Bioscience Jobs The University of Kent Careers and Employability Service

The University of Kent
Careers and Employability Service
Bioscience Jobs
Slides for this talk are available on the Science
Careers Employability Award on Moodle
Main bioscience Jobs
• Research and Development
• Bioinformatics
• Clinical Biochemists And
Microbiologists
• Medical Sales
• Biomedical Scientists
• Science Teacher
• Toxicology, pharmacology,
immunology
• Regulatory Affairs Officer
• Clinical Research
Associate/Monitor
• Patent Examiner
• Patent Agent
• Medical Communications
• Doctor
• Scientific Recruitment
Consultant
• Production And Quality
Assurance
STP – Scientists Training Programme - NHS
• Work in a hospital while completing a (fully
paid for) Masters degree part-time.
Tasks include:
• Planning and organising work in clinical labs.
• Organising tests on patient samples
• Advising clinicians and GPs on use of tests
and interpretation of results.
• Carrying out R&D as well as evaluation and
quality assessment of diagnostic tests.
• Developing new and existing tests.
STP – Scientists Training Programme - NHS
• Clinical Biochemistry
• Clinical Microbiology
• Clinical Cytogenetics
• Immunological Scientists
• Histocompatibility and
Immunogenetics
• Entry via the Scientist Training
Programme (STP)
• Closing date normally February .
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/hospitalsci.htm
Forensic Biology
 Forensic Science Service. www.fss.org.uk
Disbanded!
Independent forensic contractors
• LGC - Middlesex - analytical science,
consumer protection pollution and health,
DNA and drug analysis also document
examination for Inland Revenue and DSS.
 Not many vacancies advertised – need to
make lots of speculative applications.
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/forensicsci.htm
Doctor
• Very competitive
• Kent graduates have obtained places at St
George's, Birmingham, Warwick, Peninsula
Medical School & Exeter.
• Talk to doctors and other medical staff, and get
work experience in a hospital, hospice or home
for the elderly.
• Normally need at least 2:1
• Apply via by mid October of final year as an
“individual applicant”
• May need to take GAMSAT or UKCAT test
Doctor
• NHS means tested bursaries available in years
2, 3, and 4. Students have access to a reduced
rate loan from the Student Loan Company.
Tuition fees, student fee, and expenses for
clinical placements etc. will also be paid. In 1st
year will have access to the full student loan
but no other financial support.
• Fast track (4 year) courses for grads
• Also see
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/doctor.htm
• Now also 4 year fast track courses in
DENTISTRY for science graduates at Peninsular
Medical School , Queen Mary and
Liverpool/Lancaster
Nursing, Physiotherapy,
Occupational Therapy, Dietetics etc.
• Some shortened courses for graduates (2 years)
• Occupational therapy involves work with people
with disabilities to enable them to live as
independently as possible.
• NHS Bursaries available
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/nursing.htm
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/ScienceJobs.htm
Research & Development
Can work in …
• Industrial Companies e.g.
Pfizer www.pfizer.co.uk
GSK www.gsk.com/uk-students
AstraZeneca www.astrazeneca.com
Covance www.covancecareers.com
Abbot www.abbott.com
Early closing dates: apply October of final year!
• University Laboratories
• Research Associations e.g. Biology and Biotechnology
Research Council Laboratories
www.bbsrc.ac.uk/organisation/vacancies.html
• Scientific Civil Service – DSTL
Research & Development
• Can get a job as a trainee research scientist
in industry with a good first degree - Upper
Second Class or better
• Advisable to get a PhD for a long term
career in research. Promotion may be
hindered without one - encounter "glass
ceilings".
• Can be stepping stone to other functions:
Production, Quality Assurance, Patents,
Regulatory Affairs, Sales and Marketing, IT
Clinical Research Associate (CRA)
• Co-ordinates clinical trials on new drugs.
• Employed by pharmaceutical companies, Cancer
Research UK, research hospitals and the Medical
Research Council.
• Writes trial protocol
• Finds suitable doctors to conduct trial.
• Prepares documentation and supplies.
• Initiates study centres.
• Monitors progress of trials/writing report.
• Experience in a related field (e.g. lab. work) helps.
• Grads often enter as a Data Monitor – lower level
• Need good organisational/admin. skills and outgoing
personality.
