- Damien Hardy completed a work experience assessment in organic chemistry. His assessor was Simon Turega, a lecturer in organic chemistry. - The assessment evaluated Damien's skills in areas such as communication, working with others, problem solving, and application of numbers. His assessor gave him high marks and observed clear improvement in his lab notebook organization, independence, and understanding of lab techniques. - In reflections, Damien recognized increased confidence operating lab equipment like the rotary evaporator on his own. He aimed to improve by documenting instrument setup procedures to gain more independence.

1. PSP3: Pre- and Post-Work Experience Assessment Non-Sandwich Route
Student Name: Damien Hardy
Course: Bsc Chemistry
Assessor Name: Simon Turega
Assessor Position: Lecturer in organic chemistry
/ 2nd
Assessment
Date:17/03/22
(please
delete)
SKILL AREA Student Assessor
Examples / comments Examples / comments
A. COMMUNICATION
e.g. clear, effective speech Asking technicians or peers for help
to use equipment I am unfamiliar with
such as the biotage, mass
spectrometer, etc.
- expressiveness Much improved
-
-
explanatory ability
writing skills
Sought advice from technicians,
peers or supervisor when running
into issues.
Appropriately writing out emails.
Attended PDT meetings on
Tuesdays when possible to discuss
the research projects and others’
work.
Filling out unattended reaction forms
in the lab to ensure others know what
is happening in the fume cupboard
and what to do in an emergency.
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
- communicating with people at different
levels
7 8
B. WORKING WITH OTHERS

2. e.g. co-operating Worked independently and helped
others in the lab when they were
struggling with solvent ratios for
TLCs. Helped set up difficult
glassware such as reflux.
- getting on with people
- contributing to teamwork I work under indirect supervision in
the lab by the technicians and my
supervisor on occasion.
Results highlight skills
- working under supervision
-
-
supervising
working with people at different levels
I contact the technical staff when I
need help setting anything up such
as columns. I seek advice when I run
into an issue which doesn’t have an
easy solution.
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
6 7
C. IMPROVING OWN PERFORMANCE
e.g. enthusiasm, commitment Attended the lab in the morning and
stayed until the end of the day
working on organic synthesis.
- willingness to learn
- initiative, resourcefulness Lab book is kept up to date and is
clear; in the past my lab books have
been messy and confusing.
Very happu
taking responsibility
-
-
maturity
attendance, punctuality
Planned out what I will be doing in
the lab before arriving in the morning
to ensure I am prepared for the day.
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
- personal organisation/work planning 7 8
SKILL AREA Student Assessor
Examples / comments Examples / comments

3. D. PROBLEM SOLVING
e.g I prioritise what needs the most
attention first such as setting up the
rotary evaporator. Whilst this
condenses a product, I can complete
easier tasks such as preparing NMR
samples or completing calculations
for future steps in the organic
synthesis.
- prioritising tasks
- defining problems I have run into a few purity issues
with my porphyrin in my organic
synthesis. This has been shown on H
NMR data. To resolve these issues I
have identified the impurities using
TLCs. For example, a second spot in
the TLC identified that I still had a
starting material of step 3 present in
my porphyrin. Silica columns were
run in the biotage again to help
remove the starting materials or
impurities. Although I resolved these
issues I required help and advice
from technicians and my supervisor. I
ran into a similar problem later on in
the synthesis but I already knew how
to resolve it so I effectively used my
time.
Clear improvemnt
-
-
taking action
grasping main points
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
- locating information 6 8
E. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

4. e.g Familiar with Microsoft office
applications. Familiar with chemdraw
and topspin for analysis of
synthesised compounds.
Report formatting and presentation in
coursework and lab reports.
- using word processing package
- using other p.c. packages
using databases
Utilised sci finder database to help
design synthetic route for benzocaine
for 2nd
year lab report. Currently in
use for literature search for Photo
Dynamic therapy (PDT) research
project with porphyrins.
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
- using company specific IT 8 8
F. APPLICATION OF NUMBERS
e.g Working out equivalents of chemical
substances used in porphyrin
synthesis. Creating 2M sodium
hydroxide solution. Checked
calculation after completion to ensure
it was done correctly. Asked peers,
technicians, or supervisor to check
my calculations to avoid using wrong
volumes/ masses in synthetic route.
Good record keeping skills
evidenced by TLCs drawn in lab
book
- calculating / evaluating
-
-
checking results / accuracy
estimating
Keeping lab book up to date with
TLCs.
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
- recording / presenting data
Dating and identifying NMRs and
mass specta.
8 8

