Associate Clinical Development Scientist Review

On a day-to-day basis my daily tasks and interactions would vary significantly. Throughout my placement I have been involved in a wide range of activities which include but aren't limited to:
- Reviewing key clinical trial documents, an example of a document I have reviewed would be the protocol.
- Maintenance of the electronic Trial Master File.
- Follow-up on resolution of open queries, this could be internally or externally.
- Ensure that the delivery of the study is to plan. Therefore, I would be involved in managing site start-up activities, oversight of clinical vendor performance and oversight of study team activities.

Whilst on placement, I believe that was given a lot of responsibility for the different studies that I was working on. The first month or two of my placement was mainly training and shadowing my line-manager in different meetings, however, by a few months in I was involved in many different activities that my manager thought I would benefit from. Any tasks that I was given by my line-manager were meaningful and were given to me to help my development and understanding of my placement role.

Whilst on placement, I have developed my existing skills and I have also learnt new skills. The main skill I have developed is communication- this skill is important in my role as I was responsible for the management of certain clinical trials. Therefore, speaking to the wider team on meetings or emails is an important aspect of the placement role. Other existing skills I have developed whilst on placement are effective problem solving and creative thinking skills. Some of the new skills that I have learnt whilst on placement include the ability to help lead a team by setting priorities and targets and also project management skills.

From the very start of my placement, my line-manager has always made it clear that she is there to support both my professional and personal development and she has always encouraged me to ask any questions (no matter how big or small). As my placement has been completely virtual so far, we have regular 1:1 meetings on Microsoft Teams where we catch-up as we can't go into the office. The wider team I work with have always been happy for me to set-up 1:1 meetings where I could learn more about their role at GSK and also answer any questions/provide clarification if there was something I didn't understand. Whilst on placement we were also allocated a mentor and a buddy which was also a great opportunity to expand my network and gain advice and support from other GSK employees in different areas of the business.

My placement so far has been completely virtual and therefore I haven't had the chance to attend any company-wide events and activities due to COVID-19 restrictions and there hasn't been any (that I'm of) virtually. There have been a few social events that have been put on by the Industrial Placement Committee at Stevenage due to the COVID-19 restrictions now easing. This has been a great way to get to know other Industrial Placement students as the committee has set-up different sports/leisure activities.
My department has set-up different sessions throughout the year surrounding inclusion and diversity. I have attended a lot of these sessions and they have been really useful and informative.
There have also been a few community initiatives, the one I got involved with was volunteering at a COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Centre. It was a great initiative that GSK encouraged their employees to get involved with!

Before I started my placement, I wasn't sure how I was going to find it as the pandemic meant that I would be working from home (normally I would be office-based). However, this placement has surpassed all of my expectations! I have really enjoyed my placement year so far, I have developed both personally and professionally (and more than I was expecting to). My line-manager and others in my department have always given me meaningful tasks that have stretched my abilities and allowed me to develop my skills and abilities in many different areas. If I was given the opportunity, I would definitely go back to the company as I really like the company culture and the people that work there. It has been an all-round great experience!

Yes