Is it worth applying if I’ve just graduated from university?
Totally! I have many colleagues who have come straight from university – so it’s an option. I also have colleagues who have a PhD, or a masters and colleagues with young children– it’s a whole mixing pot. However, (personally) I have always enjoyed taking time out between each career step to breathe a little. The STP is a very full-on three years with no breaks and it’s easy to become burnt-out. I think taking time out of education has put me in a better head-space to take on the academic challenges an MSc and the STP involve.
Please keep always double check on the official website https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/programmes/stp/applicants/key-dates-for-applications-to-the-2024-stp/
How I went about writing my personal statements:
The National School of Healthcare Science has helpful YouTube videos
https://www.youtube.com/@nationalschoolofhealthcare2275
I also watched a lot of videos such as “STP Tea Break Chats” https://www.youtube.com/@stpteabreakchats8932 where clinical scientists talk about their day-to-day roles, and I read the STP perspectives blogs. There are other blogs and STP students on social media like Instagram and X who share their day-to-day experiences and give great advice.
It’s important to understand what your role will be at the end of the STP and how your current experience can complement what you are going to learn. I would advise you to take a look at the trainee page as well as the applicants pages. The trainee information will tell you what is expected of current trainees.
You can access this by going onto the National School of Healthcare Science website https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/ –> Scientist training programme –> trainees.
Here you can access the curriculum and see what sort of competencies you will be asked to perform. Your STP Curriculum –> curriculum library –> scientist training programme –> Specialties –> click the most recent year –> your chosen speciality. The Clinical Microbiology curriculum has changed a lot since I applied in 2022 so it’s interesting to see the new and updated curriculum! The speciality module page will have lots of information about the programme-level learning outcomes, learning and teaching methods, assessment methods and the programme structure. It can be quite overwhelming but having an idea of what you’re getting into is good.
You can always have a look at job adverts / job descriptions for your chosen role to see what will be expected of you when you complete the STP.
NHS Values
Understanding what the NHS values are, the focus on patient care, teamwork, confidentiality, respect and how your experience reflects those qualities.
You might not think you have experience if you’re straight out of university or having a career change but your experiences in the workplace, at university, within your personal life or volunteering can all contribute to your communication skills and the reasons why you’ve chosen this career path. Working in hospitality during university definitely helped my communication (and patience) skills! Think about the sorts of people you have interacted with, the sorts of challenges you’ve faced and what has led you here.
How can we best prepare for SJTs? Are there websites you would recommend?
There are lots of resources out there, and some are better than others. I personally found the practice questions on the Pearson Vue website the most helpful. This is the site that provides the actual test you will sit and in the practice questions, they explain the reasoning behind the answers.
I paid for some practice tests on JobTestPrep which was £49 for one month. Whilst the questions were helpful, I found the answers a little convoluted and in hindsight, I’m not sure they aligned with the NHS values and answers. It is also expensive.
Once again, it’s good to familiarise yourself with key NHS values, as the SJT is very much based around these.
I found the test fairly challenging as not all scenarios are completely clear what the right answer is, try and imagine yourself in a specific healthcare role. I personally found the time limit the hardest part but if you have extra time in an exam reasonable adjustment request can be made. Home –> Programmes –> Scientist Training Programme –> Applicants –> Direct entry guidance for applicants and employers –> Guidance on applying to STP direct entry posts –> Reasonable adjustments.
How did you decide which specialism you applied for?
I was lucky in that I’ve wanted to be a microbiologist since I was a kid, and I did my undergraduate and master’s degree in microbiology. I’m not very good at doing the same thing day in and day out so I thought clinical science would be good because each day is varied and there are always new challenges.
Understanding the day-to-day role of your specific specialism is important there are people on Twitter who talk about their daily roles as clinical scientists, and there are YouTube videos which can help you better understand the roles. In microbiology, a clinical scientist is very different to being a research microbiologist and a biomedical scientist. Additionally, if you know people or find people on social media they may be willing to give you an insight into what they do on a daily basis.
How to make an application stand out?
It’s really great if you have a specific scientific interest that you can showcase and talk about to make you stand out that might be currently relevant in healthcare. Try to showcase your scientific enthusiasm and passion for healthcare by using evidence-based scenarios.
Being a clinical scientist is a big responsibility and not a common role, so thinking about what makes you a confident leader but also someone who works well within teams. In the NHS you are rarely working alone, so it’s essential to communicate ideas effectively and be able to work with challenging patients or colleagues.
Finally, make sure you want to do this. The STP can be very challenging at times. In microbiology, university is a weekly commitment (unlike other specialities). Balancing exams, university, personal professional development, competencies, laboratory work and a social life is a lot to juggle. Everyone copes with it differently, having a support system nearby is something to consider when you choose your locations, although I’ve made lots of new friends within my STP cohort and my different rotations. Don’t just apply for a qualification at the end of it, apply because you are passionate about healthcare and this is something you want to commit to.
– Estelle Caine
STP Perspectives 