olivia dean
bsc (hons) biomedical science
I'm a lot more confident. I've always been a bit of an outgoing person, but I'm more willing to talk about what I do. I have a lot more confidence and a lot more knowledge of science in general.
Working together
"The idea of a Biomedical Scientist is to be able to process samples given by patients in hospitals, you process that and collect the data. Not diagnosis as such, but you look for abnormalities in, for example, blood samples and tissue samples. You then pass that on to other clinicians who are able to treat or give treatment plans for the patient.
"Bradford was my top offer because of the course and the content it offered. I'd heard so many good things about the University, about how the students were actually taken care of, which is nice. Obviously, I've seen that over the three years.
"You get so much support from academics, from pastoral care and that sort of thing which is absolutely brilliant -it makes you feel like you're a part of your course. You're not just learning here, they make you feel like you're a colleague."
Support from careers
"I've used the careers service quite a lot. When I was wanting to apply for industrial placements I went and saw people about my CV, about how I could tailor my CV for a prospective employer.
"I've seen them so many times for CV's and things, they never beat around the bush. It's always what needs to be done and how you can do it, which is absolutely fantastic."
Bright future
"I want to become a Biomedical Scientist, and in order to become a registered Biomedical Scientist, you have to be registered with a governing body called the HCPC. To do that, you have to go into an NHS hospital. I’m hoping that when I finish my Master's degree, which I’m going to be studying here in the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT), to then go into an NHS hospital and eventually into the Royal Navy.
"There’s a large military hospital in Birmingham - the triservice hospital. You work out there and then you get put on deployment on patient transport ships and larger ships across the country, across the world. I think it’d be such a fascinating life, especially to be so specialised where they probably only take two to three Biomedical Scientists a year and train them up. I think it’d just be absolutely fascinating to be there and experience everything.
"Ever since I have come here, I was very much 'I want to be a doctor, I want to do this, I want to do that'. By being on the Biomedical Science course, I’ve had my eyes opened to a lot more things that I can do compared to just seeing the straight path of being a doctor."
I think Leeds is definitely culturally rich, but Bradford is another level. I love the fact that there are so many different cultures in one area and there’s so much you can look at and take part in.
this is where
...I found my confidence
I came from a sixth-form and with my A-Levels, you know, I passed, I got there.
I’ve always had a bit of a block when it comes to maths and things like that, and it’s always been a bit ‘no, I’m not doing it, I can’t do it’.
We actually have a module, not dedicated to maths, but maths and statistics are quite a strong component in it. At first, I was a bit embarrassed because I was a bit like 'I should be able to do these things' but then I realised that nobody else could do it either, so it was great. That’s made me a lot more confident and more willing to talk to people.
I have a lot more confidence and knowledge in science in general and more confidence in debates, research and being autonomous which you need to be if you're a scientist. That’s a big thing not just with Biomed, but with the University.
