Oncology Scientific Apprentice Review

Role is within Translational Medicine (involvement in both pre-clinical research and research in clinical trials). Lab is a histopathology lab (analysing patient specimens by Immunohistochemistry - IHC) which looks at biomarkers pre- and on-treatment to determine the impacts of the drug treatment and the resulting images analysed digitally.

Learnt lots of new laboratory techniques: Sectioning of FFPE-tissue (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded), Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Haematoxylin + Eosin (H&E) staining, digital scanning to generate whole-slide images (WSIs) and AI-guided image analysis. Corporate and communication skills (presentation skills, Microsoft office applications etc.)

Overall I enjoy the program as I learnt a lot of new skills alongside lots of talented people, where I feel that my work is contributing positively to the world. However balancing company and university requirements can be challenging sometimes.

The AstraZeneca component has minimal structure as apprentice's day-to-day roles are all completely different and so there is a lot of flexibility afforded to accommodate to personal situations and company objectives etc. with the main goal of learning the techniques and biology required to work well in the relevant team. The university component is moderately well organised with a defined set of modules and assignments to work through via distance learning

I receive lots of support from my employer (supervisors and line management) in both work-based support (personal development, 1:1 meetings and feedback etc.) and consideration for university workload (time to prioritise during busier times)

Training provider offers occasional support. Uni lecturers are supportive and helpful when reached out to but as uni modules are almost exclusively online (only 2 weeks of the 5-year course are face-to-face), support feels quite distanced.

As the qualification progresses, the relevance to the pharmaceutical industry is increasing. I initially found the modules to be quite unrelated but they are increasingly workplace-orientated and flexible enough to accommodate workplace experiences (currently in year 4 out of 5)

Within the workplace are employee resource groups (ERG) to accommodate for early career individuals offering both professional development opportunities as well as social and learning events as well as many informal "hobby-based" groups (running/football etc.)

Yes

Very good place to work with a friendly environment, established apprenticeship scheme, lots of support and good employee benefits.

Be prepared to be busy - completing studies alongside work requires time-management and prioritisation skills, however this does unlock the ability to both earn an income (and gain relevant work experience) whilst completing a university degree. With regards to applications, learn about the company's values and think of time/examples when you have shown these in your life and experience.