I had a tour around the place when I went for my interview, and it's surprisingly efficient and very much like a factory as opposed to a lab environment. I thought I'd share a few pictures to give an insight into the life saving work I'll be doing daily (at unearthly hours in the morning).
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| The modern new building I shall be working in (geograph.org.uk) |
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| I'm not sure I'll ever get used to holding bags of peoples blood... (davidhedgesphotography.com) |
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| The whole place is set out in little pods and it's unbelievably well run. I also get to wear a ridiculous cap and special shoes. (davidhedgesphotography.com) |
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| After being spun in a centrifuge (blood cells are pulled to the bottom while plasma sits on top), they squeeze out the plasma in these machines leaving just blood. Note the very attractive uniform! Working here definately gives you a taste of what people would look like bald. (davidhedgesphotography.com) |
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| I believe here they are mixing the blood cells with a special saline solution so that they last for longer (BBC News) |
Finally, this link takes you to a short BBC News video and shows some of what goes on inside the manufacturing hall.
From what I have gathered so far, I will be doing some form of testing. Not what I originally wanted, but I think it will be just as good as the other roles within the centre.
So it looks like I may have been saved from working at Royal Mail after all...
Have a good Weekend,
Phil.
