*MEGATHREAD* - Work Experience and Voluntary Work [Part 2 of 2]
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hi, i’m currently volunteering at a care home for a couple hours a week as a resident befriender and i’ve completed the brighton and sussex medical school virtual work experience but i’m a bit worried because i don’t have any hospital work experience. i know the whole point of work experience/volunteering is the reflection but will i be at a disadvantage if others have done volunteering and shadowed a doctor?
Original post by oliviapope1
hi, i’m currently volunteering at a care home for a couple hours a week as a resident befriender and i’ve completed the brighton and sussex medical school virtual work experience but i’m a bit worried because i don’t have any hospital work experience. i know the whole point of work experience/volunteering is the reflection but will i be at a disadvantage if others have done volunteering and shadowed a doctor?
Absolutely not - work experience is all about reflection
Original post by oliviapope1
hi, i’m currently volunteering at a care home for a couple hours a week as a resident befriender and i’ve completed the brighton and sussex medical school virtual work experience but i’m a bit worried because i don’t have any hospital work experience. i know the whole point of work experience/volunteering is the reflection but will i be at a disadvantage if others have done volunteering and shadowed a doctor?
Shadowing a doctor is a tricky thing to arrange so don't worry too much about that. Having said that, you will need experiences to draw upon at interview so you can talk about what you have learnt etc.
Consider volunteering for a charity, food banks, helping in the community, getting a part time job where you are simply communicating with the public, charity shop, there are a multitude of things you can do.
I would recommend that, if possible, you try and chat with a doctor and/or nurse for some insight. Maybe approach your teacher and ask if they know anyone if you don't or ask at your GP surgery.
Good luck.
(edited 1 year ago)
Sorry, but does anyone know where the discussion on work experience mentioned in the original post is bc I can't find it
and I don't really have a clue on how to write a CV for work experience either (if it's needed).
'Firstly, please READ the excellent and extensive section on Work Experience in the wiki. This gives you the basics of how to apply, where to try, and alternatives for if medical work experience isn't too forthcoming.'
and I don't really have a clue on how to write a CV for work experience either (if it's needed).'Firstly, please READ the excellent and extensive section on Work Experience in the wiki. This gives you the basics of how to apply, where to try, and alternatives for if medical work experience isn't too forthcoming.'
Original post by studentanonomous
Sorry, but does anyone know where the discussion on work experience mentioned in the original post is bc I can't find it and I don't really have a clue on how to write a CV for work experience either (if it's needed).
'Firstly, please READ the excellent and extensive section on Work Experience in the wiki. This gives you the basics of how to apply, where to try, and alternatives for if medical work experience isn't too forthcoming.'
and I don't really have a clue on how to write a CV for work experience either (if it's needed).'Firstly, please READ the excellent and extensive section on Work Experience in the wiki. This gives you the basics of how to apply, where to try, and alternatives for if medical work experience isn't too forthcoming.'
Here we go, I'll get the OP edited now too
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/hive-articles/work-experience-as-a-graduate-or-mature-student
Original post by studentanonomous
Sorry, but does anyone know where the discussion on work experience mentioned in the original post is bc I can't find it and I don't really have a clue on how to write a CV for work experience either (if it's needed).
'Firstly, please READ the excellent and extensive section on Work Experience in the wiki. This gives you the basics of how to apply, where to try, and alternatives for if medical work experience isn't too forthcoming.'
and I don't really have a clue on how to write a CV for work experience either (if it's needed).'Firstly, please READ the excellent and extensive section on Work Experience in the wiki. This gives you the basics of how to apply, where to try, and alternatives for if medical work experience isn't too forthcoming.'
Hi. Are you applying for 2024 entry? What work experience have you done so far? Any jobs or work experience? Happy to offer advice if needed.
so i did volunteering at a care home every weekend for about 3 months and have completed over 60 hours of volunteering as patient support in the wards of my local hospital and will continue volunteering until probably december. I am however trying to get some doctor shadowing experience from my co ordinator within the hospital.
does this seem sufficent enough for my medicine application? as i have read many responses from people and they have done quite alot more clinical work experience and am worried that mine puts me at a disadvantage.
does this seem sufficent enough for my medicine application? as i have read many responses from people and they have done quite alot more clinical work experience and am worried that mine puts me at a disadvantage.
