Fintan Quinn, aseptic services department apprentice

Fintan Quinn works as a pharmacy assistant apprentice at The Christie. Here, he talks about starting in the Trust in a temporary role and how his team is supporting him with his apprenticeship.

Fintan Quinn is an apprentice in our aseptic services department – the team who make cancer drugs in a sterile, controlled environment.

Fintan, who is 22 and has been at The Christie since he finished his A-Levels, worked in a temporary job in the referrals team before moving into an admin role in his current team.

After spending a year learning about what they do, he decided he wanted to be a bit more hands-on and now works as a pharmacy assistant – helping to prepare different types of drugs, including those used in clinical trials.

At this point, he had found the area he wanted to work in, so he decided to do a 2-year apprenticeship to become a registered science technician.

“If you told me 2 years ago that I’d be studying to become a science technician, I wouldn’t have believed you,” says Fintan. “I’m glad I got a bit of on-the-job experience before I decided to do some further study, as it helped me decide what I wanted to do. The good thing about doing the apprenticeship is that I get to work and study at the same time, so I’m getting both theoretical and practical experience.”

Fintan will finish his 2-year apprenticeship this summer. He goes to college one day a week and has learned about everything from biology and anatomy to aseptic legislation, standards, and procedures.

Although he’s focused on getting it all done, he’s still got one eye on the future.

I really like the people I work with at The Christie, our team is great, and they’ve been really supportive of me doing the apprenticeship. The other thing I love about working here is that a lot of the drugs we’re making are brand-new treatments for clinical trials, so I get to learn about treatments and techniques that I might not elsewhere. It’s a great place to work, and being qualified will only help me progress in my career here.

Fintan Quinn, aseptic services department apprentice

A photo of Fintan Quinn, an aseptic services department apprentice, wearing a hairnet and face covering as he puts some medication into a syringe.