What are your primary job responsibilities?

Carrying out extratables-leachables studies on medical devices including actually doing the lab work but also peer reviewing others' work and ensuring the quality and integrity of the lab. 

What is a typical work day-in-your-life like?

Our lab is still getting up and running so no day is truly "typical" yet. I could be doing anything from lab extractions, GC and LC analysis, to peer reviewing others' work, creating or updating new forms/lab documents/procedures, and, recently, qualifying and validating our equipment and methods. 

How did you find your first job?

I was approached by a recruiter from a contract agency who helped me find my first position. 

What level of education (Bachelor's, Masters, PhD, etc.) is required to do your job? 

Bachelor's 

What is your work schedule like? Do you ever work weekends or nights?

I work 8-4 pm typically, 5 days a week, but the hours are very flexible and I can also partly work from home. I haven't had to work weekends yet but it is a small possibility due to testing timing. 

Do you travel for work? If so, in what capacity, and how often?

I have not had to travel yet for work and the only capacity in which I'd have to is probably to attend some kind of conference. 

What is your work environment like? Do you work mostly with a team or mostly independently? Do you stand, sit, or move most of the day?

I work closely with a team of about 15 people total. I won't always be involved in what everyone is doing and many days will be spent working independently but our work is still very much interconnected. On days I'm doing lab work I'm up moving around about half the time, and otherwise I'm sat at my desk and computer. 

What do you like most about your job?

I like that I'm actually helping people in a very direct way. Extractables/leachables testing is a required part of getting a medical device to market and ensuring its safety. Each study we complete is another device that can be out there saving lives. 

What are some tools or skills that you can't live without? These can be technologies, soft skills, hardware, or anything else you can think of.

I think in my line of work, attention to detail is absolutely critical. Working in a quality and regulated environment (FDA, ISO 17025, etc) requires the utmost care in what and how you document information. The software and hardware can all be learned on the job and varies company to company. 

What skills, traits, talents do you have that you think make you a good fit for your job?

As mentioned, attention to detail is a big one. A willingness to learn new things is also crucial. 

What's your best productivity trick?

I use a bullet journal at work to track tasks, organize meeting notes, and generally keep track of my days. I couldn't live without it. 

What's the best career advice you've ever received? What career advice would you give to someone starting out in your field?

Don't be afraid to take a contract position to get some experience. Yes they're often temporary and don't have good benefits, but the experience is what will propel you forward in your career.