STP Perspectives

What is Clinical Immunology?

Hello, I’m Helen and I’m a second year STP in Clinical Immunology. I work with University Hospitals Sussex and so get to work across a few of our hospitals (but mainly based in Brighton). Clinical Immunology is part of the blood sciences group which works closely with Biochemistry, Haematology and Genomics specialties. It’s an area that varies a lot depending on the hospital you are training in but there are four main areas that we test:

Autoimmunity – eg. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Celiac disease, Rheumatoid arthritis
Immunodeficiency – eg. Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD)
Allergy – eg. Anaphylaxis, Oral Allergy Syndrome, Drug allergies
Haematological Oncology – eg. Chronic Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, Multiple Myeloma

New home, new lab, old problems

Hi, I’m Aaron. I’m a first-year STP in histology. I’m also an experienced biomedical scientist in the same discipline. I was working as a biomedical scientist in Northern Ireland when I applied. Northern Ireland is a very cheap country to live in, much more so than England. So you might wonder, why would I move country and uproot my entire life for what amounts to a net pay cut? Opportunity, that’s what. Yet despite all the problems that came with moving I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The STP is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it’s the main route to becoming a clinical scientist. Being a clinical scientist is a role that combines the joy of science with the clinical aspects of healthcare. To be a clinical scientist is to work in a developing role with constantly expanding scope and opportunity. This is especially relevant to histology where the role of clinical scientists is debated.

3D Printing in Radiotherapy

Hi, I’m Hannah (one of the co-editors!) and I’m in my first year of Route 2 training to become a Clinical Scientist in Radiotherapy Physics in Belfast, Northern Ireland!

My training is a little different from the STP. I already have an MSc and I’m primarily completing clinical training to build a portfolio that demonstrates equivalence to the training done through the STP! I will hopefully be sharing more about Route 2 training on this blog, sharing alternative routes to Clinical Scientist registration and providing a platform for other Route 2 trainees to connect!

3D printing in Radiotherapy really interests me and that’s why I’ve chosen to focus on it. It’s also an area that has been gaining momentum in the world of radiotherapy research in recent years.

My Journey onto the STP: Past, Present and Future

Hi, my name’s Mary and I am a first-year Medical Physics trainee in North London. Looking back to when I first started my undergraduate degree, I didn’t even know this career path existed (thanks to the second-year careers module for introducing me!), let alone that in nearly six years I would have just completed my first rotation on the STP. I’m hoping this piece will showcase the range of applicable experiences and highlight the different routes to the STP (and show the fascinating world of Medical Physics!), just as the posts on STP Perspectives helped guide my STP application and working practices today.

MeettheCo-editors

#MeettheCo-editors

#MeettheCo-editors

Life after training as a clinical scientist in Immunology. A culture change, a career change, and a location change

Hi, this is the first blog post I have written, so I hope it will be useful for anyone curious about alternative career options after completing the STP. So hello, my name is Francis, I finished the STP in Clinical Immunology in 2022 and now I work as a Scientist for a contract research organisation (CRO). We research the effects of pharmaceuticals on the immune system. But before I talk about my current role, I’ll talk about my journey to where I am now.

Scientist Training Programme 2024 Application Advice

Is it worth applying if I’ve just graduated from university? 

Totally! I have many colleagues who have come straight from university – so it’s an option. I also have colleagues who have a PhD, or a masters and colleagues with young children– it’s a whole mixing pot. However, (personally) I have always enjoyed taking time out between each career step to breathe a little. The STP is a very full-on three years with no breaks and it’s easy to become burnt-out. I think taking time out of education has put me in a better head-space to take on the academic challenges an MSc and the STP involve. 