Biomedical Science and the importance of good communication - Hannah Fearon

As a clinical scientist, guest lecturer and former Chemistry teacher in central London, Hannah has worked with both students and professionals in the science field. Today, we speak with Hannah to hear about her career in science (specialising in biochemistry), the importance of good communication and her advice for English learners.

Tell us about your career journey in science and education.

I taught English in Hong Kong as a Native English teacher. Following this, I completed my PGCE with QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) at a London secondary school where I taught Science for 4 years, I was head of Chemistry and Head of STEM (Science, Technology, English and Maths). Whilst I was there, I completed my masters in Educational Leadership at UCL (University College London).

What are your areas of interest?

I am a clinical scientist, which means I work in the biochemistry lab of the hospital. I am responsible for writing and authorising reports on test results. I also set up new tests and liaise with clinicians to understand what tests they need and what tests are most appropriate for their patients. I have areas of interest within that - I do a lot of work on the trace elements - looking at various heavy metals which can be toxic once in the blood. I use ICPMS (Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) to do this. I also work in the non automated section. I am the Clinical lead for ‘point of care testing’ across the trust - I liaise with clinicians, nurses doctors, other staff who want to use this testing. I make sure the tests are fit for purpose and appropriate for what they’re being used for.

Why is good communication important in your role?

As a clinical scientist, one of the most important parts of my job is communication between both laboratory staff and clinical staff. We have to make sure we understand exactly what clinical staff want from our service. We have a lot of meetings and presentations to understand what their needs are, to communicate to them what the limitations of tests are, what good use of data involves, what tests can /can’t do and how to interpret them. So my job includes a lot of communication of people with all different pay grades and experience levels within the NHS. Sometimes we will be speaking with the surgeons in theatre taking samples, other times we will be speaking with people transporting the blood samples etc, so it is very varied.

What are the main challenges of good communication?

Working in healthcare, one of the big challenges is that lots of people have specialisms. Often these work in silos. People have very different priorities. For example, people in A&E (Accident and Emergency) are working at pace - one of their biggest priorities is getting their test results back quickly, they’re really busy and they need to keep things moving. Whereas our priority will be accuracy of the data. So, sometimes clinical staff may want test results more quickly, but our job is to do them properly. It is important to strike the balance between being the gatekeepers of good quality, whilst also providing them with the efficient service that they need.

The other challenge is that we work with everybody in the hospital. Everyone has very different specialist interests. For example, someone training as a kidney specialist on a renal ward will have a different understanding to someone on a dermatology ward or someone on a geriatric ward, and so we have to be aware of their level of understanding and tailor our communication.

What is your advice for learners of English for Science?

English is a really important language for science communication, as most research papers are published in English. To be published, scientists must have a really good level of English. The most important thing to remember, is that science has to be exact. Focus on key vocabulary, language and phrases. Make sure you understand them correctly, run these by native English speakers if needed. Otherwise, there is a risk of this being misinterpreted and misunderstood.

Are there any differences between countries in the way that scientific terms would be used?

One of the biggest differences internationally can be unit conversion. One of the biggest challenges when moving between different countries and working within different healthcare systems, will be for example different units (eg. between UK and US), learning English and having a good working knowledge will allow you to access new guidelines, updates and guidance frim that country. Healthcare systems are of course different from country to country.

What are the future trends or opportunities in biomedical science?

The whole field of healthcare diagnostics is changing very rapidly. There is a shift towards home testing and genetics testing. We see a lot more people taking home testing kits and using personalised testing. We see people often presenting with what appear to be abnormal results, when actually they may not have any underlying issue, but it is just that statistically some results will fall out of the normal range. One of our key roles in laboratory science, is to be able to explain test results to non-scientists. We have to be better at communicating as we have a wider audience to explain results to. That will be a big change - people are starting to look at personalised testing. Hospitals are starting to do less testing in hospitals and more in ambulances, community clinics and locally. We need to be agile to shift towards the change in laboratory diagnostics. We must make sure nobody is using test results incorrectly.

How is technology affecting biomedical science?

The biggest changes are through AI (Artificial Intelligence) and machine directed learning.

We use these a lot - we need to decide what has to be seen by a human and what can go out automatically. We must be familiar with what is going out automatically. We are moving towards more automated ways of working, releasing and processing of results. It is really important to understand those algorithms to ensure they are working correctly, as we will move towards even more automation of issuing results.

What opportunities can speaking English create globally for scientists?

Speaking English opens up huge opportunities for scientists globally. Most conferences are in English. English is therefore essential in order to be kept up to date with the latest opportunities, to network and to present ideas.