Work Experience Medical Labatory science

aaabbbb

Does anyone know of the best way of getting work experience (unpaid) in a hospital lab or if it's even possible?


I'm currently in my final year of Biomedical Science in Maynooth and am considering going back and doing the accredited degree in DIT through advanced entry. However, considering this is a rather expensive process and is going to take me another 3 years of college. I was hoping I might be able to get some experience in a hospital lab either hands on or even just shadowing someone in a lab to get a better idea of the role and if it definitely is for me and if I would enjoy that kind of career.

Dingle_berry

Write letters, address them to lab managers or student co-ordinators. You would be doing well to get into any lab. Insurance/liability and confidentiality are an issue.

lonestargirl

I'm not in a lab but another area of AHP. It might be possible while still a student but once you are finished you won't have anyone to provide insurance. All students are required to sign confidentiality.

aaabbbb

Dingle_berry wrote:

Write letters, address them to lab managers or student co-ordinators. You would be doing well to get into any lab. Insurance/liability and confidentiality are an issue.

lonestargirl wrote:

I'm not in a lab but another area of AHP. It might be possible while still a student but once you are finished you won't have anyone to provide insurance. All students are required to sign confidentiality.

lonestargirl wrote:

I'm not in a lab but another area of AHP. It might be possible while still a student but once you are finished you won't have anyone to provide insurance. All students are required to sign confidentiality.

Since there's no placement component at all as part of the course in Maynooth the college won't provide insurance to students who undertake voluntary work experience sadly. I've heard of a few people who have come up against this. I was just wishful thinking that there might be a way around it.

Dingle_berry wrote:

Write letters, address them to lab managers or student co-ordinators. You would be doing well to get into any lab. Insurance/liability and confidentiality are an issue.

When you say lab managers do you mean the managers responsible for running the labatory services overall or managers for specific individual labs ?

For example say I wished to apply to James' would I write letters to the lab manager of for example the microbiology lab and then another to the immunology lab there ?
Or would it be more orthodox to write to the lab manager of the lab med department as a whole?


Forgoing the unpaid work experience route , I have seen lots of job postings for labatory assistants etc in the NHS in the UK. Do those kinds of positions exist here or are they equally as difficult as finding an unpaid position ?

Dingle_berry

aaabbbb wrote: »

Since there's no placement component at all as part of the course in Maynooth the college won't provide insurance to students who undertake voluntary work experience sadly. I've heard of a few people who have come up against this. I was just wishful thinking that there might be a way around it.




When you say lab managers do you mean the managers responsible for running the labatory services overall or managers for specific individual labs ?

For example say I wished to apply to James' would I write letters to the lab manager of for example the microbiology lab and then another to the immunology lab there ?
Or would it be more orthodox to write to the lab manager of the lab med department as a whole?


Forgoing the unpaid work experience route , I have seen lots of job postings for labatory assistants etc in the NHS in the UK. Do those kinds of positions exist here or are they equally as difficult as finding an unpaid position ?

Laboratory Manager is the grade of Medical Scientist in charge of all medical scientists in a hospital. They are over the bio, haem, BT, etc labs. Chief Scientist is the grade in charge of an individual discipline. Most hospital labs also have an over-all student co-ordinator.

Relatively few labs have departments/labs dedicated to diagnostic immunology.

Laboratory Aides do exist in Irish labs, they don't do much scientific work, if any, though. There are also less of them than scientists.

Voluntary / unpaid work is a problem. Again, insurance is an issue. If a hospital kept taking on voluntary workers instead of recruiting the required staff unions might take issue.

Martina1991

Jobs bridge used to be a way of getting some experience in a hospital lab but i think thats nearly obsolete at this stage.

There is a course through the University of Ulster called a Grad Cert in Biomedical Science. Its is for people with science degrees that want to be accredited.
It is expensive. Its done on line and there is a year long placement. If you find a hospital willing to take you on.