Jul 27, 2020

Interview

Interview with Lorena, member of the Covid Team!

Lorena, one of our consultants from the Life Sciences division working in a large pharmaceutical laboratory in Belgium, volunteered to be part of a team of more than 40 people doing Coronavirus sample analysis on shifts and 7 days a week. For 3 months she alternated between her initial mission as Formulation Technician and days of analysis at the customer's site.

Here is an extract of an interview she had with Flore at our customer's site during this exciting project.

Flore: Hi Lorena! So you're taking part in this great initiative! What were your motivations?

Lorena: As soon as I heard about it, I asked to be part of the team, and my manager was very enthusiastic. I was motivated by the idea of helping people during this time of crisis, because helping others has always been one of my priorities. But it is also an opportunity for me to gain experience in this type of analysis and in working in a high-security environment. […]

F: I suppose you received a specific training?

L: Of course. Another team had already been trained before us, so we received training directly in the field by following our colleagues in their activities. And we became operational in one day! [...] The handling is not complicated but it requires a lot of concentration in order to limit mistakes.

F: And in concrete terms, what are your days like?

L: My week is divided between days in the Covid lab, homeworking and days in the usual lab. In the Covid lab, every day is different. Sometimes it's long and intense, sometimes less depending on the number of samples received. It's hard to make a schedule so I live a bit on a day-to-day basis, I'm never sure where I'll be the next morning!

F: And what do you think of this experience now that you're here? Does it meet your expectations?

L: Totally, I have absolutely no regrets! What I like the most is the team spirit. The volunteers are of all ages, come from different departments and hold different positions. We were divided into 4 teams. In my team, there is a very warm and positive spirit. People are not afraid to work overtime or to come on weekends. The Team Leader is also very encouraging and very grateful. That motivates us even more! In addition, this adventure has allowed me to get to know other colleagues and to learn a bit more about other projects.

So all in all, a lot of positive things! I am proud to be part of this project. But I'm also grateful because it's a chance to have been selected among all the people who volunteered. It's a great personal and professional experience.

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