Rolling admission · Istanbul · Delivered in English

Clinical Embryology & IVF Laboratory Observership the embryology laboratory workflow and its handover to the clinic in Istanbul

Follow how a university assisted reproduction unit moves from oocyte retrieval to insemination or ICSI, embryo culture, grading, vitrification and transfer, observed from outside the laboratory's working area, with no handling of gametes or embryos.

Reproductive Medicine
Observership 1–4 weeks
Fellowship 12–24 months
English-medium · proof required

Apply for an observership Reproductive Medicine observership

Inpatient corridor of a university teaching hospital

Routes: Observership 1–4 weeks · Fellowship 12–24 months
Format: Observation only — no patient contact
Language: English, with official proof of level
Location: University teaching hospital, Istanbul
Admission: Rolling — apply 3–6 months ahead
Certificate: Attendance (observership) · completion (fellowship)

What can an observer follow in Clinical Embryology & IVF Laboratory?

What you see depends on the department's clinical calendar during your placement; the list below describes the department's usual scope, not a guaranteed programme.

The laboratory day: how the embryology team plans its work around retrievals, checks and transfers, and how identity checks are built into each step
Insemination and ICSI, observed from outside the working area or on the laboratory's monitors
Embryo culture and grading: how development is assessed and recorded at each check
Vitrification and warming, and how frozen cycles are scheduled
The handover between laboratory and clinic: how results are communicated and how the transfer decision is reached
The andrology laboratory: semen analysis and the preparation of samples for treatment
Preimplantation genetic testing pathways and the counselling around them, where the unit offers them

How does the laboratory shape an IVF cycle, and who makes each decision?

The first laboratory decision is how the eggs will be fertilised. Conventional insemination places prepared sperm with each egg; ICSI injects a single sperm into it. ICSI is the established choice when sperm number, movement or shape is markedly reduced, or when fertilisation has failed before, while for couples without a male factor professional guidance does not support its routine use. The clinician and the embryologist agree the method from the history and from the sample on the day.

From then on the laboratory works to a timetable. Fertilisation is checked the morning after insemination, and embryos are assessed at set points as they develop, in many units up to the blastocyst stage on day five or six. Grading describes how far an embryo has developed and the appearance of its cell groups, and it guides which embryo is transferred and which are frozen. Many programmes favour the transfer of a single embryo to reduce the risks of multiple pregnancy. Where the patient is at risk of ovarian hyperstimulation, or genetic testing is planned, all suitable embryos may be frozen and the transfer deferred.

Behind these steps lies quality control. Laboratories monitor temperature, gas levels and air quality, confirm identity with a second check whenever material is moved, and track indicators such as fertilisation and blastocyst development rates to detect problems early. Each day the embryologist reports to the clinician, and the two agree what the patient will be told and what happens next. An observer who follows one cycle from retrieval to transfer or freezing sees how these decisions connect.

How this page differs

This page covers the laboratory side of assisted reproduction. The parent IVF and reproductive medicine page covers the clinic, stimulation, retrieval and transfer; the andrology page covers male infertility; genetic diagnosis is also followed in the medical genetics placement. The fine-ART Masterclass is a separate hands-on course with its own page and is not part of an observership.

Who applies, and which route fits?

Clinical Observership

Graduate physicians and clinical-year students with an interest in reproductive medicine or embryology who want to understand what happens between retrieval and transfer.

Clinical Fellowship

Obstetrician-gynaecologists and specialists in adjacent fields who state the laboratory and its handover to the clinic as their interest within the reproductive medicine unit; the unit decides allocation, and the laboratory is followed alongside the clinic and the procedure room.

What an observer does not do

Both routes are strictly observational: observers attend theatre and clinic without patient contact, do not scrub or assist, and are not assessed on any procedure.

Strictly observational: no handling of gametes, embryos, dishes, pipettes or micromanipulators, and no entry to the working area.
The laboratory is followed from outside the working area or on its monitors, and access can be suspended at any time to protect the culture environment.
The laboratory's work follows the cycles in progress; no number or type of procedure, including ICSI, biopsy or warming, can be promised.
No practical training, competency assessment or logbook: the certificate records attendance or completion, not laboratory skill.

The two routes at a glance

The two routes side by side
	Clinical Observership	Clinical Fellowship
Duration	1, 2 or 4 weeks (extension possible on request)	12 to 24 months, agreed with the host department
Who it is for	Medical students in clinical years and graduate physicians from outside Turkey	Recognised specialists and family physicians seeking advanced exposure beyond standard specialty training
Format	Full-time, strictly observational — outpatient clinics, operating theatre, ward rounds, case discussions	Extended observational attachment to one department: daily practice, service structure and specific techniques
Certificate	Certificate of attendance issued by the host hospital and signed by its Medical Director	Certificate on completion issued under the accreditation of the affiliated university school of medicine
Start	Rotations typically begin on a Monday; dates are agreed individually	Start date planned around the date you request and the department's capacity

Before you apply

The programme is delivered in English and every applicant evidences their level with an official document.
Fees and terms are confirmed in writing after the eligibility review; they are not published on this page.
Apply three to six months ahead: departments accept only one or two observers at a time and files are reviewed in order.
State your focus in the objectives of your application. Allocation follows the department's lists during your dates.

What do candidates ask about Clinical Embryology & IVF Laboratory?

Is this hands-on embryology training?

No. Observers do not handle gametes or embryos and do not enter the laboratory's working area. Practical laboratory skills are taught in dedicated courses and supervised posts. The fine-ART Masterclass is a separate hands-on course described on its own page; it is not part of an observership.

Can embryologists or scientists without a medical degree apply?

The published routes are written for medical students in their clinical years, graduate physicians and recognised specialists. If you are a clinical embryologist, biologist or laboratory scientist without a medical degree, write to hello@atdera.com before you apply. The coordination team will ask the host department whether an observer placement is possible in your case; do not assume eligibility from this page.

How close can I get to the laboratory work?

The laboratory is followed from outside its working area, through a viewing point or on monitors, as the unit arranges. The restriction protects the culture environment and prevents any risk to patients' material, and it applies to every visitor. Embryologists explain what you are seeing when their work allows.

Will I see ICSI, biopsy and vitrification within one or two weeks?

It depends on the cycles in progress during your dates. Insemination, culture checks and freezing are part of the laboratory's routine, but the number of cases varies from week to week, and genetic testing is followed only where the unit offers it. No procedure can be promised; state your interests in your objectives so that the unit can advise on timing.

Does the observership count towards ESHRE certification or an embryology qualification?

No. The certificate records attendance or completion only. Certification schemes for clinical embryologists, such as those run by ESHRE, set their own eligibility rules and logbook requirements, and an observational placement does not replace them.

Apply for an observership with Clinical Embryology & IVF Laboratory as your focus

One online application for both routes. State Clinical Embryology & IVF Laboratory as your focus in your objectives; ATDERA reviews the file and prepares it for the Reproductive Medicine department, then replies with next steps, typically within two working days.

Five short steps: your details, education, programme choice, documents and declaration.
A personal link by email, so you can leave and return where you stopped — for 60 days.
Documents are uploaded in step 4; you need nothing to hand to begin.

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ATDERA Global Limited (Companies House No. 17173428, registered in England and Wales) coordinates this programme for a university teaching hospital in Istanbul. ATDERA is not a hospital and does not provide clinical care; admission decisions and certificates are the host hospital's.

Ready to apply?

One online application covers both routes and all twenty-one specialties — details, programme choice and documents in five short steps. ATDERA reviews the file and replies with next steps, typically within two working days.

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