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A day in the life… Diana Mohanaraja


Name

Diana Mohanaraja

Role

Diana is currently working at St Helier Hospital as a Band 2 MLA in Virology. She has been on a year-long placement to complete her Biomedical Science degree from Kingston University. She has successfully completed her degree andhas worked tirelessly to complete her portfolio and is waiting for her verification examination by the IBMS.

Diana has been offered a Band 5 Biomedical Scientist in Virology position at St George’s Hospital and is looking forward to taking this next step in her career.

What does an average day look like for you?

Diana’s day can vary significantly depending on where she is needed on any given day. She sometimes works on the automated or manual serology benches, but at the moment is mainly working on Covid-19 PCR testing. She starts her shift by reading the handover notes from the previous shift and goes from there. She works a variety of shift patterns, including early and late shifts.

Before her shift begins, Diana always needs a cup of coffee to set her up for the shift ahead. When she can, she like to meet with colleagues during her breaks for a catch up. The Virology lab at St Helier is quite small so it is really important that the team communicates well. Diana is glad that everyone in the lab is friendly and supportive and she feels that she would not have got as far as she has without them.

What is your favourite thing about the job?

Diana loves that she is always learning at work and that her days are never boring. The job is intellectually stimulating and she is always able to take the opportunity to learn more, for example by taking an interest in specific cases, discussing them with colleagues and attending clinical meetings.

Diana also loves being around her colleagues and enjoys the environment in the laboratory.

Is there a moment you will always remember?

A day that understandably stands out for Diana is the day that she had her interview for the Band 5 position at St George’s Hospital and found out that she was successful. Later in the day, she found out that she had passed her degree and to put the cherry on the cake, it was her birthday. She had a lot to celebrate that day!

How did you get into Biomedical Science?

Diana was always interested in Science at School and Biology was her favourite subject. She has always been fascinated by how the human body works. She knew that she wanted to do her degree in Biomedical Science when she left school and is keen to continue to learn in her career going forward.

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