Advice – STP Perspectives

Preparing for the STP Interviews!

Hey! My name is Nic and I’m a first-year Clinical Engineering STP trainee, specialising in Rehabilitation Engineering! (So take this post through the lens of someone who researched the heck out of the STP applications and prepare to have that experience shared with you.)

Congratulations on getting to the interview stages of the STP application! (Or you’re just snooping around to find out more about the application process 👀)

Preparing for the interview for the STP can be a difficult process given the limited information or guidance out there! The interview process has changed considerably over time, especially due to circumstances during COVID. To better understand the expectations during the interview, here’s a bit of history around the (NSH England) STP interview process!

Scientist Training Programme 2024 Application Advice

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. 

My MSc Project: Medical Physics

Hello, my name is Rachael and I’m a Medical Physics STP based in Oxford. I started the STP back in September 2020 after studying Mathematics and Physics BSc at the University of Manchester. My specialism is imaging with ionising radiation which is a mix of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine on the current curriculum.

Tips on how to write a Research Proposal

Hi, I’m Elle and I am about to enter my third year as a Clinical Immunology STP at Oxford. My research project is evaluating our service which aids in the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and potentially implement a new test to make the process more streamlined.

As you may know, as part of the MSc component of the STP, everyone is expected to complete a research project. This ideally should equate to ~10 weeks’ worth of work and is conducted in collaboration with your workplace. Based on personal experience, the project will be decided by the seniors within your department and is often a project they believe will improve and enhance their service. However, if you have a particular interest, don’t be afraid to have a discussion with them or your training officer about some ideas you may have. It is never a bad idea to put forward your own interests and passions. As this part of the MSc, your university needs to also approve your project. This is done by writing a research proposal. You will get more information regarding what is suitable for a project from your course leads. This little blog post is just to give some advice on how to approach writing a research proposal to make it a lot less daunting.

Balancing parenthood with the STP

Hi! I’m Danni, a first-year Clinical Bioinformatics Genomics STP based at the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Foundation Trust. I’m also the proud parent of a 3-year-old daughter. Having just finished a PhD, I thought I knew exactly what it was like to study while raising a toddler. Little did I know that balancing work life, home life, and studying would prove to be quite the challenge! So I’m here to share my experiences, hoping they’ll help any new parents embarking on this exciting journey (congratulations, by the way!)

The Six Month Survival Guide

Hi, my names Estelle, and I’m a new co-editor here at STP perspectives. I’m currently in my first year of the Clinical Microbiology STP. My studies and work experience have all been in Microbiology and Medical Microbiology.

This blog is about how I’ve survived the first six months of the STP. It will cover:

What sort of challenges you might face
How to utilise your cohort/ colleagues to assist you
Some reminders to take it easy!

How I failed the STP IACC & then passed

This is a blog post about how I failed my first attempt at the IACC exit assessment in the summer of 2022. It’ll cover:

What went wrong
How you can potentially avoid this
How to prepare for a resit

Most of the advice in this blog I received from meeting with senior scientists, others who had failed and my wider support network. This post is a thank you to those people and I hope sharing the advice they gave me is useful to you. I also want this blog to show you that failing is something that is a normal and natural part of life, which has happened to everyone you know and will happen to you too, perhaps even at the most pivotal part of your career to date.

Adriana’s blog post on the IACC has many brilliant tips and I’d recommend reading it alongside this one as I’ve skipped some of points to avoid duplication. This blog post was correct for the STP IACC 2022. The IACC is going to change over the coming years, please check the NSHCS website for the latest guidance on the STP exit assessment relevant to your cohort.

How to write reflectively

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:

Take a step back from the situation – acknowledge the emotions but not dwell on them
Revisit your reflections
Be forward thinking and outward looking
Take time to focus on what is important – the key learning from the situation

How to “ace” the NHS STP application process

Contributers: Martyna Borak and Sophie Reed (OUH Genomics STP trainees)

My story

Hi, I’m Jess and I’m a 1^st 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 5^th try) and some people have done post-docs, but others get in on their 1^st time. In this post, I will talk about my applications process and tips.

STP Support | New Beginnings

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