Original post by morteamie
so i did volunteering at a care home every weekend for about 3 months and have completed over 60 hours of volunteering as patient support in the wards of my local hospital and will continue volunteering until probably december. I am however trying to get some doctor shadowing experience from my co ordinator within the hospital.
does this seem sufficent enough for my medicine application? as i have read many responses from people and they have done quite alot more clinical work experience and am worried that mine puts me at a disadvantage.
does this seem sufficent enough for my medicine application? as i have read many responses from people and they have done quite alot more clinical work experience and am worried that mine puts me at a disadvantage.
Hey!
Though it’s great to have clinical work experience, it’s the skills that you gained from your work experience that is most important. These skills can come from anything. Personally- I worked at a charity for a bit, did a week’s placement with a primary school and gp. I also worked as a receptionist during my gap year so it’s quite a mix
So whilst it’s good, it’s certainly not compulsory to have clinical placements.
And don’t worry too much about the quantity- it’s how you reflect/ the skills that’s most valuable. The interviewers want to see how the skills you gained and developed during work experience can aid you during your time as a medical student and beyond!
Hope this offers some reassurance.
Original post by morteamie
so i did volunteering at a care home every weekend for about 3 months and have completed over 60 hours of volunteering as patient support in the wards of my local hospital and will continue volunteering until probably december. I am however trying to get some doctor shadowing experience from my co ordinator within the hospital.
does this seem sufficent enough for my medicine application? as i have read many responses from people and they have done quite alot more clinical work experience and am worried that mine puts me at a disadvantage.
does this seem sufficent enough for my medicine application? as i have read many responses from people and they have done quite alot more clinical work experience and am worried that mine puts me at a disadvantage.
This is something I feel really strongly about. Unless you know someone in the medical world or are lucky to get a placement, volunteering/work experience in a hospital is really hard when you are 16/17 years old without an introduction.
Do not worry. My daughter volunteered in a hospice (in reception), at a community foodbank, at Covid clinics, helping elderly members in the community (through a local charity) and worked a fast food restaurant and played football. Just get out there and do as much as you can. Dealing with the public in general will hugely help with confidence and volunteering in any caring role will show a desire to help. Every experience you have will give you experiences that you can draw upon in interview.
m currently undertaking a different degree in the Republic of Ireland but want to do medicine. I’ll sit the Hpat in January but want to give myself as many options as possible so I’ve decided to apply to Queens in Belfast. I got 625 points in my leaving cert and don’t know how that translates into UCAS application points.
I’ve just started studying to sit the UCAT as close to the last date in 2023 as possible. Is this possible? And if so does anyone have any tips on how to cram prepare for the UCAT
I’ve just started studying to sit the UCAT as close to the last date in 2023 as possible. Is this possible? And if so does anyone have any tips on how to cram prepare for the UCAT
You categorically do not need work experience in a hospital/GP surgery/CT suite/operating theatre or any of the above to apply to medical school.
The simple fact is that a lot of applicants will not have the chance to go to these places. That is OK. Working in a care home or hospice or volunteering in a homeless shelter or working in a charity shop and so on. These are all perfectly valid and valuable pieces of experience. I know people who have been very successful at medical school and they merely worked in a cafe at weekends whilst they completed their A levels. Showing the interviewer(s) you have spent time with people and got out there and made an effort is enough. Maybe you were captain of a team or club, perhaps you did plenty of extramural stuff, D of E, Scouts, military reservist/cadet- it is all useful. I'd argue that care home work is amongst the toughest work environments a person could enter- I've had colleagues tell me that some days they would have to feed, wash and dress 16 residents in a morning: all on their own. That's unlike any hospital ward I've ever experienced. If they can complete that challenge normal ward work must seem a doddle by comparison.
