Statistics and Programming Industrial Placement Student Review

No day really looks the same due the wide variability of tasks given. The stage of the drug study depends on the type of work you will be doing each day. In some instances my days have involved lots of programming for ad-hoc analyses. At different timepoints in the year my days have involved more writing or reviewing for technical documents. Finally, lots of communication with colleagues is always an important part of any day!

The work has involved lots of cross-function team work meaning that my communication skills have developed greatly. I have also had the opportunity to learn how to code in both R and SAS - these are skills that I didn't have before starting my placement year. In addition, before my placement year my knowledge of survival statistics was minimal, now I have a good understanding of this topic and use it frequently throughout my role.

In the final few months of my placement, having built up a bank of skills and knowledge and having grown in confidence, I was given opportunity for some independence on various work. This involved authoring an amendment to documents with oversight from my supervisor, who was also on hand for any questions that I had. The work also involved organizing and facilitating meetings with the clinical team to resolve any comments or issues that arose.

I have had as much support and guidance as I have needed throughout my placement. In the beginning when I had very little knowledge of the industry and the companies processes, I had a lot of help from the team I was working in. Towards the end of my placement, the help was still there for when I needed it, but found myself asking for help a bit less as a result of having a greater understanding of tasks.

The team I spent the year with were very friendly, welcoming and helpful. The office environment creates a great atmosphere to work in, everyone seems to enjoy there work and is happy, this generally creates a good space to work. Across the company there are lots of other placement students and graduates across lots of different functions, this meant that there were always various social activities to participate in after work if you were interested.

I have really enjoyed my placement year, it has exceed all of my expectations. It has been an incredibly fulfilling and enriching experience and has set me up well for making future decisions about my career, including module choices heading back to uni! Placement year has given me a new found love for statistics and programming. I have always felt supported and part of the team, but I have also made some life long friends!

Yes

Take each day and each opportunity as it comes, most importantly really enjoy the year! If you are considering submitting an application for a placement but don’t feel as though you tick all of the boxes, submit the application and show a keenness to learn the skills you don’t feel as though you have. There were certainly many skills that I didn’t have before, that I have now because of my placement!