Life as a clinical scientist and career progression

Hi, I'm a clinical scientist in biochemistry, so I can answer these questions but that will be from my experience which is in that area and related fields. The answers will be quite different depending on which specific job interests you.

Realistically how many years of experience would someone need in order to train to become a consultant clinical scientist?
Realistically at least 10 from the start of the STP, which itself isn't easy to get into with just a BSc. The STP is 3 years, you could go for consultant posts probably 5 years after that when you've completed later exams or the HSST if you pick that route so the earliest is about 8 years. Most people are probably in the 12-15 years experience range. There aren't a huge number of posts around so the more you're willing to move around the country the faster you're likely to progress, you also need to be a bit lucky sometimes! As I say below, not everyone wants to be a consultant anyway.

What is the career progression like, would I be stuck at a band 7 role for 10 + years?
STP is paid at band 6, when you finish that you can get a job as a band 7 as you say. There is an intermediate band for most disciplines at AFC band 8A or 8B (mostly 8A). Most people are in a band 7 post for 2-5 years after qualifying (in biochemistry) before getting an 8A role when they do some of the further exams then 5-10 years at this level before consultant. Some people decide to stay at 8A as consultant roles often take you away from the lab/clinical setting.

What is the job actually like, is it boring, would I be in a lab all day everyday, is there opportunity to be on the ward interacting with doctors, patients etc ?
Depends on your discipline and what you find boring! In biochemistry and lots of the lab sciences (microbiology, immunology etc) you're entirely lab based. Most of the work you for these type of roles do is computer based though to do with lab quality which isn't that exciting but does feel like you're making a positive difference to the service. You also give advice on testing to clinicians and often help to interpret results. You might also develop new techniques, teach students, present at conferences (local or international) or support research. In disciplines like genetic counselling and audiology you spend a lot time with patients. Cardiac physiology and imaging seems to be somewhere between the two.

In general most STP roles don't have a huge amount of patient interaction, if that's what you're after consider a nursing/doctor role instead. Also, the more senior you get the more of your time is spent away from the lab/clinical setting and more as a manager.

The STP is supposedly very intense, do you think that the career is worth it?
The STP was quite intense, you do an MSc over three years and have a portfolio of evidence to collect but it's doable and you're (usually) supernumerary, which means that you're there to learn and not just be an extra normal member of staff. For me, yes it's worth it, it's a very interesting and varied job, especially in the specialist areas. The pay isn't bad for science in the UK either. You would generally have more job security than in the private sector too.

How do you feel about your work life balance and about the demands of the job in general?
I think this is the main advantage over medicine in that it's much more of a 9-5 job (at least biochemistry) with the occasional need to stay a bit late to sort out specific situations. At consultant level you might be expected to do on-call rotas. It varies across disciplines and at different trusts but on the whole they're happy for you to get on with your work if you know what you're doing. It can be stressful when you're "duty scientist" which basically means you're the person answering all of the difficult queries and dealing with complaints but that's often on a rota or less onerous at smaller hospitals where you might share the duties with less staff. It also depends how well you get on with the other lab staff e.g. biomedical scientists, as sometimes the relationships between the two groups can be strained in a hospital which can make life difficult.

Can I expect to be earning above 80k at any point in my career?
Likely if you get to consultant posts of 8D (some are 8C though) and either do on-call rotas that pay you a little more, work in London or after about 5 years. £80k is in the top 5% of earners in the UK so don't have too high expectations! Doctors, lawyers, bankers etc are definitely better paid.

UK trained clinical scientists are sought after in other countries so that's one way to increase your salary (e.g. 2-3x these salaries in Dubai) although some countries don't have an equivalent role.

and lastly, do you enjoy what you do?


Yes, like all jobs it can be stressful and annoying but on the whole I can't think of a job I'd prefer to do. I enjoy the teaching aspects and have been able to start up lunch time learning sessions for people, teach medical students and lecture on the STP MSc course. I've been to the Netherlands and Italy with work and plenty of UK conferences without me pushing to go to anything that much. I developed a method to detect rare disorders and picked up the 20th case of a very rare condition in the UK in a child who'd been suffering for 7 years who can now be treated. I've published a couple of papers and presented loads of posters. My day-to-day work means that I see the interesting cases from a whole region rather than a small group of patients like a doctor would. Even the tedious quality work can lead to a change that you then see has potentially saved a life. Obviously these are the highlights but I do enjoy my job!

