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hospital porter

I just have a few questions about this job..

can anyone do it (no qualifications needed etc)?
can you work part time (about 16 hours per week)?
do any students at uni do this job? what's it like?
do they mind students doing this?

sorry about so many questions but just thought about doing this because if it's possible (too good to be true) it will combine volunteer work and a job as i will be making money!!

thanks

mc

Reply 1

2klthor

what is one... may seem stupid, if your trying to boost your application to med school the majority of work in the hosp environment is good

Reply 2

bright star

1

are you wanting to be a medic?

all i can say is if you are, the last thing you're gonna want to do is spend more time working in a hospital.

Reply 3

mc4263

OP

I do want to be a medic!

but I won't be applying for medicine until 2010 because I didn't get in for 2007 and I am currently doing another degree.

I emailed University of Manchester because that's where I would like to do medicine, as it's where I am now, and they said they would accept an application from me with my grades etc as long as I'm predicted at least a 2:1. they also reminded me to keep up work experience and voluntary work as I have enough for now but by the time I come to apply if I haven't done anything for 3 years I'll have no chance!!

I was thinking of volunteering at a hospital and got an application form but I haven't sent it off yet. I also wanted to get a job for a bit of money and I thought being a hospital porter would be a bit of both: work experience and a job.

mc

:biggrin:

Reply 4

Elles

17

If you're studying something sciencey related could you get a job that uses those skills in a hospital/research environment..? Might be more interesting/better paid than portering & still very relevant to a future application.
Or being a bank HCA/HCSW - more direct clinical contact (so useful for the application & general confidence when it comes to clinicals, methinks!) & perhaps also better paid?

& you could spend free time doing pure volunteering that might be more beneficial to you. Through portering you'd definitely learn your way around the hospital! But ours always seem pretty busy, so don't really seem to have much extended patient contact... something like a ward/hospice volunteer might allow you more of that? Or I've always thought volunteering with a PALS scheme might be interesting.

Reply 5

M15T3R CH4RL35

Being a porter is crap my m8 with few GCSE's does it for £5.55/hr

Reply 6

bright star

1

oooooh i understand now. erm yeah i'd say it's not the best kind of thing experience wise or pay wise. if that's all the volunteer stuff you can get, then by all means but you'd be better working as an HCA. if you can't find experience, especially if you're not a school leaver, i know places can be a bit harsher with it, try some charities. i did some stuff with macmillan nurses that was really good and some local age concern projects. i also got quite involved with the stroke association. so that's something else to try. other things that i've seen people doing in my hospital at the moment is bringing tea round a&e. hardly glamorous but you do get to see quite a lot and it is much appreciated!!

but to answer your original questions, yes you can do it part time, it's GCSE level stuff they need, no they don't mind students doing it generally. but i think if you can get a HCA position that'd be better for you.

Reply 7

Becca-Sarah

19

That's more than I get paid as a GP receptionist...

Reply 8

mc4263

OP

do you need a lot of previous caring experience to be a HCA? i don't really have that much:
2 weeks at dentist
1 week at care home
3 months volunteering at a charity shop

mc

:biggrin:

Reply 9

bright star

1

nope. if you've had a job of some kind in the past it's good, as it would be for any job application. most trusts need you to commit to some concrete hours for 3 months while you become fully trained then they let you do bank work. or that's how they work both here and at my local trust.

Reply 10

mc4263

OP

Some places say you need 6 months experience is this true?
because I don't have that

do they train you whilst you do the job?

do you need a CRB check before you apply or can you get one if you get the job?

this is for a health care assistant job by the way

thanks again!!!!

mc

:biggrin:

also would it be OK to write to hospitals and ask about health care assistant vacancies?

Reply 11

mc4263

OP

anyone?

Reply 12

No Future

17

mc4263

I just have a few questions about this job..

can anyone do it (no qualifications needed etc)?
can you work part time (about 16 hours per week)?
do any students at uni do this job? what's it like?
do they mind students doing this?

sorry about so many questions but just thought about doing this because if it's possible (too good to be true) it will combine volunteer work and a job as i will be making money!!

thanks

mc

1. yes
2. depends on the hospital/department/manager and the policies - yes probably
3. maybe they do. it looks pretty crap tbh
4. see 2 - you probs could do this as a student.

how is it too good to be true? limited patient contact, treated like **** by everyone, asked to do a million things, carting goods and people everywhere. not fun. even worse than being an hca

Reply 13

No Future

17

mc4263

do you need a lot of previous caring experience to be a HCA? i don't really have that much:
2 weeks at dentist
1 week at care home
3 months volunteering at a charity shop

mc

:biggrin:

nope, as long as you sound caring and can communicate at interview you should be fine. when i applied i only had 2 days at a hospice and i got the job. admittedly i had done non caring work experience e.g. working in clothes shop during a levels, volunteering in charity shop. not demanding job requirements for hcas

Reply 14

No Future

17

mc4263

Some places say you need 6 months experience is this true?
because I don't have that

do they train you whilst you do the job?

do you need a CRB check before you apply or can you get one if you get the job?

this is for a health care assistant job by the way

thanks again!!!!

mc

:biggrin:

also would it be OK to write to hospitals and ask about health care assistant vacancies?

nah, depends on the hospital. you really don't need much work exp.

don't worry about crb. they do all that for you. all you do is fill in the form after they offer you the job.

training? hah. they mention it in the job ad but it's scant. you learn as you go.

go on the nhs jobs website. dead simple, that's all you need to do for nhs jobs.

----

don't become a porter if you want pt contact. being an hca is sometimes crap. being a porter looks even worse.

hospital porter

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