STP Andrology

I’m a 2023 Andrology STP graduate. I was a trainee at the Shropshire and Mid Wales Centre in Shrewsbury and since completing the programme, I have moved to Birmingham Women’s Fertility Centre.

Being part of only the 4th intake of Andrology trainees, both the role and the training curriculum was still developing. Therefore, the biggest challenges I found were that there was no one currently in an equivalent job that I could easily shadow. Yet this also presented an opportunity to spend time with different teams in the unit. The vast majority of time was spent with the scientific team, learning all the lab skills required for an Andrologist, developing effective communication for patients by explaining complex treatment, and the HFEA regulations governing the practice of clinical scientists. But I was able to shadow both the nursing and medical teams to learn skills such as history taking, delivering diagnostic results to patients, and explaining the possible treatment pathways available.

As with any of the STP specialties, it was a challenge to balance the workload across clinical training, writing competencies, and academic deadlines, particularly in the final year when the research project took up a lot of time. It was therefore important to organise, plan and prioritise to ensure that every element is met on time. There were several trips to Manchester required for the MSc, with it being an in-person course. I enjoyed these weeks but I’m aware that not everyone felt the same way.

Writing the reflective IACC at the end of the programme was also a useful experience. It was a good chance to recognise the progress I had made through the STP and the skills I had developed, whilst also highlighting keys areas for development to ensure I keep progressing as a clinical scientist. I think it’s important to recognise that the learning does not stop when the STP is finished, there will always be new technologies and skills to learn, different ways of handling situations, or even learning new practices and processes if, like me, you move clinics. Yet the STP has given me the confidence that I have the knowledge and skills to navigate these changes and keep developing going forward.