Pathology First, a partnership between SYNLAB and the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, was formed in 2014 and supports hospitals in Southend, Basildon and Thurrock along with 200 GP practices.

It provides services to a population of 750,000 people and performs around 52,000 Covid tests every day.

Pathology First currently boasts five apprentices and they have been working around the clock in hospitals and laboratories during the Covid crisis.

Kimberley Game, from Benfleet, is an associate practitioner working with the point of care team and has been on the frontline in hospitals throughout these unprecedented times.

The work of people like Kimberley has been hailed by our readers and she is pleased to have played a key role.

Kimberley said: “I joined Pathology First as a medical laboratory assistant in 2016.

“I have progressed to my current role as an associate practitioner on the point of care team and am currently in the second year of my BSc biomedical science apprenticeship degree which I will complete by 2023.

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“Working in point of care involves working as a team to ensure quality assurance, high performance and full functionality throughout three hospital sites - Basildon, Brentwood and Orsett.

“I feel like I’m contributing to patient care, which is why I wanted to be a scientist in the first place.

“I believe all scientists share the same goal, which is to learn and share our knowledge with the hope of benefitting the health and wellbeing of others.

“My ultimate aim is to become a specialist in the field of biomedical sciences in the next ten years.”

Key workers have played a vital role in getting our country through one of the most testing periods in history, with us now 11 months into the pandemic.

Nicola Curtis, Pathology First’s training manager, believes selfless people like Kimberley working throughout the coronavirus crisis shows the importance of apprenticeships.

She said: “We hope to offer more apprenticeships in 2021 but our apprentices are currently very busy working across our organisation learning new skills and acquiring new qualifications.

“Our programmes involve a mix of time spent working as a full-time employee and studying.”

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