Regarding the UCAT, it is tough and it is just not something you can cram. You should practice and practice and practice, there is no shortcut I am afraid unless you are extremely gifted and particularly good at it without trying.
The simple fact is that a lot of applicants will not have the chance to go to these places. That is OK. Working in a care home or hospice or volunteering in a homeless shelter or working in a charity shop and so on. These are all perfectly valid and valuable pieces of experience. I know people who have been very successful at medical school and they merely worked in a cafe at weekends whilst they completed their A levels. Showing the interviewer(s) you have spent time with people and got out there and made an effort is enough. Maybe you were captain of a team or club, perhaps you did plenty of extramural stuff, D of E, Scouts, military reservist/cadet- it is all useful. I'd argue that care home work is amongst the toughest work environments a person could enter- I've had colleagues tell me that some days they would have to feed, wash and dress 16 residents in a morning: all on their own. That's unlike any hospital ward I've ever experienced. If they can complete that challenge normal ward work must seem a doddle by comparison.
Regarding the UCAT, it is tough and it is just not something you can cram. You should practice and practice and practice, there is no shortcut I am afraid unless you are extremely gifted and particularly good at it without trying.
Original post by TSR George
Welcome to the Work Experience and Voluntary Work MEGATHREAD
Please read this before posting:
Due to COVID, it is expected that old routes to work experience may still be disrupted. There are two free online work experience opportunities that all applicants must do if they can:
1. Hosted by Brighton Sussex Medical School: https://bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE
2. Hosted by the Royal College of General Practitioners: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/training-exa...bserve-gp.aspx
The below (in the spoiler) was ripped from @Helenia 's excellent post which was the OP of part 1 of this thread linked here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=568666
Understandably, lots of applicants are going to have lots of questions about work experience, because it is an important part of a medicine application. However, there currently seem to be a rather large number of these threads all asking similar questions, and we old farts actually at medical school are getting kind of tired of answering the same questions over and over. So, from now, all work exp questions need to be posted here or threads will be locked and you won't get the help you want!
Firstly, please READ the excellent and extensive section on Work Experience in the wiki. This gives you the basics of how to apply, where to try, and alternatives for if medical work experience isn't too forthcoming.
Secondly, there is no such thing as "enough" work experience. There is no set amount that will guarantee you a place or even an interview - although you do need to have done something. Medical schools understand that some people have better connections than others - if your parents are doctors, you're far more likely to be able to get to see lots of cool stuff - and that different areas have varying levels of availability of shadowing schemes etc - somewhere urban is going to have lots more hospitals and opportunities than somewhere rural. The key thing is not the amount, but what you learn from it. Even if it's only pushing the tea trolley round a hospice, try and reflect on your experiences - talk to patients, talk to relatives, talk to staff (nursing, medical and others!) Use whatever you have to gain an understanding both of what Medicine really involves, and of what patients experience when they are ill - and I mean emotionally as well as physically. Even in non-medical placements like youth group work, use this to build your communication skills and empathy. Even paid employment like bar work, waitressing, reception work etc can create skills important for Medicine. Also, remember that a long-term placement which you regularly commit to is just as important, if not more, than seeing lots of different specialties on a whistle-stop tour. Watching heart surgery may be cool, but you won't actually be doing that for at least another 10 years - try to find out what the juniors actually do.
Thirdly, try to start early, but don't panic if you start late. It's perfectly ok to put down in your PS that you plan to do X placement and hope to gain Y from it - then you can talk more in interview if needed.
Finally, I think it would be nice to have a central list of what all the current medics did as work experience, just so you can have some idea of the vast range of things it's possible to do, and the range of amounts different people completed.
Helenia (applied 2001 for 2003 entry): 2 weeks in GP practice, mainly reception work but sat in on a few clinics. 1 week shadowing SHOs in A&E - this took a LONG time to sort out and the hospital I ended up at was my 5th choice, an hour's drive from home - and I couldn't drive - I love my parents! 3 years as a Young Leader with Brownies. A few weeks volunteering in local nursery school in my school holidays.
