To mark upcoming Fertility Awareness week, which begins next Monday, our Face of SaTH this week is Amy Penn, who is Trainee Embryologist on the Scientist Training Programme (STP). We asked Amy some questions about her role..
“I commenced this post in September 2017 after completing my undergraduate studies in Human Biosciences at Plymouth University and achieving an MSc in Reproduction and Development at the University of Bristol. After a number of years working in the field of Genetics, I followed by passion for Reproductive Science and started working at SaTH as a Reproductive Science Practitioner at the Shropshire and Mid Wales Fertility Centre before acquiring a position on the Scientist Training Programme (STP).
“A typical day for a trainee embryologist is varied but mostly involves meeting patients, performing egg collections and sperm preparations in the morning, grading the development and quality of embryos, the preparation of culture dishes, and insemination of eggs with sperm in the afternoon. I am still training on multiple techniques such as embryo transfer procedures and embryo cryopreservation.
“My role as a trainee embryologist allows me to build on my scientific knowledge, acquiring skills that can be utilised to benefit our patients. I particularly enjoy the balance of face-to-face patient interaction and being able to apply my scientific knowledge to clinical practice. It is a constantly evolving field, resulting in exciting new technologies and techniques emerging at a fast pace.
“My biggest achievement is helping fulfil dreams by assisting couples to create families”
Keep up the wonderful work Amy!
Watch this space for more updates about Fertility Awareness week, which runs from 28th October to 1st November and follow the hashtag#YouAreNotAlone
Click here to view our current job in Healthcare Science #NHSJobs