• Visiting lots of different hospitals and GPs
• Innovex main agency for recruiting CRAs
www.innovexcareers.com
Regulatory Affairs
•
•
•
•
Co-ordinates application procedures for the
approval of drugs - safety, transport & storage
Involves compiling dossiers of info. on a new
drug and submitting it to a national regulatory
authority to gain permission to sell drug.
Recruitment is erratic so make speculative
applications to chemical and pharmaceutical
companies.
Vacancies in New Scientist
Few jobs but well paid!
See www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/cra.htm
for info. on both CRA and regulatory affairs
Medical Sales
• Employed by pharmaceutical companies to promote
medicines etc. to doctors & pharmacists.
• Arrange appointments with doctors.
• Make presentations to doctors, nurses, hospital
consultants.
• Keeping chemists informed e.g. which drugs GPs are
likely to prescribe.
• Attend company's regional meetings.
• Car is your office. Constant people contact but can be
lonely. Spend a lot of time in doctors waiting rooms.
Route into marketing & sales management.
• Get company car/laptop/iPhone. Must like driving!
• Training. Initial 8 week intensive course covering sales
and product training and background physiology and
anatomy. Must pass ABPI exam within 2 years.
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/medicalsales.htm#Medical
Patent Attorney
• Obtains patents world-wide. Reads descriptions of
inventions/analysing novelty. Writes specifications of inventions in
precise terms. Files applications for patents. Advises clients.
• EMPLOYERS: Mainly private consultancies.
Also industrial companies.
Patent Examiner
• Ensures applications for patents are within the requirements of the
Patents Act & don't infringe the rights of inventors. Examines the
invention & searches publications to ascertain novelty. Considers
legal matters affecting entitlement to claimed monopoly. Produces
report for the applicant.
• EMPLOYERS: only UK Patent Office - Newport & European Patent
Office
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/patent.htm
Medical Communications
• Medical Writers - currently in demand. Write protocols,
clinical trials reports, patient information and marketing
literature. Jobs with pharmaceutical companies, contract
research organisations and medical communications
agencies. Easier with MSc or PhD
• Technical Authors produce technical manuals e.g.
computer manuals.
• Science Writing. Increasingly done on-line.
• Science Events Management – organising conferences
• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/sciencewriting.htm
Bioinformatics
• Getting biological information (proteins, DNA and
mRNA) logged, coded, retrieved in an easily
accessible format.
• Employers: Sanger Centre, European
Bioinformatics Institute, MRC UK Human Genome
Mapping Project, all in Cambridge, Wellcome
Trust Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford.
• Big pharmaceutical companies such as GSK or
AstraZeneca recruit regularly,
• Postgrad. Courses: Manchester, Leeds, Exeter,
Edinburgh, Birkbeck, York – last 1 year. MRC
gives studentships
Science Teacher
• PGCE is one-year, full-time route into teaching
taken by most graduates – 60% classroom
based. Many Kent students go to Christ Church
• Need to have spent about two weeks in a school
with the age range and subject you wish to
teach before you apply.
• There is now a bursary of £9k (with a First) or
£4k with a 2:1
• Also Schools Direct and Teach First routes
• We have example teacher training application
forms, and practice interview for teacher
training: see
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/siteach.htm
Science Vacancy Sources
• Kent University Vacancy Database
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm
I will email summaries of these to you.
• Prospects Web www.prospects.ac.uk
• The Biochemical Society www.biochemist.org/jobs
• www.careerscene.com adverts for trainee biomedical
scientists.
• Science Recruitment Agencies - some offer temporary
laboratory work in vacations.
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitephar.htm#agencies
• New Scientist www.newscientistgraduate.com
• Nature www.nature.com/nature
• Speculative CVs use directories such as Pharmafile (on
reference in Careers Centre)
To Find Out More …...
• Science Careers page
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/ScienceJobs.htm
• I Want to Work in …
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm
• Prospects Profiles
www.prospects.ac.uk
Moodle Science Careers Employability Award
“Choosing a Science Career” assignment
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm#subject
Bruce Woodcock
• Deal with all Bioscience students
• A careers adviser is on duty for short (15 minute)
consultations in the Careers and Employability Service
any weekday morning 10.30-12.30 or afternoon from
2 pm to 4 pm. You don't need an appointment to see
the duty adviser at these times. Just ask at Careers
Reception to see them..
• Email: bw@kent.ac.uk
BIOSCIENCE JOBS
Slides for this talk are available on the Science
Careers Employability Award on Moodle