work experience

I'm in year 11, does anyone know where i can do work experiences of voluntary services related to medicine, that i can do this summer 2024

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

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Reply 2

Petiteroseary

I did volunteering at my local hospital, (they often have a dedicated page) on the specific hospital website and it’s great because you get to talk to patients and spend more time with them chatting than any health professional has time for. There’s also online work experience that some of my friends did if you have a look online and some of my friends contacted random GP practises to ask to shadow them for a week. There’s also care homes they often want volunteers. Good luck!

Reply 3

HumptyDumpty:)

Original post by ayomide 0514

I'm in year 11, does anyone know where i can do work experiences of voluntary services related to medicine, that i can do this summer 2024

Often a local hospital / care home will be on the lookout for volunteers, usually if you email them someone can direct you to how to more formally apply (often there is an age limit to this may be tricky).
Similar situation with work experience, if you have a hospital near you you can google the names/emails of the consultants and send out a load of enquiries about shadowing opportunities.
Lots of unis do summer school programmes - be aware that some are paid so watch out - but there may be a free one near you.
Springpod also do an online work experience course (or at least they did 2 years ago).
Don't forget that paid work is also very valuable, especially working in a customer-facing role as it shows lots of the same interpersonal and team working skills as volunteering.
The main thing to focus on when finding work experience / volunteering is something (or a combination) that shows your passion and willingness to work hard, your understanding of what it actually is to work in the NHS and what it looks like, and your ability to connect and communicate with people.
Happy hunting!

Reply 4

UCLan Student

Official Rep

Original post by ayomide 0514

I'm in year 11, does anyone know where i can do work experiences of voluntary services related to medicine, that i can do this summer 2024

Hi @ayomide 0514

I'm a current MBBS student so whilst I'm not sure about what will be available in your specific area, I can tell you a little about what I did before I started my MBBS degree.

Hospital work experience
I did a week of work experience at my local hospital (try contacting their education department!). I found this really helpful for learning how the hospital system works and what life is actually like for junior doctors day to day.

Volunteering
I volunteered at a hospice local to me, once a week for a few hours for about 2 years. During this, I helped to serve meals to patients at lunch time and keep their space around their bedside clean and tidy. This was a really valuable and informative time as I learnt to see a very different side to medicine than you do in a hospital and I also learned more about patient journeys and how the care they receive affects them and their families! If there is a similar place in your area (or a care home maybe) it is worth sending off some emails to see if there is anything you can do to help there!

Working
Whilst this isn't voluntary, I had a job whilst I was in college which definitely taught me some skills that I use in medicine now!

I hope this helps,
-Rebecca, UCLan MBBS

Reply 5

username6935393

Original post by UCLan Student

Hi @ayomide 0514
I'm a current MBBS student so whilst I'm not sure about what will be available in your specific area, I can tell you a little about what I did before I started my MBBS degree.
Hospital work experience
I did a week of work experience at my local hospital (try contacting their education department!). I found this really helpful for learning how the hospital system works and what life is actually like for junior doctors day to day.
Volunteering
I volunteered at a hospice local to me, once a week for a few hours for about 2 years. During this, I helped to serve meals to patients at lunch time and keep their space around their bedside clean and tidy. This was a really valuable and informative time as I learnt to see a very different side to medicine than you do in a hospital and I also learned more about patient journeys and how the care they receive affects them and their families! If there is a similar place in your area (or a care home maybe) it is worth sending off some emails to see if there is anything you can do to help there!
Working
Whilst this isn't voluntary, I had a job whilst I was in college which definitely taught me some skills that I use in medicine now!
I hope this helps,
-Rebecca, UCLan MBBS

thank you