R&D Oncology Apprentice Review

Day-to-day I am a laboratory based scientist working in the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination sciences) team. This involves conducting in-vitro assays to determine stability of oncology compounds in a variety of matrices, such as hepatocytes, microsomes, plasma, S9 and cytosol. Also, it involves bioanalysis work for in-vivo pharmacology studies requiring the use of a mass spectrometer. The process covers lab work to data analysis.

During the apprenticeship, I have learnt so many skills it would be impossible to list them all! They key soft skills I have developed are written and verbal communication skills through a variety of formats such as journal articles, presentations, emails and thesis writing. Other skills include scientific laboratory dexterity and theoretical knowledge.

The programme is thoroughly enjoyable as it is a very challenging programme. It requires a lot of organisation to manage your work time to ensure you are keeping up to date. You also need to be self motivated on your study days and ensure to keep to university deadlines. There are always opportunities to learn new things and develop yourself, which is always rewarding.

The programme is quite well structured. For the university you have multiple modules to complete every 10-12 weeks, in your one day a week study day. The study aspect does fit within the study day, however extra learning and assignment writing has to be completed in your own time. For the remaining four days of the week, it is spent in work.

My direct line manager is very supportive of the apprenticeship programme and is always available to answer questions and help me. It is line manager dependent on how much support your receive, however if you are struggling, there are members of staff external to your team who can help and support you in any way you need.

The University of Kent have been improving their support they offer to apprentices. Every 8 weeks you have a review meeting with your apprentice coordinator who ensures you are keeping up to date, and always respond very quickly if you message/email them. You can contact module lecturers any time if you are struggling with course content. There is also a student support service if you have any other issues.

In my opinion, I do not feel that the qualification has been entirely useful. There is a wide variety of modules to choose from, some of which are compulsory. The modules do not always overlap with the work, so they may not always allow you to perform better in the role. The difficulty of the employer work often surpasses the standard of work covered in the university guide.

There are a wide variety of activities you can get involved in. AZinspire is a group for all employees who have been at the company less than 5 years, and they host events all year round. There are numerous apprentice groups for socials, although these can sometimes be organised around which home site you have, which may be isolating. AstraZeneca have a wide variety of social clubs you can attend or help run.

Yes

AstraZeneca is a great place to work and offers not only job support but also personal development support, to allow you to become more developed as a whole. It is an amazing environment to work in, working alongside industry experts with the opportunity to ask as many questions as you like!

When applying to AstraZeneca, it is important to be authentic and genuine to yourself. The application process is not just for AZ, but also for your to see if you will be the right fit and you can gain as much as you can from the experience. Also, it's always good to do some extra reading around AZ.