Medical work experience

It's all about quality, not quantity - so I wouldn't worry about having 10 different work experience placements to talk about because chances are your personal statement will turn into a list of what you've done, not what you've learnt from it.

Ring around some local care/nursing homes and see if they'd like you to come in once a week for a few hours, and do that for a few months. Then I'd say get in touch with someone who co-ordinates work experience at your NHS trust and speak to them about a placement. You could also volunteer on a hospital ward at your trust if they offer a volunteer scheme. Again, like I said, it won't be how much experience you have that will make your personal statement stand out, but how you've reflected on it and learnt from the experiences. Good luck applying next year :smile:

Reply 2

Quite_Contrary

7

You could try and approach your local doctor's surgery and help with flu vaccinations. That's what a few people in my school did.

Reply 3

Nottie

18

Original post by Hannime

You could try and approach your local doctor's surgery and help with flu vaccinations. That's what a few people in my school did.

what exactly were they doing? I don't think 'random' people can administer them

Reply 4

Someone123123

11

Approach a local GP practise or approach the undergraduate department of your local hospital.

Explain your situation and ask for approx 1 week work experience shadowing a doctor if possible. Much more advisable to go in person when you ask. If that's not possible, telephone them. As a last resort, email, but it's easy to ignore those. With perseverance you will find someone.

Reply 5

_Arianna

9

Hi I've just applied to do medicine for 2018 entry.

I volunteer at my local children's hospice and did a week of work expereince at a GP surgery and another week in a pharmacy. Often, volunteering and hands-on experience is preferred over shadowing a doctor in a hospital or something similar.
If you are thinking of volunteering somewhere like a hospice try and apply as soon as possible because it can take some time before you can actually start because of DBS checks and interviews. I applied to volunteer in January, had an interview in February and my induction in April time but didn't actually start until May.

I was also going to do a week at a care home which specialised in dementia but ended up having too much work to do before going into Year 13. A friend of mine volunteers in a care home and also at a blind college.

Try and think of things that will give you a lot of experience which you can really learn from and talk about when it comes to writing your personal statement and interviews.

What's your part time job? I'm sure you'll have a lot of transferable skills from your work which you will be able to link back to medicine.

Reply 6

Troker101

9

You might want to ask your GP and other medical professionals you know. My allergist set me up with a few days of shadowing in research labs at Imperial, and even practiced an interview with me

Reply 7

Studio ghibli

OP

Original post by _Arianna

Hi I've just applied to do medicine for 2018 entry.

I volunteer at my local children's hospice and did a week of work expereince at a GP surgery and another week in a pharmacy. Often, volunteering and hands-on experience is preferred over shadowing a doctor in a hospital or something similar.
If you are thinking of volunteering somewhere like a hospice try and apply as soon as possible because it can take some time before you can actually start because of DBS checks and interviews. I applied to volunteer in January, had an interview in February and my induction in April time but didn't actually start until May.

I was also going to do a week at a care home which specialised in dementia but ended up having too much work to do before going into Year 13. A friend of mine volunteers in a care home and also at a blind college.

Try and think of things that will give you a lot of experience which you can really learn from and talk about when it comes to writing your personal statement and interviews.

What's your part time job? I'm sure you'll have a lot of transferable skills from your work which you will be able to link back to medicine.

Hi, I tutor maths and English to 5-16 year olds

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 8

Studio ghibli

OP

Original post by Someone123123

Approach a local GP practise or approach the undergraduate department of your local hospital.

Explain your situation and ask for approx 1 week work experience shadowing a doctor if possible. Much more advisable to go in person when you ask. If that's not possible, telephone them. As a last resort, email, but it's easy to ignore those. With perseverance you will find someone.

Thanks I’ll try this

Reply 9

Quite_Contrary

7

Original post by Nottie

what exactly were they doing? I don't think 'random' people can administer them

Yeah they weren't actually doing the jabs but you'll never be doing the actual procedures with medical work experience.

Reply 10

Original post by _Arianna

Hi I've just applied to do medicine for 2018 entry.

