Placement Year Review at GlaxoSmithKline

The Role

Role Description

Setting-up and managing clinical trials. Leading the writing of protocols, informed consent forms, study reports and publications; managing study budgets; monitoring studies; selecting study sites; ensuring drug supplies and other materials necessary for study are delivered

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I enjoyed my placement very much. At the beginning the training was overwhelming and it was not until I was given my project to manage that the training made sense. When I did begin managing my project it was far different to what I expected managing a clinical trial to involve, there was a lot to do, however I had a great team who were very supportive and I learnt so much. It is definitely a career that I want to pursue.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Everyone was very supportive and treated me like an equal member of staff. Although everyone knew that I was a placement student I was not treated any differently. I was given responsibility and accountability just like everyone else and really felt like I was part of the team.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

My manager was incredibly supportive. We had regular meetings to assess how I waas getting on and opportunities to discuss any issues that I had. I did not ever feel that I could not ask my manager any questions or ask for assistance when I was stuck.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I had alot of work to keep me busy. The first couple of months was alot of training and not much hands on work. However once I had my own study to manage I did have a lot of work to keep me busy. There were less busy days which was great, becaus it allowed for catching up with things that may have bben missed. I had a very good balance.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was given my own study to manage, which was a big responsibitlity. It gave me full understanding of setting up and managing a clinical study.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I have learnt alot about time management and working towards deadlines. I was also able to attend presentation courses and use what I had learnt to give presentations to my team and other members of the company. These I know will be beneficial in my final year, when I have to present my dissertation and for interviews for potential jobs.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

It was a very nice and comfortable atmosphere to work in. Everyone got on pretty well. There were quiet times when everyone was busy, as well as times when everyone/few individulas wanted to have a chat, but it was never too distracting if you were not involved in the conversation.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

When I started I was given training that would be relevant to what the job entailed. The project that I was given was given to me when i had completed a sufficient amount of training and had observed a couple of other studies, so I was not overwhelmed.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

My manager was fantastic. I was told that although they had a plan of what I would be doing on my placement, if there was anything that I wanted to learn more about and if there was opportunity to do anything else I could. I was able to visit different sites, attend various trainings and meetings to get a fuller understanding of the company as a whole, not just from my department perspective.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

• Flexi Time
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop
• Working from home

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Very good. Experience is a highly sought after pre-requisite. While on my placement I met a number of staff who had previously been placement students.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

On my placement there was only 2 of us, which was not as many as other GSK sites. This however did nt affect how much I enjoyed my placement as I was living with a friend. This may be a concern for future student - perhaps advise looking for student shared housing, becasue that city (Cambridge) is pretty much a student city.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I think that because it is a student city things are subsidised so overall not that bad.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

There are not that many places to choose from. I came from London so the choices seemed limited in comparisson, however you make the most of the places available. Also there are alot of students out and about, so it is not so quiet, but certain places get really packed because of lack of choice.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Not too much, you make your own activities.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

I would advise living with other students if you do not like being on your own so much, as this placement did not have as many students as others do. Do not get disheartened or overwhelmed at thr beginning with the huge amount of information that you are presented with at the beginning, it all makes sense when you begin working. Ask questions if there are other things that you want to do, you only get to do the placement once, so if there are things that seem interesting and there is time get invloved if you can.

Review 224/231 for GlaxoSmithKline

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