River Crook, University Technician

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What I do

I work as an Autoclave Technician at Queen’s University Belfast in the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine. My job involves supporting researchers with their studies. I do this by operating and maintaining four industrial autoclaves and three industrial glasswashers and making sure that any laboratory consumables and supplies that require sterilisation are collected, treated and returned in a timely manner. I also ensure that any biohazardous waste from research experiments is safely transported and properly treated and disposed of. I collect equipment and sterilise liquids, so they contain no living bacteria prior to use by researchers.

River holding two bottles of liquid in the lab, wearing a lab coat, and large protective gloves.

How I became a technician

I originally went down the veterinary nursing route for my career, so I’m actually a qualified animal nursing assistant too! While I was on a placement, one of the vets told me about a full-time permanent job. I applied for a technician post at Queen's University Belfast and worked within a Core Technology Unit supporting researchers for about four and a half years and later applied for (and was successful in getting!) my current job. 

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A typical day in my
working life

I follow a similar routine every day, with the day typically starting by picking up any waste from the clinical waste bins which will require autoclaving prior to disposal.

Once I have collected waste, I can collect glassware that needs cleaning and wash any test tubes I may have collected.

Ahead of the afternoon, I collect any liquid media such as agars and nutrient broths and other solutions (e.g. buffers, salines) that need to be sterilised along with laboratory glassware and plasticware such as plastic sample tubes and pipette tips.

A typical day in my
working life

Once a month I also do spore tests for the autoclave waste cycles to check that the cycle has achieved full decontamination of the biological waste.

For this I use a bioindicator ampoule (small, sealed glass vial) which contains a nutrient broth, sugar, a pH indicator and spores of a non-pathogenic bacteria, all in a liquid which starts off purple and turns yellow if any viable spores are detected.

These spores should be killed upon heating in compressed steam at 120°C for 15 minutes (i.e. in an autoclave cycle), but if exposed to temperatures lower than this or a shorter exposure time, some spores can survive and grow.

A typical day in my
working life

Once an autoclave cycle has been carried out, the spore vial is removed and incubated in a water bath at 56°C for two days. If the vial then changes colour from purple to straw coloured, this indicates that a number of spores survived, and I'll need to do the cycle again to ensure it is properly sterilised. 

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Always embrace your hobbies and interests as you never know where they’ll take you. 

The most exciting thing about my job

Knowing that I’m contributing to important medical research which will improve treatments, achieve better patient outcomes and save lives.

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

The best part is getting to know all the different researchers. They all come from different backgrounds so it’s really fascinating to hear about what got them into research and their motivations. I also just try to be a friendly face so they can come to me for any issues.

The best bits about working in a team

There are currently 11 of us in my team and everyone is so supportive and encouraging. If you make a mistake, they help you learn from it. There's always someone ready to lend a hand if you need it.  

The skills I use most 

The main skills I use in my role are teamwork, communication and attention to detail. In the beginning though, I had to shadow some experienced colleagues and learn procedures and how to operate the autoclaves, glasswashers and other equipment properly and safely. Now I have achieved those skills and experiences to become independent and competent in my role. 

My favourite piece of equipment 

This might sound a bit silly, but I love our water bath. It's the one piece of equipment that's never broken down on me! When you're dealing with loads of different, complicated machines, having one that's simple to operate and always reliable is a gem. 

What I like to do in my spare time 

I like going to comic conventions and doing cosplay. I’ve dressed up as characters from anime and manga. For one of my costumes, I made a whole headpiece out of foam and a swim cap – it looked insane, but it was so much fun! 

My school days 

In school, I didn’t take many science subjects. I did home economics and health and social care, so very different subjects from what I’m doing now! I took some part-time courses at the local college on the side, which helped me get a taste for what college would be like. During school, I also enjoyed playing badminton and swimming. My friends and I were also big readers and liked watching films together too.  

The advice I'd give to someone younger 

Don't worry if school doesn't work out exactly how you expect. You'll eventually find your niche in college, or in the employment market. And most importantly, always embrace your hobbies and interests as you never know where they’ll take you. 