The challenges that come with working at AST are really the challenges that come with working in this field. It’s silly to blame AST for the amount of driving that comes with the job, the challenging kids you might end up facing, and the weird schedules you might work. These are the cons of working as a BI in this field. They are not specific to AST.
Challenges of working at AST:
-While the independence that comes with being a BI at AST is a blessing, it can at times be a curse. I’ve been at AST for a little less than a year and still feel I have so much to learn as being a BI. I do feel comfortable reaching out to my supervisor with any questions I may have, but she only has so many hours in a day to answer questions, cater to her team of BIs, take care of the admin stuff, and anything else that has to be done as being a CS. I try to be conscious of this and prioritize my questions. It can at times be frustrating not having an easier and quicker way of getting answers to technical questions that come up, but my frustration isn’t directed at management. Clinical supervisors aren’t robots and expecting instant responses from them is purely insane. I just wish there was additional support for clinical supervisors so that technical questions or questions that aren’t client specific could be answered by someone more knowledgeable than myself. I am hopeful that this is something that can be improved because as of right now, this is the only real challenge I’ve been experiencing.