I start my new job tomorrow - AMA!

Medical lab assistant in a NHS covid-19 lighthouse lab. =)

It entails what...?

To be honest, a very boring job. I’m pretty much the guy who looks through the samples sent to us to make sure they have been done properly (look to make sure there is enough inactivation fluid, make sure the swab has been put in appropriately, make sure the bar code is appropriately put on the tube and make sure it isn’t leaking (plus a few other things)).

I then put them into the system and then put them in a rack to be taken for analysis by someone else.

Left uni with a degree in Biomedical Science and done a PGCE in secondary science. Left two years later and covid hit shortly after and so have been looking for a job for a year... so am hoping to actually become a Biomedical Scientist in the next couple of years and climb the ladder! =)

But right now I need experience to apply for the IBMS portfolio to join the HCPC to become a fully qualified Biomedical Scientist! Little detail unis don’t tell you before you join the course...

That sounds like something I could do lol

Hey I just wanted to ask do you know how you get the training to help you get HCPC registered? I got an accredited biomedical science degree although I've noticed there's hardly any trainee biomedical scientist posts coming up around London where I live. Was planning I start out as a medical laboratory assistant like yourself then hopefully after a year get a trainee position but with how rare these trainee roles pop up I don't want to risk working as a lab assistant for more than one or two years and it being pointless and realise that I can't process up my profession. Was looking at the STP to train for a clinical scientist but again very little vacancies a year and there's hardly any clinical scientist roles coming out for most of the specialisms they offer training for.

I began a course in finance to help me get a job in that secure which I've noticed there's a large amount of jobs for including trainees starting out their career. I've done a degree and just completed a masters in science but with the little amount of trainee vacancies that just makes it overall more competitive in the science career

That sounds like something I could do lol

Morning

I hope the OP is ok at their new job today.

Applies to all jobs especially when you are starting out in life re work.
Be aware of nasty two faced people.
Work to the rules and regs
Do not follow bad practice by others as two wrongs never make a right.
Be nice and polite.
Always try to do a bit more than required and learn, learn and learn.
Once settled, keep it to yourself intially, look out for better ops.
Try not to do aprties with work chums as things often go wrong
when they've had a few and make it diff to work together

ATB and let us know how it went.

ps- we can all make mistakes, never cover up, just tell your superior asap and learn from it

Fairly sure as stated in the above quote, you are required to have some kind of NHS experience before they'll take you on as a trainee. TBH, I took this job because of the following;

1. It pays money, not much but still, more than I'd get sitting on my ass doing FA and gets me a more direct and reliable reference from the NHS.
2. I need to get on the ladder before I can climb it. Unless you are stupidly well connected through your parents or friends and/or are very lucky, you need to start from the bottom and work your way up.

Am mildly confused though in your post, did you start a degree in finance and then drop out and get a Biomedical Science degree (accredited) or do you have both?

My mate has been a MLA for the last 2 years now (began in Jan 2019 as a bank position and then got a proper one 6 months later in a different department in the same hospital). He's now saying his hospital has zero interest in offering him IBMS training as he's asked a few times over the years and from what he keeps telling me, they keep offering it to students because whenever he asks he gets told "Just no". So, he's now applying to the RAF through their process to become a BMS there, albeit there are a lot of hoops he needs to jump through.

To the point where he has been deemed TMU (temporary medically unfit) because he had suspected kidney stones when he was 14 (12 years ago) and it turned out to be dehydration. He's now waiting for his GP to get back to the RAF with an official medical note and he could be waiting up to 3 months for this with the covid situation going on right now. He applied back in March last year initially as a pilot but was deemed "too old" as he applied when he was 23 (near enough 24) and the cut off point is 25.

Thanks for the concern. Ironically I haven’t start today either as they said they’d contact me sometime this week about a start date (when I can actually go in and start) but they didn’t yesterday meaning two full paid days of “work” sitting on my ass waiting for this call. 😂

That being said I do have 3 video “classes” on safeguarding adults and children. =)

And yeah, what you said doesn’t just apply to the workplace, it applies to everywhere.

To be honest, you probably could (no offense). We even have a Business BTEC in our lab! It is just a case of though you can't apply for anything above band 2 in the NHS without previous experience in the NHS...

Strictly speaking my maximum band as of right now would be band 6 if it wasn't for the IBMS portfolio problem...

NHS bands in full on their website (basically roles and wages):
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/working-health/working-nhs/nhs-pay-and-benefits/agenda-change-pay-rates

I don't know if the statement "They have a higher turnover of staff than over areas" is a good thing or just plain daunting as to what's expected...

Turnover varies. I work in Microbiology and we have a reasonably high turnover but I believe Microbiology overall tends to have a lower staff turnover. There seems to be more qualified staff in the market for Microbiology jobs which makes it more difficult for new entrants.

I trained in Microbiology, in a lab that didn't recruit a BMS for 2 years due to low staff turnover, and then went to Biochemistry for a little while as a stop-gap between my first qualified Microbiology job. The general consensus was that higher staff turnover in Blood Science's was down to working 24 hours shifts.

The higher turnover in Blood Science's can make it a good entrances for a trainee. Equally I find that the high level of automation means that you need less specialist knowledge to actually be a BMS in blood sciences, so it's easier to train new staff.

Just need to ask as I just got offered an interview at a hospital MUCH closer to home (would save me 2-3 hours a day in travel...) meaning I would only have to leave about 7am daily rather than 5:50am daily... albeit more expensive in travel but for the sake of getting home in 50 mins, I would think it is worth it with more reliable travel rather than a bus every hour... meaning I could be leaving the house at 7am (assuming an 8am start) and be in my own home again by 21:30pm at the latest rather than the earliest possible time being 10:20pm... because if I miss that bus I have to get the train home as the first available bus after work is the last one available!

Need to ask, would it be even possible if I get offered this position to drop the current position I have at such short notice? It also offers HCPC training meaning I could hopefully get it sooner rather than later at this new place should I be put forward for it. =)
Interview date is on the 28th January.

I've been told to seriously consider this by my family and best mate because worst case scenario I don't get it and it's interview practice as I already have a job should things go toes up but would like your opinion if you don't mind.