Hi, I'm a clinical scientist in biochemistry, so I can answer these questions but that will be from my experience which is in that area and related fields. The answers will be quite different depending on which specific job interests you.

Realistically how many years of experience would someone need in order to train to become a consultant clinical scientist?
Realistically at least 10 from the start of the STP, which itself isn't easy to get into with just a BSc. The STP is 3 years, you could go for consultant posts probably 5 years after that when you've completed later exams or the HSST if you pick that route so the earliest is about 8 years. Most people are probably in the 12-15 years experience range. There aren't a huge number of posts around so the more you're willing to move around the country the faster you're likely to progress, you also need to be a bit lucky sometimes! As I say below, not everyone wants to be a consultant anyway.

What is the career progression like, would I be stuck at a band 7 role for 10 + years?
STP is paid at band 6, when you finish that you can get a job as a band 7 as you say. There is an intermediate band for most disciplines at AFC band 8A or 8B (mostly 8A). Most people are in a band 7 post for 2-5 years after qualifying (in biochemistry) before getting an 8A role when they do some of the further exams then 5-10 years at this level before consultant. Some people decide to stay at 8A as consultant roles often take you away from the lab/clinical setting.

What is the job actually like, is it boring, would I be in a lab all day everyday, is there opportunity to be on the ward interacting with doctors, patients etc ?
Depends on your discipline and what you find boring! In biochemistry and lots of the lab sciences (microbiology, immunology etc) you're entirely lab based. Most of the work you for these type of roles do is computer based though to do with lab quality which isn't that exciting but does feel like you're making a positive difference to the service. You also give advice on testing to clinicians and often help to interpret results. You might also develop new techniques, teach students, present at conferences (local or international) or support research. In disciplines like genetic counselling and audiology you spend a lot time with patients. Cardiac physiology and imaging seems to be somewhere between the two.

In general most STP roles don't have a huge amount of patient interaction, if that's what you're after consider a nursing/doctor role instead. Also, the more senior you get the more of your time is spent away from the lab/clinical setting and more as a manager.

The STP is supposedly very intense, do you think that the career is worth it?
The STP was quite intense, you do an MSc over three years and have a portfolio of evidence to collect but it's doable and you're (usually) supernumerary, which means that you're there to learn and not just be an extra normal member of staff. For me, yes it's worth it, it's a very interesting and varied job, especially in the specialist areas. The pay isn't bad for science in the UK either. You would generally have more job security than in the private sector too.

How do you feel about your work life balance and about the demands of the job in general?
I think this is the main advantage over medicine in that it's much more of a 9-5 job (at least biochemistry) with the occasional need to stay a bit late to sort out specific situations. At consultant level you might be expected to do on-call rotas. It varies across disciplines and at different trusts but on the whole they're happy for you to get on with your work if you know what you're doing. It can be stressful when you're "duty scientist" which basically means you're the person answering all of the difficult queries and dealing with complaints but that's often on a rota or less onerous at smaller hospitals where you might share the duties with less staff. It also depends how well you get on with the other lab staff e.g. biomedical scientists, as sometimes the relationships between the two groups can be strained in a hospital which can make life difficult.

Can I expect to be earning above 80k at any point in my career?
Likely if you get to consultant posts of 8D (some are 8C though) and either do on-call rotas that pay you a little more, work in London or after about 5 years. £80k is in the top 5% of earners in the UK so don't have too high expectations! Doctors, lawyers, bankers etc are definitely better paid.

UK trained clinical scientists are sought after in other countries so that's one way to increase your salary (e.g. 2-3x these salaries in Dubai) although some countries don't have an equivalent role.

and lastly, do you enjoy what you do?


Yes, like all jobs it can be stressful and annoying but on the whole I can't think of a job I'd prefer to do. I enjoy the teaching aspects and have been able to start up lunch time learning sessions for people, teach medical students and lecture on the STP MSc course. I've been to the Netherlands and Italy with work and plenty of UK conferences without me pushing to go to anything that much. I developed a method to detect rare disorders and picked up the 20th case of a very rare condition in the UK in a child who'd been suffering for 7 years who can now be treated. I've published a couple of papers and presented loads of posters. My day-to-day work means that I see the interesting cases from a whole region rather than a small group of patients like a doctor would. Even the tedious quality work can lead to a change that you then see has potentially saved a life. Obviously these are the highlights but I do enjoy my job!

