Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Someone PLEASE help me find work experience?

So, I'm currently in Year 11 and am definately sure I want to study medicine at University. And I mean I think everyone here knows that work experience is mandatory to get into any medicine course in the UK (probably around the world).
I've done some medicine 'courses' such as the debate chamber medicine summer school, invest-in medicine course and help me im a medic's national aspiring doctors conference, but neither of them count as actual work experience (although they were all amazing and I highly recommend them).
My local hospital only offers minimum (2 day) work experience, and you have to be 17+ (I'm only 16 so I'm going to have to wait till next year) also, it's in a complete disastrous state right now and has suffered major funding cuts (thanks Theresa), so I doubt it's going to want any experience students messing up even more right now as It's complete chaos there.
No one in my family is associated with any doctors.
My local hospice only allows volunteers above 18 so that options down the drain.
I applied to a couple of hospitals but they were extremely picky and would only pick regional students.
Are there any hospitals in/around London area who don't only offer regional work placements? Londons easily accessible for me and definitely more convenient.
I don't want to wait till next summer to have some work experience because next year I will probably be in the process of preparing for my BMAT/UKCAT/writing personal statement. Also, I've actually really been looking forward to doing some hospital work experience, It actually sounds like it would be the highlight of the summer (I am doing other things but still the idea of working in a hospital sounds so much more exciting to me)
Any suggestions/links? I honestly don't mind any department, I would love to get some in a surgical department but considering my age I doubt thats possible.
Thanks in advance!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

Zedna

Original post by chemicalfail

So, I'm currently in Year 11 and am definately sure I want to study medicine at University. And I mean I think everyone here knows that work experience is mandatory to get into any medicine course in the UK (probably around the world).
I've done some medicine 'courses' such as the debate chamber medicine summer school, invest-in medicine course and help me im a medic's national aspiring doctors conference, but neither of them count as actual work experience (although they were all amazing and I highly recommend them).
My local hospital only offers minimum (2 day) work experience, and you have to be 17+ (I'm only 16 so I'm going to have to wait till next year) also, it's in a complete disastrous state right now (thanks Theresa).
No one in my family is associated with any doctors.
My local hospice only allows volunteers above 18 so that options down the drain.
I applied to a couple of hospitals but they were extremely picky and would only pick regional students.
Are there any hospitals in/around London area who don't only offer regional work placements? Londons easily accessible for me and definitely more convenient.
I don't want to wait till next summer to have some work experience because next year I will probably be in the process of preparing for my BMAT/UKCAT/writing personal statement. Also, I've actually really been looking forward to doing some hospital work experience, It actually sounds like it would be the highlight of the summer (I am doing other things but still the idea of working in a hospital sounds so much more exciting to me)
Any suggestions/links? I honestly don't mind any department, I would love to get some in a surgical department but considering my age I doubt thats possible.
Thanks in advance!

Hey.
I'm in Year 13, applied to Medicine, currently have an offer from Birmingham and waiting to hear back post-interview from two others.
I don't live near you so I can't help much with specifics, but some general points;
I only did a couple of weeks of hospital experience and a lot of people I know did one or less plus maybe a GP placement and have offers. It might sound more fun to do hospital work experience but it was actually the most "boring" part of the experience I have had imo - although it's great to see what doctors do and so on and it certainly has its value, you basically sit around getting in everyone's way because you don't have a role.
I volunteered in A+E which was much better because I had a job. I was quite lucky to get this though I'm sure one of your local hospitals must have a volunteering scheme of some sort, so I'd apply to that. GPs are always good though I never did any - just send some letters round.
I also did a week with Revitalise which I really recommend and a week in a playscheme for autistic children, plus library volunteering, and long-term volunteering as a Rainbows Young Leader. What most unis really value is long-term volunteering or at least volunteering where you had an active role as it shows your qualities rather than just qualities you observed in doctors. I've talked about my volunteering far more than the shadowing experiences I've had.
Hope that helps :smile:

Reply 2

abi12321

Old people's homes should let you go and talk to people! If you do this volunteering regularly it is of really high value to unis

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Reply 3

HMarles

Firstly, just to partially qualify anything I say, I'm in Year 13 with an offer from Exeter for medicine and have been through what you are currently dealing with.

The good news is that you have a ton of time to organise placements before you need to get your application in; in fact I only started organising placements in Year 12 so you're well ahead of the game.

My personal advice to gain experience in a clinical setting would be to talk to anyone at your school with medical parents, I managed to swing 3 days in a radiology department and a week at a GP practice just through my friends parents. This would be preferrable to an open application to a hospital as they rarely reply to your application as they are so busy/receive so many applicants for work experience.

Also, I would definitely recommend organising a long term placement somewhere like a hospital ward or a care home (not necessarily a hospice) as this will help you learn how to talk to people in a care environment and is something that is really nice to talk about at interviews.

If you have on luck with those suggestions, if your school has a careers department they may be really useful in giving you some contacts. I managed to get a week on a cardiology ward and saw open heart surgery twice through my schools contacts.

Best of luck getting the placement you want and I hope this helps you :smile:

Feel free to private message me if you have any more questions about applying.

Reply 4

jb10101

There's no need to panic if you're only in year 11! I'm in year 12 and am only organising work experience now. If it helps, I spent last night trawling through most London NHS hospitals' work experience programs, and the two I found that are a) open to applications and b) not exclusive to those living in central London are in the Royal Brompton and King's College hospitals. Google their work experience programs and try applying there.

Also, surgical probably won't happen - I'm a year up so am also only turning 16 this year, and everywhere I've looked doesn't take surgical placements until age 17. You should be able to do that in the summer after Year 12 though because you'll be 17 by then!