I volunteer at my local children's hospice and did a week of work expereince at a GP surgery and another week in a pharmacy. Often, volunteering and hands-on experience is preferred over shadowing a doctor in a hospital or something similar.
If you are thinking of volunteering somewhere like a hospice try and apply as soon as possible because it can take some time before you can actually start because of DBS checks and interviews. I applied to volunteer in January, had an interview in February and my induction in April time but didn't actually start until May.

I was also going to do a week at a care home which specialised in dementia but ended up having too much work to do before going into Year 13. A friend of mine volunteers in a care home and also at a blind college.

Try and think of things that will give you a lot of experience which you can really learn from and talk about when it comes to writing your personal statement and interviews.

What's your part time job? I'm sure you'll have a lot of transferable skills from your work which you will be able to link back to medicine.

Hi, good luck, hopefully you'll get some offers. In your personal statement what did you say about your work experience/voluntary work?
Also in your application do you have to mention how long your work experience/voluntary work was for?

Reply 11

_Arianna

9

Original post by magicbeans1212

Hi, good luck, hopefully you'll get some offers. In your personal statement what did you say about your work experience/voluntary work?
Also in your application do you have to mention how long your work experience/voluntary work was for?

So sorry, only just seen this.

In my PS I wrote about what I learnt about a career as a GP doctor from my GP work experience because I hadn't learnt any skills, I was just observing. For example I think I wrote about the expectations and the professionalism and also traits which impressed me, I guess.
For the pharmacy WE I wrote more about how I witnessed how a low budget for the NHS was impacting pharmacies. I also wrote about the pressures on pharmacists to show my awareness.
I didn't, unfortunately, write much about my volunteering because of word count but I briefly mentioned it and how it was giving me an insight into a different type of care.

In your UCAS application you don't have to mention how long your work experience was for but if it has been a long term commitment (as volunteering usually is) then do try and add it in.

Anything else, just ask or DM

Reply 12

Original post by _Arianna

So sorry, only just seen this.

In my PS I wrote about what I learnt about a career as a GP doctor from my GP work experience because I hadn't learnt any skills, I was just observing. For example I think I wrote about the expectations and the professionalism and also traits which impressed me, I guess.
For the pharmacy WE I wrote more about how I witnessed how a low budget for the NHS was impacting pharmacies. I also wrote about the pressures on pharmacists to show my awareness.
I didn't, unfortunately, write much about my volunteering because of word count but I briefly mentioned it and how it was giving me an insight into a different type of care.

In your UCAS application you don't have to mention how long your work experience was for but if it has been a long term commitment (as volunteering usually is) then do try and add it in.

Anything else, just ask or DM

Thank you!

Reply 13

MonteCristo

I've often wondered why more students don't write to their local GP, explain that they understand it's difficult for them to accommodate work experience students, and ask whether they might spare 30 minutes in which to be interviewed about their career. It would be difficult for them to say "no". You would probably learn more that way than sitting in with the practice nurse watching flu vaccinations. It might even lead to an offer of work experience. It would certainly suggest resourcefulness and maturity on a UCAS statement or at interview.

Reply 14

Original post by MonteCristo

I've often wondered why more students don't write to their local GP, explain that they understand it's difficult for them to accommodate work experience students, and ask whether they might spare 30 minutes in which to be interviewed about their career. It would be difficult for them to say "no". You would probably learn more that way than sitting in with the practice nurse watching flu vaccinations. It might even lead to an offer of work experience. It would certainly suggest resourcefulness and maturity on a UCAS statement or at interview.

Trust me they'll just ignore you or not get back to you

Reply 15

username3112590

17

Original post by magicbeans1212

Trust me they'll just ignore you or not get back to you

In total I called about 10 GP's near me, and they all said no.

Reply 16

MonteCristo

Original post by magicbeans1212

Trust me they'll just ignore you or not get back to you

Have you tried this approach?

Reply 17

Original post by MonteCristo

Have you tried this approach?

I've tried asking but they just never get back to me

Reply 18

_aspiring__medic