We spoke to two successful STP graduates who have been qualified for 1+ years and are working as either registered or accredited healthcare scientists in two busy NHS Trusts. We asked them to cast their minds back to their first year selves and consider two questions with the benefit of their hindsight and experiences.
Continue reading “Reflections from Graduates”
Sally Clee, Education Training Manager, NSHCS. Sally.clee@hee.nhs.uk
Why record your reflections:
“It allows for a continuous relationship with self, where you can write and revisit as you please” (The University of Edinburgh).
Writing down or recording your reflections enables you to:
Contributers: Martyna Borak and Sophie Reed (OUH Genomics STP trainees)
My story
Hi, I’m Jess and I’m a 1st year NHS STP trainee in Bioinformatics (Genomics) at Oxford. I first heard of the NHS STP through a friend on placement and was intrigued. I heard that it was a degree apprenticeship scheme where you study for a master’s degree at the same time as gaining clinical experience which sounded awesome. After doing more research about the scheme on the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS) I decided to apply in 2021 for Genomics but was unsuccessful. This led me to do the typical “panic” master’s (when one does a master’s degree because they do not know what to do or want to change career paths) where I gained more experience about bioinformatics and reapplied in 2022. Other people have also applied multiple times (I know someone who was successful on their 5th try) and some people have done post-docs, but others get in on their 1st time. In this post, I will talk about my applications process and tips.
Continue reading “How to “ace” the NHS STP application process“
First things first – a belated congratulations for gaining a place on this highly competitive training scheme. This is certainly an achievement not to be ignored! You will have had a couple of months acclimatising to the training scheme and your new home. For some of you, this may be the first time you have moved away from home, for others it won’t be, but will still require you to adapt to not only a new job but a new location too. This short post will offer some first-hand tips to aid settling in, now that winter is creeping in and the dark evenings are getting longer.
Let’s take the positives
Continue reading “STP Support | New Beginnings”
This post aims to volunteer some tips for managing your time and workload on the STP… which is no easy feat!! They are the personal views and experiences of a second-year trainee.
A juggling act
During the STP applications process and subsequent acceptance of a training post I was certainly expecting my new role to challenge and develop my time-management skills. However, I didn’t fully appreciate that the role would require the juggling skills of a high-level circus performer.
Continue reading “STP Support | Keeping the balance”
This post includes the opinions & experiences of the author, who wishes to remain anonymous.
Like a lot of the people posting to this blog, I never thought I’d get onto the STP either. When I applied, I almost balked at the competition ratios. I felt like I didn’t deserve to be there, and doubly so after how I’d felt the interview went. But I did get in – to the training institution I wanted, nonetheless. And it was one of the biggest surprises of my life.
Continue reading “STP Support | Navigating the STP with a Complex Mental Health Condition”
This post has very kindly been written by Chanelle Peters, Chair of the NSHCS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee
The School are working closely with the STP BAME network to ensure that all STP trainees’ views are listened to and that issues faced by trainees around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are discussed openly; that solutions are not only sought, but become embedded in every aspect of the STP training programme from start (recruitment or even before) to finish (exiting the programme). We commend the initiative from STP trainees to create such a forum, especially as we created our own Equality, Diversity & Inclusion one in parallel. Our aim in creating the school EDI committee was to ensure dedicated time and resources were put into the work of promoting EDI in Healthcare Science.
Continue reading “STP Support | Introducing the NSHCS Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity Committee”
When we were told that the entire clinical patient facing service will come to a halt, I was initially relieved as we were taking the right steps to be safe. I also thought that this would be a great opportunity to complete a lot of written one file submissions as the practical aspect had come to a stop.
Continue reading “Adapting to Covid-19 – Experiences & Advice”Problems occur in every area of life and workplaces are no exception. In my career, I’ve had to deal with several different problems at work: from unrealistic expectations and demands from management; bullying; lack of (or poor!) project management; lack of delegation or being set unclear goals. Knowing how to deal with work-related problems effectively and professionally is an essential skill, which will improve job satisfaction, increase personal happiness and ultimately help you to become a more productive and effective employee.
I have developed a strategy for dealing with problems at work; these steps have been applicable to most of the problems I’ve faced at work and will hopefully help the reader to deal with their own problems effectively. I will start by breaking down the steps to take when facing a generic problem and close with an example describing how to deal with training plan issues.
Continue reading “STP Support | A guide for dealing with STP training issues”Elation. That was the prevailing emotion that overwhelmed me on 22nd May 2018 at 09:23. The email read: “We are pleased to offer you the following programme: Scientist Training Programme, Cardiac Science”.
Continue reading “STP Support | The Emotional Rollercoaster of the STP – A Survival Guide”
STP Perspectives 