Technician Review

My current day-today activities in DMPK include running various assays for clients that assess the test compound's general characteristics, such as solubility or to assess how much of an original dosage of a compound is available for a biological target. On top of this, I carry out housekeeping activities such as stock checks, topping up solvents for mass spectrometers.

I have developed practical skills such as efficient pipetting techniques and developing a working knowledge of mass spectrometers. On top of this, I have developed soft skills such as communication and presentation skills. I have had numerous opportunities to present during my apprenticeship. I am also developing my time management skills due to the many specific timing requirements of the assays that I run.

I find the work very engaging as I am not just carrying out assays, I am learning the underlying theory as well as analyzing the data produced. The work culture is very positive and people are always happy to help me if I am encountering issues that I am not familiar with.

I have received plenty of help from both my mentor and manager, who are more than happy to help me develop as a professional. Tasks are clearly scheduled so that I always know what tasks I need to carry out for the day. The apprenticeship scheme allows us to rotate through various departments, allowing us to experience a large variety of different work.

My manager is very keen to support me and is effective at discussing my development with me, as well as open to my feedback of how I find my workload. The HR team and my manager have both always been responsive to requests that I have had so far. There are also mental health support systems in place.

Academic advisors are usually very quick to respond to queries I have regarding assignments/coursework. The quality of the advice regarding my questions can vary from advisor to advisor however. We also have an apprenticeship advisor who is responsible for advising us on administration-related work and tracking our performance in the workplace.

In my first rotation, the coursework introduced me to the basics of cell culture before applying this to the lab, which was a definite advantage when it came to picking the practical skills up. I have not been able to apply the the contents of my course to my rotation in compound management, but I have found certain modules to be very relevant during my time so far in DMPK.

There is a volunteer day where we are able to spend the day helping a cause of our own choice in order to give back to the community. There are often departmental social activities that I have taken part in, whether it be as simple as going out for a drink or a departmental sports day!

Yes

Having been in three different departments, I have been able to develop a large variety of practical skills that I think will be very beneficial and influential for deciding what I would like to do in the future. It has given me a lot of perspective that I wouldn't be able to gain at such a young age through more traditional routes such as university.

For those applying for a position at Chesterford park, I think it is important to have a basic understanding of the drug discovery process, as well as the roles of the different departments here and their relevance to the drug discovery process. Being familiar with Charles River's values would also be helpful.