Name
Natasha Steele
Role
Natasha is a Specialist Biomedical Scientist working in Cellular Pathology. She has been with SWLP for around three and a half years.
What does an average day look like for you?
There is no real average day for Natasha, as it depends on what the rota looks like for that day and whereabouts in the lab she is based. On any given day, she could be working on anything from cutting blocks to biopsy transfer or immunocytochemistry. She also does some work at Croydon Hospital supporting their MOHS clinic, where patients have known basal cell carcinomas removed and BMSs are on hand to perform frozen sections while the patient is waiting to confirm that the margins are clear.
Natasha likes to arrive at work at 7.30am, an hour before she is due to start, so she can have her breakfast and a cup of coffee in the tearoom and have a chat with her colleagues before her working day begins. She may also, on occasion, be drafted in to support other areas of the lab during that time, and she enjoys being able to help out her colleagues.
What is your favourite thing about the job?
Natasha loves being part of the team that diagnoses and treats patients, albeit a hidden part. She likes that she is contributing to helping people. She also enjoys the attention to detail that is required in histology labs and the fact that it is a hands-on role. She has always enjoyed doing manual activities and techniques and can pick up procedures that she has only seen a couple of times easily. She also loves that there is always something new to see and learn about in her role, so it never gets boring.
Is there a moment you will always remember?
Natasha gets real pleasure from seeing her colleagues progress and has always been passionate about training, so one of her most memorable moments was when a colleague asked her to review their portfolio work and then went on to successfully pass the assessment. When Natasha was training, her training officer was inspirational and encouraged and helped her, which is why to wants to become a trainer. She also sees how important training is in the lab environment and that it is something that needs attention.
How did you get into biomedical science?
Natasha always knew she wanted to do something related to healthcare as her career, and considered medicine and pharmacy work. However she also knew she liked to do hands-on work. As she loved both biology and chemistry at school, her careers advisor suggested she look at biomedical science as a degree. Once she started the course she discovered her passion for biomedical science and went on to complete both a degree and a Masters, where she specialised in cellular pathology due to the hands-on nature of the work.