Quality Control and Pharmaceutical Development Microbiology Summer Internship Review

I was a quality control intern, where I was tasked with maintenance and up-keep of critical machinery, this included cleaning and calibration. I was also tasked with ensuring an adequate supply of consumables were prepared should they be needed for an analytical test. Once trained it was often my duty to carry out assessment of tablets to ensure they meet safety criteria and also perform an analytical test to determine the water content of the tablets.

Yes, I have developed a greater understanding of GMP and all the areas that includes. I have learnt how to operate several new types of machinery including tablet processing workstations, and moisture meters. I have also been able to expand on my knowledge of HPLC that i gained in university, being able to see how it is used in real life situations and not just as part of a practical assignment has been very insightful.

Once sufficiently trained yes, I was able to use the online task system to pick up tasks from 2 different labs to make sure i was helping to ease the workload as much as possible. Again, once trained i was able to independently use different analytical machines, conduct tests, and prepare solutions that were required for the machines to operate as well as for use as standards. Overall i was happy with the levels of both independence and responsibility I was given.

I was given constant guidance and support, there was never a time where I was unsure of what I was doing. The senior analysts were always on hand to answer questions and to give support and never made it seem like I was asking a stupid question, always reassuring me that they started the same way and that they would rather I ask a question several times than do something incorrectly that could have been easily answered.

Company culture was very positive, it was refreshing to work somewhere that had no blame culture and was more focused on preventing problems before they occur or preventing them form occurring again. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and while the workload was sometimes high there was never an expectation for you to overwork yourselves to meet a quota. Management were very understanding when issues arose that were out of our control. The flexible working time was one of the main positive aspects of this job, I was able to come in for any 8 hour period of a working day, this allowed for greater flexibility when planning other events in life.

I highly enjoyed my internship, if i were to rate it I would give it a strong 9/10. The teams were amazing to work with, very friendly and supportive, and provided me with many learning opportunities to both gain new skills and further develop the ones i already had. The only part where i would say needs a bit of improvement is having a bit more of a plan when it comes to the initial training, as it took around 2 weeks to get sufficiently trained to start doing some of the more meaningful tasks and a bit longer to have enough tasks to satisfy a sufficient workload. If some training could be completed before beginning the internship and the assessments carried out in the first week then I would give 10/10. Overall I am very grateful for my time in QC and hope to be back at some point in the future.

Yes

Ensure your knowledge is up-to-date for the relevant area in which you are applying as there was a technical aspect to my interview that i was unaware of until it came up in the interview. Be prepared to read a lot of SOP and learning resources, on average i was completing 2-3 per day for the first half of my internship. Dont be afraid to apply for a position you may not be completely qualified for.