Sanaria Fathulla (SF): Could you share a bit about your educational background? What inspired you to pursue clinical science, and what drew you to your specialist area?

Umar Ali (UA): Throughout primary school, high school and university, I have always chosen STEM. I think that drew me towards it because I was fascinated by how things work and the background to everything. There was also some sort of motivation to help people, so my first inclination was going to medicine, but due to how competitive it was, I thought I would go for something else, which led me down towards the STP. It was not patient-facing, but it did have insight on how manufacturing processes work, especially in my specialism, pharmaceutical sciences. For example, how well the procedure works and making sure they are validated and up to regulatory standards.

Hannah Birmingham (HB): Was there a particular moment or experience that confirmed you'd made the right career choice?

UA: During my rotations, I had to get a history of a patient and their experience with hyperthyroidism. Within my rotations, we must check the capsules that they are taking and if they have the right activity because it is radioactive. So, to make sure the patient is getting the dose, and when I was talking to him, I heard about how the condition is affecting them and what they are trying to do to alleviate the symptoms. Seeing what cheques for the NHS do and how important they are made me realise this was the role for me and the career path I wanted to pursue.

SF: Can you describe a typical day as an STP trainee and share some of the most exciting or rewarding aspects of the programme?

UA: A typical day would involve getting competencies ticked off as a trainee, so once you go to your rotations, which are not usually at one hospital, you sometimes need to attend meetings or some observations you may need to do. In my case, there are monthly meetings where they review the quality of their procedures and make sure everything is working as it is supposed. If not, they have different processes to carry out risk assessments and if there are any changes they need to investigate or if there needs to be an escalation to different boards.

Another rewarding thing is that there is one rotation that is in production, and this involves larger scales of making medicine. So, one instance is when they had to make cardioplegia, which is used to stop the heart during heart surgery. The whole process involves making sure products and bottles are sterile/clean by using an autoclave for a good 2-3 days. Seeing the whole process behind something to make sure it is the highest quality product is amazing sometimes. It is interesting how processes are put in place to make sure the patient is safe. That is one thing the STP and healthcare in general is there for, to make sure the service users of the National Trust are looked after with quality care.

SF: How do the academic and hands-on components of the STP complement each other, and what kind of projects or research have you been involved in?

UA: The academic is part-time and, in my specialism, usually every few months we have a week in Manchester where we go over certain aspects of our rotations. During one of my rotations, I had a week of teaching, which gave me the theory behind what I was doing in my rotations. There is not really research projects, it is more during the third year that we do a project that can be about our specialism and research about the topic.

HB: What skills have you found most valuable for your future career, and has your experience changed your perspective on the NHS or healthcare science?

UA: Within healthcare science, you are a team, and with the STP, they build you up to be the next leaders of the NHS. So, they throw you into the deep end about how, for example, management works within healthcare and different stakeholders and how they are managed. It changed my view of the NHS, where everyone is given the same deck of cards to deal with and everyone is trying to deal with different problems at the same time. However, there is a genuine feeling that everyone there is just trying to help each other. So, it gave me more of an understanding that everyone is there to help patients, colleagues and overall, the trust itself.

HB: Where do you see yourself after completing the STP? Do you have any long-term career aspirations?

UA: After the STP, I hope to stay within pharmaceutical sciences so that could lead me to stay with the NHS, which is desirable, in another production unit as a quality lead or a final option of industry. I do see a long-term future with the NHS.

HB: What advice would you give to future STP applicants, and is there anything you wish you had known before starting the programme?

UA: If anyone wants to apply and start the STP, I will say that it is a learning curve. There will be trials and tribulations, you only find growth in discomfort. If you are on placement and behind on work, work hard and prioritise what you need to do, then you will be fine. But if you are struggling and need help, there is always support for you. It goes to current STP trainees as well; the struggles you go through are meant to build you up to be a better scientist and build resilience.

SF: What qualities, experiences, or prior work experience do you think make a strong STP candidate?

UA: Firstly, know the specialism you want to go into, as they are not all the same. For example, in pharmaceutical sciences, my dissertation at the University of Salford was about how compounds work, and does it say what it is supposed to do on the tin. I got down the route of validation, which is one aspect of pharmaceutical sciences. So, people who want to get experience within that specialism. I took a year out before my STP and got non-technical skills like leadership and management experience, which is another good thing to try to get. During the application, it involves advertising yourself and building skills that relate to your specialism and who you are as a person and as a team. Look at the roles and responsibilities of your specialism and look at how good you are as a leader and person. Make it look fancy as an application.

Whilst the STP takes a lot of preparation and effort, the outcome provides a rewarding experience with great gain academically and professionally. Any key dates from previous and current years for the STP can be found on the NHS website (NHS, 2019). This involves job descriptions that the application should be based around as well as information on the curriculum for the different specialisms. Once the STP has ended, there are several pathways such as the Higher Specialist Scientific Training (HSST) which allows you to further specialise and then apply for consultant level jobs in the NHS (NSHCS, n.d.).

References

‌NHS. (n.d.). Higher Specialist Scientist Training Programme . NSHCS. Retrieved from https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/programmes/hsst/

NHS. (2019). Scientist Training Programme . NSHCS. Retrieved from https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/programmes/stp/