After 4 months of being truly "stuck in" with the technical staff, I am now responsible for a variety of tasks that include weekly legionella checks, maintaining the prep room stock inventory and ensuring the equipment maintenance assigned to me is complete.
Other tasks that technicians are responsible for include daily glass washing and autoclaving (sterilisation of items), to ensure enough glassware is available for classes, and that where required, items are sterilised ready for classes such as those in microbiology.
Another aspect that had never occurred to me about the working day of a technician is the working schedule that they adhere to. They are the first on site, to prepare for morning practical sessions each day, and the last to leave since they have to clear and set up for the labs running on the following day.
I have a new understanding of the role of technicians in the university and I believe that their contribution within the workplace is greatly underappreciated and underestimated, especially by students. Technical staff have a lot of responsibilities and regularly do a lot of work 'behind the scenes' that people do not know about or even consider.
The academics that preside over the practical classes are usually the focus and students view the technical staff as having a more minor role. As I have now experienced, technicians play a vital role as the labs would not be able to run without all the preparation that they do.
In my view, technicians have a different but equally important role to academics. They possess highly specialised skills and know all the theory behind a practical session and how the lab will run. They can "jump in" and ensure that the lab class keeps running and they can resolve any situations that may arise.
