I strongly believe that entering a workplace can be an extremely daunting prospect. Will the other employees be friendly? Am I going to like the work? What if I do something wrong? These are questions that I have asked myself before each work experience. However, in the case of this work experience, these turned out to be completely ludicrous questions to have wondered about!
As soon as I arrived at Oxford PharmaGenesis on my first day, the greetings I received were so genuine and kind that any worry or apprehension I had lifted immediately, and I could not wait to start the work. The office I worked in had a warmth and friendliness to it that I had never experienced before – it was such an easy environment to fit into. Unlike previous work experience placements, I never felt apprehensive about asking other members of the team for advice on what I was doing at the time.
The project that I was involved in, which focused on pain and related medical conditions, sparked my interest immediately and I couldn’t help wanting to find out more; it was exactly my area of interest. The project gave me a huge sense of independence that I hadn’t properly felt before in the work environment, which I believe is an invaluable experience for an aspiring medical researcher. When I needed guidance, the response I received was always so positive and helpful that it constantly fuelled my desire to delve deeper into the project, which probably wouldn’t have happened if my colleagues hadn’t been so friendly and genuine.
An aspect of my time at Oxford PharmaGenesis that I thoroughly enjoyed was having conversations with different people in the office about their experiences and how they came to be where they are today. The insights they offered have already helped me to have a much clearer idea of which career I would like to pursue in the future. This kind of information can be obtained only by talking to people who have first-hand knowledge of such careers.
I would strongly recommend that anybody who is interested in careers involving science, research, communications and writing should seek work experience with a company like Oxford PharmaGenesis (or even this company itself, if you are lucky enough). I guarantee that you will gain a unique experience that will be completely relevant (and fun)!
I would just like to say a massive thank you to all of the team at Oxford PharmaGenesis for their immense amount of support and help during my work experience, particularly the AstraZeneca team who were absolutely incredible.
Charlie Dunstan
Work experience student, August 2016
