Biostatistician Review

Writing analytical programs in mostly R, but also SAS. These programs were for the purpose of analysing clinical trial data and producing outputs (e.g. tables, graphs). These outputs were then distributed to the wider clinical trial team / trial management. R Shiny was also used for data visualisation projects.

Yes. From the start of the placement, my manager began giving me small but meaningful programming tasks. The responsibility of these tasks increased over time, and I was also able to take on some important projects. One of these was a large project that I spent a lot of time on during the placement. This started off small as a small project, but became something that carried a lot of responsibility, and involved lots of collaboration with other internal departments and senior management.

I did not know R or SAS before this placement. As I used R almost daily on the placement, I can now confidently program in R (I did not use SAS very much, but I still gained a fundamental understanding). I had the opportunity to develop communications skills, presentation skills, and effective time management skills. Managing tight deadlines was another skill that was I was able to develop.

I received a lot of support and guidance during my placement. Upon starting, all of the staff were welcoming and supportive, and this continued throughout the placement. I always felt that I could reach out to any colleague if I had a concern or question. The guidance and knowledge I gained from my manager was excellent in particular.

There was a friendly culture and pleasant atmosphere.

I very much enjoyed my placement. The work was very interesting and I never got bored of it. The people I worked with were very nice, and my manager was very supportive and knowledgeable. The placement students were encouraged to come into the office as much as possible (at least to begin with), but there was never a hard limit on the number of days you had to be in the office, so this was definitely a positive for me.

Yes