6. SKILL AREA Student Assessor
Examples / comments Examples / comments
G. WORKING PRACTICE
(i) Knowledge Rotary evaporator, mass
spectrometer, biotage, infrared
spectrophotometer, Schlenk line,
reflux setup (under nitrogen
environment), stirrer hotplates.
e.g
- function / principles of equipment Some of the equipment above is still
very hard for me to use such as the
biotage.
- safety regulations / procedures
- knowing reasons for particular work
practices
Score
0-10
7
Score
0-10
- background / theoretical knowledge
(ii) Work Skills
e.g careful and safe working practice
- manual dexterity Work in fume cupboard when
required. Clean out hood when not in
use to maintain safety.
- correct use of equipment / methodology When spillages occur or glassware is
broken, I follow appropriate protocol to
clean it up and make the lab safer to
work in.
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
- follow methods / protocols I keep an up-to-date risk assessment
which I have thoroughly read to
ensure I understand the dangers of
the work and so others can be made
aware of the risks in my fume
cupboard.
7
- competent in a range of activities

7. (iii) Quality of work
e.g accuracy I ensure to use correct volumes and
masses of chemical substances in the
synthesis of the porphyrin.
- reliability of service
- attention to detail I try to delegate tasks to different
times of the day for me to gradually
work through to prevent wasting any
time thinking of what to do next when I
should have prepared prior to coming
in the lab.
- level of service
- efficiency When impurities were discovered in
my synthesised porphyrin by NMR, I
didn’t worry, I thought about what
options I had moving forwards. This
included redissolving the porphyrin in
chloroform to remove traces of ethyl
acetate in the compound as an
azeotrope.
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
- meets deadlines I am currently working to meet the 6
week deadline of the research project
so I can collect all the data I need for
my lab report. Synthesis of the
porphyrin should leave me with plenty
of time to test it on cancer cell lines for
mesothelioma.
7
- resilience under pressure

8. SKILL AREA Student Assessor
Examples / comments Examples / comments
H. PROFESSIONAL / ORGANISATIONAL
AWARENESS
e.g general presentation I present myself appropriately in the lab. I
ensure to wear all PPE and to always
work in the fume cupboard when required.
- personnel issues
- professional ethics The lab I am located in is a chemistry-
based lab with all the equipment I would
require in the organic synthesis of
porphyrins in my research project. I will
soon be working in a cell line lab to test
the porphyrin’s binding abilities on cancer
cells. The labs are indirectly supervised
by technicians.
- confidentiality
- company structure I always check my risk assessment to
ensure I use the correct waste disposal
routes. This prevents washing anything
toxic down the sink which could endanger
aquatic life. This also prevents any
compounds that strongly react with water,
such as sodium hydroxide, from being
added to the wash rack for cleaning.
Score
0-10
Score
0-10
- departmental structure/responsibilities 8
- function of company
Overall Student Mark /100 Overall Assessor Mark /100
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE STUDENT
COMMENTS / PROPOSALS:

9. Briefly reflect upon the
assessment, including ideas to
improve your employability skills
After 4 weeks of working in the
lab, I am much more confident
with the synthetic route and use
of lab instrumentation and
equipment. I can now confidently
use a rotary evaporator by myself
without any assistance from the
lab technicians. I know how to
use a Schlenk line. I still struggle
with using the biotage but I now
have a greater understanding of
setting it up and flushing the
columns. At first, I did not take my
notes very well during the training
labs and did not accurately
document my yields and
equivalence calculations. But now
I have a well-kept and up-to-date
lab book. I can now prepare NMR
samples and I ensure to take
note of the reference number I
give it to keep track of which
NMR corresponds to which
product of the synthesis.
To improve myself in the future, I
will ensure to take note of how to
set up instrumentation, such as
the biotage, so I do not have to
call for assistance in setup. This
will help improve my
independence and will help me
work much faster.