Intern Review

The work I performed during my placement year was interesting, and I have learnt lots of new techniques through the placement that I may not have had the option to develop otherwise. I have been able to network within AstraZeneca and have developed many personal skills by taking on a more independent stance both in work and when performing University work.

I was made to feel very welcome at the start of my placement, with members of my team and other teams taking me under their wing both in the lab and in the office. I have presented multiple times and received help from my colleagues on issues I have encountered during work that I have discussed during these presentations, and have also been made to feel able to suggest any help I can during meetings.

My supervisors have been very helpful with lab and office-based issues during my placement. I had regular 1-to-1 meetings with my supervisor for the first 6 months of my placements where we would discuss my progress and any issues I was having, and these meetings have now mainly stopped as I am more confident in just discussing any issues or queries during meetings or just in the office.

Due to my university work as a part of my integrated masters, the first 8 months of my placement I was very busy, if not with work related jobs then with coursework. After I finished my University work, I have been a lot busier in the lab and with write ups, but this has allowed me to become more independent in my work and take more control of my project now that I can give it my full attention.

At the start of my placement I was trained, but given responsibilities pretty early on as soon as I was qualified to perform the tasks. This mostly applies to lab work, where specific training is required on some machines or in some techniques. Once I had been trained, I shadowed a colleague until I felt comfortable trying myself and then once I had performed the task I was left to do this myself, thus I feel like I had a lot of responsibility in that regard. Toward the end of my project when I had finished my University work and was fully focused on the project, I gained a lot more responsibility in guiding my project and did not feel it was required to ask my supervisors for guidance at each and every stage.

The skills I developed will aid me in my future career prospects and studies, as the variety of both personal and employability skills I have developed are relevant to many job roles. The training I received on the different equipment in the lab will give me a head-start in any future workplaces and mean I can excel in those tasks quicker than if I had not received previous training. The training and skills I have developed will also help me when applying for future placements or jobs, as a variety of skills is sought out by employers.

The atmosphere in the office was positive, there was a good balance of quiet at times to then sometimes colleagues discussing their work. Usually people would get a private area or go to the atrium to have more casual chats, which was useful when concentrating in the office. People would often bring food into the office for people which was nice to chat to members I may not have spoken to a lot previously.

The placement was organised well, there was a lot of training at the start of the placement along with tours of the building and also meetings to get to know people within my department. With the nature of research, my project goals did change but this is not a result of the work placement set up, and there was a smooth change over when these changes occurred showing a well organised set up.

Most of the training and development that occurred during my placement was work related, but I feel that my colleagues did help me develop personally through their actions and help during my placement. There were networking events that helped improve my confidence, along with presentations that I was able to practice with my supervisors.

I would like to work at AstraZeneca in the future as this company is progressive and treats their employees well. I feel part of a community here and the work I am conducting is interesting. At the minute I am unsure where I would like to go in terms of careers and thus would like to take some time to decide, but this company has been a great help with helping me develop my future career ideas and is a great company to work for.

Due to my University work, I feel I missed out on making good social connections with my fellow placement students. I wouldn't let this change that the social scene was present, as there were different things set up by the company that brought the students together and different events that we attended which were fun.

The cost of living was relatively expensive in comparison to where I was previously living, and prices for socialising were also increased compared to where I have previously lived. Rent of the house was very expensive compared to where I have stayed previously also.

I was not a great fan of the nightlife in the area I worked. I was not a great fan of the clubs in the city centre and found myself going to London or back home for when I wanted to go out. The surrounding areas are nice for relaxing, but I wouldn't say that they were great for nightlife.

As I was situated quite close to the city centre there were opportunity for activities outside of work, but I did not have a lot of time to devote to these opportunities due to University/Work commitments.