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STP 2021 entry - (genomic counselling)

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Hi, I thought these questions seem a little tricky based on the specialism of GC. For example, the physical requirements seem hard to apply here as there are less equipment/fiddly tasks which would require physical dexterity etc compared to a hands on specialism. I agree that it is a shame that the transferable skills section is one of the smaller ones, as this is so key for GC
Original post by Jodiedyer
Hi, I thought these questions seem a little tricky based on the specialism of GC. For example, the physical requirements seem hard to apply here as there are less equipment/fiddly tasks which would require physical dexterity etc compared to a hands on specialism. I agree that it is a shame that the transferable skills section is one of the smaller ones, as this is so key for GC

I completely agree. I wish they had perhaps different wordcounts depending on each specialism. Transferable skills, I would argue, is way more important than physical requirements and is at least on par with scientific (if not also above that)!
Original post by Jodiedyer
Hi, I thought these questions seem a little tricky based on the specialism of GC. For example, the physical requirements seem hard to apply here as there are less equipment/fiddly tasks which would require physical dexterity etc compared to a hands on specialism. I agree that it is a shame that the transferable skills section is one of the smaller ones, as this is so key for GC

GC has always been impacted negatively in this way, since the bulk of other specialisms are physical science based. GC Has only been on the STP for about 4 years and is very much an outlier when it comes to things like this.

Whilst I'm not applying this year and haven't seen what the applications look like (so take this with a pinch of salt), what I can say is that your application will be read and marked by someone from your chosen specialism, i.e. a qualified GC. They'll know how relevant (or not) certain sections are, and which to pay attention to.

When I applied I wrote about a sentence or two about the lab work I'd done, and devoted the rest to my care experience. If you've ever been involved with fitting IVs, peg feeding, manual hoisting, personal care etc I'd mention them, as they definitely fit the criteria.

The best bet is probably to sprinkle references to your transferable skills thoughout the whole application, then go more in depth in the section dedicated to it. That's what I did last year; 250 words was nowhere near enough 😂
Original post by LakeClover
GC has always been impacted negatively in this way, since the bulk of other specialisms are physical science based. GC Has only been on the STP for about 4 years and is very much an outlier when it comes to things like this.

Whilst I'm not applying this year and haven't seen what the applications look like (so take this with a pinch of salt), what I can say is that your application will be read and marked by someone from your chosen specialism, i.e. a qualified GC. They'll know how relevant (or not) certain sections are, and which to pay attention to.

When I applied I wrote about a sentence or two about the lab work I'd done, and devoted the rest to my care experience. If you've ever been involved with fitting IVs, peg feeding, manual hoisting, personal care etc I'd mention them, as they definitely fit the criteria.

The best bet is probably to sprinkle references to your transferable skills thoughout the whole application, then go more in depth in the section dedicated to it. That's what I did last year; 250 words was nowhere near enough 😂

That makes sense, thank you. I guess we will just have to fit in anything relevant that we can think of and then hope the GC who reads it will appreciate the difficulty of the question weighting. Fingers crossed
Original post by Beth Hughes
I'm curious about the scientific skills part as it has a greater word count, but for GC, therapeutic skills and caring are just as crucial. In this section I'll be adding futurelearn courses and any reading to boost this section in addition to my uni course skills.
But I'm hopeful that the questions allow opportunity to tailor it to GC and being in cafe expert.

I’m not applying until 2022, I was just wondering what are the new questions and what are the word count limits? Any info would be greatly appreciated, Thanks
Reply 25
Original post by simply.merissa
I’m not applying until 2022, I was just wondering what are the new questions and what are the word count limits? Any info would be greatly appreciated, Thanks

Just register and take a look at the application, no harm in it and then you can see what it look likes first hand
Reply 26
Original post by LakeClover
GC has always been impacted negatively in this way, since the bulk of other specialisms are physical science based. GC Has only been on the STP for about 4 years and is very much an outlier when it comes to things like this.

Whilst I'm not applying this year and haven't seen what the applications look like (so take this with a pinch of salt), what I can say is that your application will be read and marked by someone from your chosen specialism, i.e. a qualified GC. They'll know how relevant (or not) certain sections are, and which to pay attention to.

When I applied I wrote about a sentence or two about the lab work I'd done, and devoted the rest to my care experience. If you've ever been involved with fitting IVs, peg feeding, manual hoisting, personal care etc I'd mention them, as they definitely fit the criteria.

The best bet is probably to sprinkle references to your transferable skills thoughout the whole application, then go more in depth in the section dedicated to it. That's what I did last year; 250 words was nowhere near enough 😂

How did you make the care experience relate to the scientific skills section of the core person specification?
What do you even write about in the physical section? I thought about writing about emotional resilience but idk if that’s right...
Hi everyone,

Hope you are all good and are not struggling too much with the applications, this year seems so much tougher to formulate answers for than previous years! :smile:
Hi guys, have you found where on oriel you state that its genomic counselling that you're applying for, I can't find it within the STP application.
Reply 30
Original post by VicsterT
Hi guys, have you found where on oriel you state that its genomic counselling that you're applying for, I can't find it within the STP application.

Hi:smile:
Yes i found it, its under preferences!
Hey guys, just to check, are you including the amount of time you have been in a care role/how many hours/months you have worked/volunteered somewhere? Unsure whether to or not because these word counts are killing me
Hey, do you need to prove how many hours of care you have done?
I only have 10 months part-time experience and haven't a clue how many hours I've done so far.
(edited 3 years ago)
Hi,

Was just wondering if any of you talked about your voluntary experiences in the scientific section, or purely in just the transferable skills section. I was confused by them saying you can only talk about study or work based experiences in this question. Cheers :smile:
I can't see where it says you can only talk about study or work based experiences in this question? Is that on the NCHCS website? I think that if you can address any of the core person specifications for scientific skills using your voluntary experience as evidence then that's ok.
Original post by emily1678
Hi,

Was just wondering if any of you talked about your voluntary experiences in the scientific section, or purely in just the transferable skills section. I was confused by them saying you can only talk about study or work based experiences in this question. Cheers :smile:
Original post by science_runner
I can't see where it says you can only talk about study or work based experiences in this question? Is that on the NCHCS website? I think that if you can address any of the core person specifications for scientific skills using your voluntary experience as evidence then that's ok.

It says it on the core person specification! Under the scientific skills section it says demonstrated in a work or study context. I think you're right though so long as we can make it relevant. Thanks for your help :smile:
Reply 36
Original post by emily1678
It says it on the core person specification! Under the scientific skills section it says demonstrated in a work or study context. I think you're right though so long as we can make it relevant. Thanks for your help :smile:

I think in this case volunteering would count as unpaid work, they just want to see what skills you have and how you use them :smile:
Reply 37
I am so confused in how to relate my physical skills to genomic counselling?I work in care so have manual hoisting etc, and done lab work - but relating it to GC? Damn
Does anybody know if you need to state the amount of hours of work experience or volunteering you have completed in the actual application, or do they just ask the references?
Reply 39
Original post by laurakt1
Does anybody know if you need to state the amount of hours of work experience or volunteering you have completed in the actual application, or do they just ask the references?

If it is the care experience, which requires 6 months full time equivalent, then I would put it in the employment section but make it clear that it was voluntary/unpaid. It wouldn't hurt to mention a time frame in the application questions too, but if you don't have the words then it shouldn't matter if you put it in employment. I don't think they would ask references, because they would need to know whether you have the experience before they progress you in shortlisting, and references wouldn't be asked until later in the process.

If it's not care related, timings don't really matter, unless you are particularly proud that you have done x years or whatever, so it wouldn't need mentioning.

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