Bank healthcare assistant as a med student

I was wondering if anyones done this and what their experiences were balancing this with med?

Also, I'm starting the new job soon and was wondering if anyone knows the typical shifts HCAs do?

Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

Marathi

I'm planning to do this from September when I start medicine. I'm doing gem so will only be doing one shift a week, on a Sunday, as that's when you get the most pay per hour.

I've been a HCA for just over 2 years. Our shifts (at my trust) are:
Early 7am-3pm
Late 1.30pm-9.30pm
Long day (optional) 7am-9.30pm
Night 9pm-7.30am

Reply 2

username1405872

Original post by Marathi

Thanks for answering :smile:

Is it one and half time on Sundays? And can the shifts vary from ward to ward? Also, which shifts are the best? and where?

Reply 3

gradmed305

Original post by Marathi

Out of curiosity, how did you go about getting the job in the first place? Did you have healthcare experience beforehand?

Reply 4

username1405872

Original post by gradmed305

Out of curiosity, how did you go about getting the job in the first place? Did you have healthcare experience beforehand?

Before uni I worked as a domestic assistant in a local hospital for two years then when I went to uni I started working as a carer for the council at the weekends but now I'm wanting to swap to something hospital based again cos I miss the hustle and bustle 😁

But in terms of getting a hospital job just keep ur eye on the recruitment website they come and go very quickly. Domestics get paid a lot too they've become band 2 now and defo less pressure and the shifts are more manageable... same goes for porter or cratering staff.

Also, look on ur uni careers hub to see if there are any jobs going for the council or local agency and get some caring experience that way.

Either way, the lady who interviewed me said that (indirectly) they take on a lot of medical and nursing students just cos of their course and not necessarily cos of their prior working experience. Defo a lot of opportunities out there u just have to look!

Reply 5

gradmed305

Original post by tinababy

Hey thanks! I've actually been looking around for voluntary stuff to do whilst back at university all summer. For some reason I didn't look at my universtiy's volunteering sector first (doh) but now I have and if everything works out, I sould be volunteering in a hospice next year :biggrin:

I was also considering working as an HCA (as that's what I'm going to be doing in my gap year whilst applying for medicine) but all the jobs I found stated that you needed to have at least six months of healthcare experience. I've done loads of volntary work whilst being at university but none of that has been in a healthcare environment. I was mainly looking for HCA work since I'm not a med student yet so kinda need to get that 'hands-on' experience :colondollar:

Reply 6

Marathi

Original post by tinababy

Thanks for answering :smile:

Is it one and half time on Sundays? And can the shifts vary from ward to ward? Also, which shifts are the best? and where?

At my current trust its time and two thirds, so around £15ph.

Yes you pick which shifts and which wards from those available. Generally I would avoid any geriatric, stroke, and orthopaedic wards as they tend to have a lot of 1:1s which I dislike doing as I feel I can offer more to more patients if I'm not doing that - but they need to be done. I like working on assessment wards as they're busy and varied.

Reply 7

Marathi

Original post by gradmed305

Out of curiosity, how did you go about getting the job in the first place? Did you have healthcare experience beforehand?

I volunteered a few hours per week on one of the wards doing the tea trolley for about a year. I also had a part time job of a few hours per week caring for a man with learning disabilities, as I have experience of doing this with my sister. Again I had done this for around a year when I applied.