Lily’s journey with NHS Orkney began in January 2020 when she joined the lab as a Medical Laboratory Assistant on a maternity cover contract. “At that point, I wasn’t sure where my career was heading,” she says. “But my manager encouraged me to build on my Veterinary Biosciences degree and work towards qualifying as a Biomedical Scientist.”
That advice changed everything. Lily completed five additional modules and an honours project through an online course with Ulster University, while working full-time and completing her IBMS pre-registration training portfolio in the lab. “It was a huge challenge, but the support from my colleagues and NHS Orkney’s Learning & Development funding made it possible.”
Today, Lily is a Trainee Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology at The Balfour, with a date set for her pre-registration verification – the final step to becoming fully qualified. “Without this opportunity, we might have moved back to Glasgow for broader job prospects. Instead, my career has flourished here, and we’ve decided to stay in Orkney long term.”
Her proudest moment? Publishing her research project in the Microbiology Society Journal: ‘Investigating trends in antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from clinical urine specimens in the Orkney Islands.’ “It took a huge amount of work, but I’m so proud of how far I’ve come.”
Working in a small multidisciplinary lab with just 12 staff, Lily values the teamwork and variety: “We all support each other to deliver the best possible service. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this chance to grow my career in such a supportive environment.”