If you still have anything to ask, please post it here!
Post originally created by ecolier.
Please read this before posting:
Due to COVID, it is expected that old routes to work experience may still be disrupted. There are two free online work experience opportunities that all applicants must do if they can:
1. Hosted by Brighton Sussex Medical School: https://bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE
2. Hosted by the Royal College of General Practitioners: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/training-exa...bserve-gp.aspx
The below (in the spoiler) was ripped from @Helenia 's excellent post which was the OP of part 1 of this thread linked here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=568666
Understandably, lots of applicants are going to have lots of questions about work experience, because it is an important part of a medicine application. However, there currently seem to be a rather large number of these threads all asking similar questions, and we old farts actually at medical school are getting kind of tired of answering the same questions over and over. So, from now, all work exp questions need to be posted here or threads will be locked and you won't get the help you want!
Firstly, please READ the excellent and extensive section on Work Experience in the wiki. This gives you the basics of how to apply, where to try, and alternatives for if medical work experience isn't too forthcoming.
Secondly, there is no such thing as "enough" work experience. There is no set amount that will guarantee you a place or even an interview - although you do need to have done something. Medical schools understand that some people have better connections than others - if your parents are doctors, you're far more likely to be able to get to see lots of cool stuff - and that different areas have varying levels of availability of shadowing schemes etc - somewhere urban is going to have lots more hospitals and opportunities than somewhere rural. The key thing is not the amount, but what you learn from it. Even if it's only pushing the tea trolley round a hospice, try and reflect on your experiences - talk to patients, talk to relatives, talk to staff (nursing, medical and others!) Use whatever you have to gain an understanding both of what Medicine really involves, and of what patients experience when they are ill - and I mean emotionally as well as physically. Even in non-medical placements like youth group work, use this to build your communication skills and empathy. Even paid employment like bar work, waitressing, reception work etc can create skills important for Medicine. Also, remember that a long-term placement which you regularly commit to is just as important, if not more, than seeing lots of different specialties on a whistle-stop tour. Watching heart surgery may be cool, but you won't actually be doing that for at least another 10 years - try to find out what the juniors actually do.
Thirdly, try to start early, but don't panic if you start late. It's perfectly ok to put down in your PS that you plan to do X placement and hope to gain Y from it - then you can talk more in interview if needed.
Finally, I think it would be nice to have a central list of what all the current medics did as work experience, just so you can have some idea of the vast range of things it's possible to do, and the range of amounts different people completed.
Helenia (applied 2001 for 2003 entry): 2 weeks in GP practice, mainly reception work but sat in on a few clinics. 1 week shadowing SHOs in A&E - this took a LONG time to sort out and the hospital I ended up at was my 5th choice, an hour's drive from home - and I couldn't drive - I love my parents! 3 years as a Young Leader with Brownies. A few weeks volunteering in local nursery school in my school holidays.
If you still have anything to ask, please post it here!
Post originally created by ecolier.
Hi. I would like to know whether universities take work experience as more important or volunteering as more important for applying to medicine. Or they regard them as important? Can I just do volunteering instead of work experience? It is really hard to find relevant work experience. Thanks
Original post by Fishywy
Hi. I would like to know whether universities take work experience as more important or volunteering as more important for applying to medicine. Or they regard them as important? Can I just do volunteering instead of work experience? It is really hard to find relevant work experience. Thanks
You don't need to have work experience in a clinical environment. You can volunteer in a nursery, care home, charity work, working in schools or volunteering for clubs and the like.
Phone your nearest community hospital and see if they will have you for a week. Anything is useful. I did a variety of things, if you can spend a day with the physios, community nurses and pharmacists that will be very useful as it gives clues about how the other people involved in patient care work and what they can do.
You do not need to have any experience of being anywhere near an operating room or in a clinic and especially not in your local GP surgery which are even more difficult to obtain.
Medical schools know how hard it is to obtain work experience.
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