Neve Carter - Graduate Scheme Case Study
Neve Carter graduated in 2023 with a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and went on to secure a place on the NHS Scientist Training Programme as Trainee Clinical Pharmaceutical Scientist at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
What does your current role involve?
My current day to day involves a mix of production (typically in the morning) and quality assurance (QA) in the afternoon. Production in the morning is the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals and then my QA work will involve microbiological monitoring trending, non-conformances and other general QMS (quality management system) maintenance. On an average day, I will interact with pharmacists, senior scientists, radiotechnologists and assistant technological officers. External interaction will include our suppliers, QCNW for quality control support and other nuclear medicine departments. For my MSc I typically have one online teaching day a week in September, then a week of in-person teaching every other month. In addition, I attend external teaching courses, for example in March I am attending an in-person radiopharmacy course at King’s College London. Within my current role, I also complete rotations (which are typically four weeks long) across production, aseptics, quality assurance and quality control.
What did the application process for your job involve, and what tips do you have for current students to succeed in job applications?
The Scientist Training Programme (STP) application is in multiple stages: first, you need to complete an online personal statement. For this, you should use the person specification to plan your structure and content, as it allows you to highlight how you meet the criteria. This is then uploaded onto the Oriel application portal, where you also add your details and relevant work and education qualifications. After this is uploaded you will complete a situational judgement test (SJT). Once completed, you will be scored on your SJT and statement. You will then be longlisted depending on score and then shortlisted after they rank the scores. In shortlisting, you will be allowed to choose the hospitals you want to work at. They can then offer you an interview which you can accept or decline. After interviewing in my year, you were either accepted or rejected for a place at that hospital. I believe for the 2024 cohort they were scored by the training officers and this information was given to the school who then placed the students where they saw fit.
To prepare for the application process, I watched the STP talks on YouTube and went to the STP Perspectives website to read blogs from current STP trainees. I also completed the free practice SJT on the website of the National School of Healthcare Science and attended the webinar hosted by them. I also messaged current STPs to get more insight into the role and the specialism. The NHS careers website also provides information on healthcare scientists and their role.
What advice would you give current students to make the most of their time at university and prepare themselves for their future career?
As part of the requirements for the STP you MUST get a 2:1 to be considered so I would recommend reviewing your lecture content and getting help on anything you don’t understand. Achieving a 1st or a 2:1 shows that you can take on the demands of combining a masters and a full-time job. If possible, any specialism-relevant work experience will massively help in the application, as some people struggle to adjust to the environment and lifestyle changes that come with working in aseptic suites.
My role as a clinical trials assistant gave me insight into following GMP. It developed my people skills as I had to work with patients and it gave me experience of quality assurance. My course was directly relevant to this specialism so reviewing your material prior to an interview can help you within the job process. For this specialism, I would recommend any reading into cleanroom management, aseptic drug production and radiopharmaceuticals as a baseline.
Would you do anything differently if you were a first-year undergraduate student again?
If I was a first-year student again, I would have taken better notes. After Covid lockdowns, the transition from online back to in-person teaching was not easy and taking better notes would have lessened my reliance on lectures. If you feel comfortable doing so, I would recommend speaking to lecturers as this helps to build a relationship which can be useful in post-graduate life.
At LJMU, we have an employability skills and mind-set framework embedded within all our degrees. Which three of the nine employability skills and which three of the seven mind-set traits did you find most important in your day-to-day role, and how did you use them in practice during the internship?
Employability skills – Teamwork and collaboration; Professional written and spoken communication skills; ICT and technology / Digital Literacy: I need to be able to work well in a team as we are an understaffed team so we need to be able to work together and rely on each other to ensure all tasks are completed to ensure the service runs effectively and delivers for patients. As a working professional, you need strong communication skills to be able to communicate issues and instructions. And since we use a lot of digital systems such as q-pulse, digital skills are required.
Mind-set traits – Resourceful, adaptable, lifelong learner; Trustworthy and responsible; Self-aware, self-confident and independent: You need to be adaptable and resourceful in this role as there are changes every day that you need to work to. If there is a shortage or an issue, you need to be able to meet that challenge to ensure patient service runs. You need to be trustworthy and responsible because of the nature of the work - we handle patient data and are responsible for patient safety so to not be either of these puts people at risk. You must be self-aware as your actions impact others and you represent the hospital. You need to be self-confident as we work in a high-risk environment so we need to be confident in the tasks we carry out. And you need to be independent as you will be entrusted to ensure tasks are completed.
Support from the Student Futures team
If you want to talk about potential careers options with your degree, need help finding opportunities or want support with your CV, application forms or preparing for an interview, you can get advice and guidance by booking a 30-minute 1-2-1 careers meeting with a Careers and Employability Adviser from the LJMU Student Futures Team. You can also come along to a Careers drop-in or CV Café which take place weekly at the Careers Zones for quick careers queries.
If you are thinking about starting a business, freelancing, pursuing a side-hustle or have an idea that you want to explore further, email the Start-up Hub and a member of the team will be back in touch, or visit the Start-up Hub website.