Name of Student: Natasha Syed
Job Title: Student Researcher
Company Name: University of Exeter
Description of Organisation:
The University of Exeter is a public research university located in Exeter, Devon, South West England. It is one of the top 150 universities in the world and ranked among the top 15 universities in the United Kingdom. The university offers exciting courses in beautiful and historic surroundings. It is a member of the UK’s prestigious Russell Group of leading research universities.
What was your biggest achievement during your internship?
The student-led nature of the work involved in this internship enabled me to actively influence the research process and contribute to making collaborative decisions with the staff leads. As the only team member based in Devon, I was able to develop my independence, organisation and initiative working on a novel research approach. This essentially meant curating and conducting novel primary care simulation sessions for clinical medical students from scratch, in direct response to our original focus group findings – very much a full circle moment!
Were there any challenges during your internship and if so, how did you overcome these?
One challenge was recruitment for our feedback-collecting focus groups – unexpectedly participant engagement was much greater for the clinical placement simulation sessions for which there was no remuneration! This positively affirmed student need for conducting this research, as there is evident interest in additional clinical learning opportunities related to primary care. To maximise recruitment, I advertised the opportunity via social channels, through university correspondence and by word-of-mouth.
What were your reasons for undertaking this internship?
- To improve my job prospects by expanding my CV and what I can draw upon in interviews.
- To gain experience and knowledge within a specific occupation or field.
- To earn money.
As a result of my internship…
- I have improved my communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
- My job prospects have improved by expanding my CV and what I can draw upon in interviews.
- I have developed specific skills that could help me in the future.
- My overall confidence has increased.
During the internship…
- I received learning and development opportunities which could be helpful for my career (e.g., online courses, research development or mentoring).
- I received regular feedback from my manager/supervisor.
- Overall, this internship has been a positive experience.
Would you recommend this internship scheme to other students?
Yes, I would recommend this internship scheme to other student because an opportunity to develop both personally and professionally – a fantastic opportunity to network, innovate and contribute to wider change outside of your degree. Allows exploration of a personal interest in an academic context and offers platforms to present and share work.