Hi, I'm a clinical scientist in biochemistry, so I can answer these questions but that will be from my experience which is in that area and related fields. The answers will be quite different depending on which specific job interests you.

Realistically how many years of experience would someone need in order to train to become a consultant clinical scientist?
Realistically at least 10 from the start of the STP, which itself isn't easy to get into with just a BSc. The STP is 3 years, you could go for consultant posts probably 5 years after that when you've completed later exams or the HSST if you pick that route so the earliest is about 8 years. Most people are probably in the 12-15 years experience range. There aren't a huge number of posts around so the more you're willing to move around the country the faster you're likely to progress, you also need to be a bit lucky sometimes! As I say below, not everyone wants to be a consultant anyway.

What is the career progression like, would I be stuck at a band 7 role for 10 + years?
STP is paid at band 6, when you finish that you can get a job as a band 7 as you say. There is an intermediate band for most disciplines at AFC band 8A or 8B (mostly 8A). Most people are in a band 7 post for 2-5 years after qualifying (in biochemistry) before getting an 8A role when they do some of the further exams then 5-10 years at this level before consultant. Some people decide to stay at 8A as consultant roles often take you away from the lab/clinical setting.

What is the job actually like, is it boring, would I be in a lab all day everyday, is there opportunity to be on the ward interacting with doctors, patients etc ?
Depends on your discipline and what you find boring! In biochemistry and lots of the lab sciences (microbiology, immunology etc) you're entirely lab based. Most of the work you for these type of roles do is computer based though to do with lab quality which isn't that exciting but does feel like you're making a positive difference to the service. You also give advice on testing to clinicians and often help to interpret results. You might also develop new techniques, teach students, present at conferences (local or international) or support research. In disciplines like genetic counselling and audiology you spend a lot time with patients. Cardiac physiology and imaging seems to be somewhere between the two.

In general most STP roles don't have a huge amount of patient interaction, if that's what you're after consider a nursing/doctor role instead. Also, the more senior you get the more of your time is spent away from the lab/clinical setting and more as a manager.

The STP is supposedly very intense, do you think that the career is worth it?
The STP was quite intense, you do an MSc over three years and have a portfolio of evidence to collect but it's doable and you're (usually) supernumerary, which means that you're there to learn and not just be an extra normal member of staff. For me, yes it's worth it, it's a very interesting and varied job, especially in the specialist areas. The pay isn't bad for science in the UK either. You would generally have more job security than in the private sector too.

How do you feel about your work life balance and about the demands of the job in general?
I think this is the main advantage over medicine in that it's much more of a 9-5 job (at least biochemistry) with the occasional need to stay a bit late to sort out specific situations. At consultant level you might be expected to do on-call rotas. It varies across disciplines and at different trusts but on the whole they're happy for you to get on with your work if you know what you're doing. It can be stressful when you're "duty scientist" which basically means you're the person answering all of the difficult queries and dealing with complaints but that's often on a rota or less onerous at smaller hospitals where you might share the duties with less staff. It also depends how well you get on with the other lab staff e.g. biomedical scientists, as sometimes the relationships between the two groups can be strained in a hospital which can make life difficult.

Can I expect to be earning above 80k at any point in my career?
Likely if you get to consultant posts of 8D (some are 8C though) and either do on-call rotas that pay you a little more, work in London or after about 5 years. £80k is in the top 5% of earners in the UK so don't have too high expectations! Doctors, lawyers, bankers etc are definitely better paid.

UK trained clinical scientists are sought after in other countries so that's one way to increase your salary (e.g. 2-3x these salaries in Dubai) although some countries don't have an equivalent role.

and lastly, do you enjoy what you do?


Yes, like all jobs it can be stressful and annoying but on the whole I can't think of a job I'd prefer to do. I enjoy the teaching aspects and have been able to start up lunch time learning sessions for people, teach medical students and lecture on the STP MSc course. I've been to the Netherlands and Italy with work and plenty of UK conferences without me pushing to go to anything that much. I developed a method to detect rare disorders and picked up the 20th case of a very rare condition in the UK in a child who'd been suffering for 7 years who can now be treated. I've published a couple of papers and presented loads of posters. My day-to-day work means that I see the interesting cases from a whole region rather than a small group of patients like a doctor would. Even the tedious quality work can lead to a change that you then see has potentially saved a life. Obviously these are the highlights but I do enjoy my job!