My Internship Experience: Jaskirat Kaur

Posted on: 31 March 2022 by Samantha Riella in Student experiences

Biological Masters student, Jaskirat Kaur tells us about her internship in Cambridge at a health tech company called Health Data Insight.

Introduce yourself!

Hi my name is Jaskirat Kaur. I completed my undergraduate in Anatomy and Human Biology and I am currently doing my Integrated Masters in Biological Sciences. My course is diverse, interesting and very independent, allowing me to focus on topics I am interested in. The module LIFE710 has been my favourite module this year. It taught me the importance of gaining practical experiences through reflective work that has built my interpersonal skills and self-confidence.

Where was your internship and what did you do?

I completed my internship in Cambridge at a health tech company called Health Data Insight. Over the eight-week period we were given the task of digitising data collection in surgical theatres to record vital information including the patient data, location and details on the medical implant. This data was to be collected and stored alongside data from anaesthetic machines for a uniform system. The solution had to use simple technology to enable implementation on a national scale. I worked on the business and marketing side of the project. I conducted interviews with NHS digital and doctors to understand our target audience, produced a pitch video selling our solution to hospital trusts and delivered presentations to stakeholders. I also enhanced my digital skills by learning about cloud servers and practiced using hardware such as Raspberry Pis.

How did you find the internship experience and what did you learn?

I enjoyed my internship so much that I have kept in contact with my placement and have continued the work we started in summer with one of my colleagues alongside my studies. This is because I had enjoyed what I had learnt at HDI and felt the importance of the work we were doing. I gained a lot of knowledge about the health tech industry and was given immense advice on starting up a business - something I had never known was an interest to me until my internship. I learnt about my own strengths, such as delivering presentations, as well as areas I could improve like networking and have continued to seek opportunities to work on this.

What are some of the top skills you've picked up during the internship?

Presenting, resilience, digital fluency and confidence.

How did you find the support available while you secured your work experience?

I received a lot of support from the university and the Career Studio. They were motivating which encouraged me to apply to many internships. They also did a lot of the research for me as I was constantly sent opportunities to apply for which made the process a lot easier. During my internship, I received really positive feedback from my supervisor who was able to offer me advice on how to improve - this motivated me to utilise my experience.

What is next for you?

I am continuing the work I did in summer with one of the fellow interns and we are planning to start up our own business with the support of HDI, to implement our solution (that we have called TheatreCapture) in hospitals all around the UK. 

Did your work experience effect your future plans at all?

Definitely! It has presented me with a career path I had never envisaged previously as I have had no prior experiences in business or health technology.

What has been your favourite thing about university?

The content that I have introduced to and the people I experienced this with.

What is your top tip for students currently looking for work experience?

To apply, apply, apply! You never know what you might land into!

*If you would like to find out more about getting involved in an internship you can visit Handshake, where we post daily new opportunities and experiences. Internships are a great way to work on projects, learn more about a particular field, make industry connections and develop your hard and soft skills. Internships can even lead to full-time job offers.

*To find out more visit Handshake and filter by the ‘internship’ tag, take a look on our website and our twitter page @livuniintern which posts internships daily.

*You can also visit the Career Studio at any time to find out more about internships and ask questions with a Career Coach. Our Career Coaches will help you explore career options, connect with employers, and apply successfully to jobs and opportunities. You can visit the Career Studio at any time, no appointment is needed. You can drop-in on University Square Monday to Friday from 10am - 5pm, or send a message to one of our Coaches on Handshake 24/7.