Clinical Trial Coordinator & Clinical Research Associate Review

My work placement at MSD was an experience i thoroughly enjoyed, working in an enviroment with people who were constantly willing to offer their help eased my transition from university life to 9-5 role. In addition, the fact that there were 5 other interns also working in my department made the placement experience all the more enjoyable.

Throughout my placement i felt hugely valued by my colleagues, the level of responsibility i was aasigned was not that at of an 'intern' but of a permanent member of staff. Constant training also ensured that there wasn't anytime where i felt completely unable to complete a task. I was also given many opportunities to take part in activities/projects which were of great importance to the department.

I was assigned a manager and a mentor, both who i felt i could approach regarding any issues i had. My manager arranged for bi-weekly calls where we discussed how i was getting on. Also, the welcoming atmosphere created at MSD even allowed for me to approach other members of the management team for help if my assigned manager wasnot available.

Thr amount of work which i had to do varied on a day to day basis. Initially i was not very busy when i started the placement, however the friendly working environment at MSD meant that i was able to approach other members of staff, offering my assistance if they needed.

I was given a high level of responsibility during my placement at MSD and alhough sometimes challenging this also meant that i was valued by my colleagues.

I gained a whole host transferable skills during my placement, in particular my organisation, communication in a professional environment and ability to prioritise were greatly improved. These are all skills which will help in my final year and also stand me in good stead for any role i do in the future.

In my department there was a very friendly and outgoing atmosphere. Although everyone was hard at work they still remained very approachable. Another feature of the department was a great diversity in terms of personalities, this meant that was never a dull moment!

The set up of placement scheme was very welll organised. In particular the HR team organised trips the other uk MSD subsidiaries and also arranged for all the interns to do presentations, which helped all of us develop a range of transferable skills.

My department in particular required alot of training before certain tasks could be done. These were largely in the form of online training modules, which at times were arduous to complete. However, in hindsight there were necessary and aided my professional development.

Returning to MSD is a very appealing prospect, one which i would greatly consider.

With almost 20 placement students it was very easy to build a good rapport with the other students. We managed to organise many social events and activities which helped us get toknow each other.

Considering the close proximity of MSD to London, the cost of living was not.too bad. The salary provided by MSD was definitely enough to live comfortably.

Nightlife was not great in hoddesdon, but Hertford which was a 10 min drive was much more lively!