to aid them with making decisions for the next steps of a product's development. This is a highly specialised technique and I am part of a small team of only 3 people who support the global oral pharmaceutical portfolio for the company. This has allowed me to get a great exposure to a wide variety of drug products ranging between capsules, tablets, suspensions etc. We are leading the pharmaceutical industry with this form of testing and due to our capabilities and expertise AZ has shut down the UK dog colony for testing post tox studies. I am also responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and safe working conditions of our laboratory as I am a co lab manager. I order in any consumables we may need in our team and ensure that the equipment and instruments in the lab are all up to date regarding their maintenance and calibrations.

I have learnt a variety of new skills, including specific BioPharm skills such as being able to independently carry out and complete several experiments. For example, solubility, intrinsic dissolution rate, surface dissolution imaging, USP II dissolution experiments to name a few. I can competently write up my experiments in the correct scientific manner to enable other colleagues to understand my methodology and repeat it if needed. I have also had the opportunity to complete a secondment into another team in my department where I worked to a Good Manufacturing Practise (GMP) standard as the products I was completing testing on were part of batches that patients were taking in the clinic. This was very useful as I was able to see how a different part of the business operates and I was able to link my work to theirs and further understand the importance of the work we complete at AZ. Furthermore, I have learnt and improved many of my 'soft skills'. For example I have presented many times to colleagues in my department and external audiences at the RSC about the work I do on the advanced in-vitro dissolution systems. This has improved both my communication and presentation skills. My problem solving skills have also been greatly improved from when I first started my apprenticeship as I will now present ideas to overcome issues to my supervisors, instead of asking them for the solution. This was something I was congratulated on in my latest end of year review.

I enjoyed my programme greatly! I have connected with many interesting people during the programme, learnt many skills I will implement in the future, gained a foundation degree in chemical science and kickstarted what I believe and hope will be a great career in the pharmaceutical industry. I do not believe I would have the confidence I know have if I had taken the more traditional route and gone to university, rather than complete the apprenticeship programme AZ have offered me. I also have a great advantage over other people my age who did go to university as I have at least 3 years industry experience as well as a permanent job with a global company. The salary I have been also allowed me to move out of my family home and gain my own independence by renting in Macclesfield, as well as purchasing a car and going abroad on holiday every year, which I doubt I would have been able to do if I had gone to university.

The programme was very well structured. I became specialised in my specific role, making me very valuable to the company, which increased the likelihood of being offered a permanent job at the end of my apprenticeship. I was also given the opportunity to do a secondment into another team in my department to allow me to gain more valuable skills, as well as experience a different side of the company that I would not have experienced in my day to day job.

I received a lot of support from my employer both for my everyday role and for my university course. I had at least 2 supervisors for the duration of my apprenticeship which meant I always had some support at any one time. If I ever had a question about my uni work I was pointed in the direction of an expert in that field working at AZ who would help me work through the problem and this helped me to gain a distinction in my degree.

I gained a lot of support from my employer for my qualifications. I was always given my 20% off the job time, and sometimes more if an exam was coming up and AZ work was quiet. If I ever had a question about a certain assignment I would be pointed in the direction of an expert in that field who would take the time to sit down with me and work through the problem until I understood it.

Some of the content I learnt during my course was applicable to my day to day work however not as much as I would have liked. However, I do understand that the training provider has to accommodate for many apprentices working in different industries. I found that the modules such as health and safety, business improvement and environmental management systems was beneficial to my role.

There are many extra curricular activities to get involved with, such as helping to organise culture activities. You can also join in with said activities, as well as joining the choir, running clubs, walking groups among many others. We also have gyms on site that you can join and there are lotteries run every month.

Yes

I love being part of the AstraZeneca family. They are a company who truly values their employees, with generous care packages offered as well as a great support system. Every day is different and everyone is very friendly and welcoming. I am looking forward to a successful career in pharmaceutical sciences helping AZ deliver medicines to patients to help improve their lives.

Research the company and learn about the therapeutic areas they offer. Don't just talk about your grades, talk about your experience (work or non-work related) and the skills you have learnt and how you could apply that to a scientific setting. Think about why you want to join AZ, for me it was to help make a difference to people's lives by helping develop medicines that can give patients a greater quality of life.