My role as an operations associate means that I will be working closely alongside the operations and engineering team on projects such as warehouse requalification and having the opportunity to help within the cleanrooms. My main goals for this internship are to enhance my confidence in a traditional 9-to-5 job environment and to take advantage of the unique experiences and skills that revolve around pharmaceutical manufacturing. At Azzur I will gain practical experience and skills from an engineering perspective, which I am excited to learn about as I am eager to pursue a career in medical and pharmaceutical statistics after my final year of university. This is an unbelievable milestone in my professional journey already!
On my first day, as soon as I arrived at my new desk for the summer, I felt a surge of nervousness and was floored with so many thoughts of self-doubt. Fortunately, this anxiety quickly subsided. Within minutes of being at my desk, so many people from the team took the time to come over and introduce themselves to me and greeted me as if I had always been a member of the team. The people at Azzur were very quick to put my nerves at rest and by the end of the day I was familiar with almost everyone at the office! This first week has been dedicated to me diligently working through various training materials covering essential industry-specific insights and has already provided me with a solid foundation of valuable information. It has been a lot easier than I anticipated to settle into the office and I am looking forward to taking on more challenging tasks as I grow within my role.
As well as working, I have been enjoying exploring the vibrant city of Boston. I have already had the opportunity to visit museums, attend cliff jumping and pride events. Even grocery shopping here is a completely different (and fun) experience compared to back home! There is so much to explore here, and it seems that my list of places to visit is growing larger by the day.
My experience so far has been surreal, and I am incredibly fortunate to be working within such a hardworking and welcoming team!
The past 10 weeks have been a whirlwind of learning, growth and fun. I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside talented individuals, and the knowledge and insights I have developed during this time will be instrumental as I advance in my career. Operations within Azzur follow GxP guidelines, which I have consistently adhered to and had the opportunity to understand and apply these standards through all my assigned tasks. I was able to continually build on this knowledge throughout my time and all the insight that I have learned is completely transferable into many life science industries. I am grateful that I have gained this experience and a deeper understanding of industry practices. One of the most significant outcomes of this internship has been the clarity it has provided regarding my career path. Engaging with real-world projects and contributing within this environment has solidified that this is the field I am truly passionate about and has given me a goal to strive for after my graduation!
Within my role I worked closely with the operations and engineering team. I regularly helped with tasks that directly supported GMP standards. This included preventative maintenance checks on assets within our site. I also gained practical experience through gowning training and within the Cleanrooms. The largest project I was part of was a warehouse requalification. All these tasks were insightful for me as I got more expertise into how GxP regulations are upheld within an industry. I was also fortunate enough to attend a networking event that was hosted by Azzur, where I was able to hear talks from industry professionals.
An important takeaway I will carry forward into my career is the in-depth understanding I have developed of GMP practices and their influence within the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Before I began my internship, I had no idea what these terms meant and now they have become part of my everyday work experience, which is still a crazy concept to me!
The entire journey was one of the most rewarding and valuable experiences of my life. I learned so much professionally and about myself – this was my first experience of ever moving out, and I surprised myself on how well I was able to handle it (I also had a very good flatmate). This was a fantastic opportunity to explore different cultures and areas of the world whilst also gaining valuable skills to take forward into the future.
