Clinical Trial Coordinator/Clinical Research Associate Intern Review

Initially I was concerned about completing a placement year as most of my friends at university weren't doing one. However, at MSD I work alongside 7 other interns in London and live with a few of them so there has been a great social aspect to the internship. My team and the people I work with are also great fun and so I have enjoyed this year greatly!

At MSD we are given lots of independence to complete our own work and in my role we manage our own studies. This demonstrates that they trust us to complete this important role and they definitely value the work we are doing. We also had an opportunity to present our ideas on areas we think the company do well and areas the company could possibly improve on again showing they value our opinions.

We were given booklets at the beginning of the year to complete on a continual basis to track our progress throughout the internship. Our managers closely supervise our progress and give their feedback on our performance allowing us to visualise our strengths and areas we can develop upon. In my role, our managers also provide us with mentors who give us guidance on a 1-to-1 basis which is very beneficial to our development.

My workload varies however our managers ensure it remains as consistent as possible. If you feel like you have too little or too much work it is very easy to express this to them and they can ensure you are happy with how much you have and give you more projects to complete.

At MSD we are given lots of independence to complete our own work and in my role we manage our own studies. This is a big responsibility and demonstrates that they trust us to complete this important role and they definitely value the work we are doing. You definitely don't feel like an intern and I think we were integrated in with our other colleagues very quickly.

Completing this placement year has definitely allowed me to gain vital skills such as prioritisation and organisation which will be very valuable next year. I think I will approach my final year very differently to how I would if I hadn't done this internship and will definitely be more organised with my workload.

The office is extremely friendly and everyone is very welcoming and accommodating. You really don't feel like an intern and are integrated into the team very quickly. Everyone is always willing to help and I have never felt concerned about asking too many questions (I had lots at the beginning!).

The placement is well structured with beginning, mid-term and end-of-year reviews/presentations set up to track our progress and development. My role had a well-defined training plan at the start and the hand-over of work was relatively smooth. HR are always in contact to ensure we are getting what we want out of the year which is another great benefit.

In our role, we received lots of eLearning training at the beginning. We have also had multiple class-room training sessions organised to improve our understanding of the role and the assignment of mentors has also been a great benefit to allow 1-to-1 training to further our understanding. We also had a trip to Dublin to complete GCP training.

Having completed this year I think I have gained a much better understanding of what direction I would like my career to head in and I definitely would consider a role in the pharmaceutical industry. MSD offer a range of graduate schemes although unfortunately not in my department. However the route of re-entry into my department has been explained and they have made it clear that the opportunity is there for us to return.

As there are 8 of us working in central London, the social side of the internship has been great. I live with 3 of the interns and some others live together too! Everyone in the office is great fun and we organise monthly social events some of which have included trips to escape rooms, bowling and nights out! We also recently returned from an intern holiday to Budapest!

Living in London is quite expensive however the salary is reasonable and does cover these costs. You are also paid weekly which helps a lot and are still eligible for a student loan during this year. Although it is expensive, living in London has been great as there is always so much to do!

My office is in King's Cross right opposite the Google office! There are plenty of bars in the area which are perfect for after-work drinks. Although they may be abit more expensive than uni, some of them are fairly reasonable! Some nightclubs are very expensive, but there are always cheaper options or lively bars you can go to which are just as fun!

Yes lots! Every Tuesday we have a running club where the office goes running after work around King's Cross. There is also a gym right opposite from the office with a great gym, swimming pool, sauna and classes. They offer a corporate discount to MSD employees however the student discount option is cheaper!