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How Do I Talk About My Hospital Work Experience in My Personal Statement?

Hi

I have Recently done a week of work experience in the Cardiology department in a local hospital where I observed the doctors and nurses and how they interact with the patients.

My problem is that I have seen so many things but I don't know how to make it sound interesting when I talk about it in my personal statement; everything I write just sounds so cliche. Any advice will be very helpful.
I started by writing down everything I saw, no matter how small. Then for each thing I tried to find something that I learnt/ could take away. Finally link that back to medicine/ role of a doctor ect
Reply 2
Original post by HopelessMedic
I started by writing down everything I saw, no matter how small. Then for each thing I tried to find something that I learnt/ could take away. Finally link that back to medicine/ role of a doctor ect


Thanks.

I've written everything I saw as well. I might start with a spider diagram and see what I can come up with.
No point in repeating yourself with what you've learned - quality over quantity (this is assuming you are applying for medicine!)
Reply 4
Original post by *Interrobang*
No point in repeating yourself with what you've learned - quality over quantity (this is assuming you are applying for medicine!)


Yes, I'm applying to medicine.

Since I've done a week in GP surgery at the start of the year, I've written everything I could relate to the characteristics of a doctor from there and so now I can't think of anything else. So, as you said there is no point in repeating myself.

I might talk about the differences in the two environments, that's all I can think of for now.
Original post by MA1998
Yes, I'm applying to medicine.

Since I've done a week in GP surgery at the start of the year, I've written everything I could relate to the characteristics of a doctor from there and so now I can't think of anything else. So, as you said there is no point in repeating myself.

I might talk about the differences in the two environments, that's all I can think of for now.


You're unlikely to have space to compare them, with everything else you need to write. You could always say something like 'From my work experience at X and Y...'
Reply 6
Original post by *Interrobang*
You're unlikely to have space to compare them, with everything else you need to write. You could always say something like 'From my work experience at X and Y...'


Thank you :smile:. I will try doing that.
Original post by MA1998
Hi

I have Recently done a week of work experience in the Cardiology department in a local hospital where I observed the doctors and nurses and how they interact with the patients.

My problem is that I have seen so many things but I don't know how to make it sound interesting when I talk about it in my personal statement; everything I write just sounds so cliche. Any advice will be very helpful.


Hi MA1998

Hoping I can offer you some advice on this!

The thing to think about when including your work experience in your personal statement is what can you take away from the experience. It is the ability to reflect on your experiences in a mature way that universities are looking for.

Perhaps consider how the working day of a doctor differs depending on their seniority? Also what stresses doctors are under and what strategies did you observe them using to cope with them?

These are just a couple of suggestions, there are more in this blog which is all about medical work experience.

I hope you find that useful... do let me know if you have any questions - always happy to help!

UniAdmissions
Reply 8
Try asking yourself these questions:

What did you see or do?
How has it affected your understanding of the role of the doctor?
How has it influenced your decision to study medicine?
Can you reflect on your own skills and think of a time when you have had to use similar skills that the doctor did? Can you appreciate the journey you'll be going on over the next five years?*

Don't just recount what you saw. Remember, the personal statement is your opportunity to present yourself, not your catalogue of experiences, to the admissions officers. They want to see how this experience has shaped you and how it has caused you to think about your suitability as a trainee doctor. Anyone can get work experience with a GP. It's not a checkbox exercise. I've known students who've racked up months of work experience and get nowhere and people with only two days of experience get through the door. I'm not even saying that they deserved it more, they just presented themselves better in their personal statements and at interview.*

They're looking to see that you've understood the role and understand the core qualities of competence, commitment, compassion and communication that it takes to be a doctor and that you can point to times in your own life where you've demonstrated these qualities. You don't need months of work experience to show that, you just need concrete evidence from your own life experiences. Added to that, they want to know what specifically attracts you to medicine rather than nursing, SLT, OT, PT, social work, teaching, etc. Generally speaking, it's an interest in science and a desire/ability to take the lead that are specific to medicine. (You can't just say the money, even though this is the reason that nursing is undersubscribed and medicine oversubscribed.).*

Hope that helps. *

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