Finding work experience
Work experience can be a valuable way to demonstrate both your motivation for medicine and the skills needed to ultimately become a clinician.
There are a range of ways in which you can gain work experience that is of value to your medicine application. Your experience may be clinical or non-clinically based. Here are some ideas:
Clinical work experience
- Contacts can be invaluable here. No clinical contacts – no problem! Use LinkedIn to connect with current medical students and/or medical school graduates at your institution/s of choice (and/or Manchester). Then arrange a conversation in which you can ask them for their advice on clinical work experience!
- Join relevant student societies. The UMSU societies’ list offers a range of options.
- Apply to a local hospital to volunteer. The Manchester University Hospital Trust volunteering team get a lot of applications, so if you can travel consider applying to one of the other many hospitals the Greater Manchester area.
- Look for Healthcare Assistant roles on NHS Jobs.
- Consider joining St. John’s Ambulance volunteers, or gain training as a First Aider, Mental First Aider (for example as a Wellbeing rep) or First Responder.
Care-giving work experience
- Part-time paid opportunities can be found through the not-for-profit social enterprise Creative Support.
- Volunteering at a local care home can provide an insight into what it means to be a care-giver.
- Use the UoM Volunteer Hub to find volunteering experiences. For care-related opportunities take a look at the themes: ‘Healthy living and active lifestyles’, ‘Children and young people’ and ‘Supporting adults’.
Online opportunities
- The Royal College of General Practice have an online resource that gives an insight into General Practice for any UK-based person aged over 16.
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School offer a virtual work experience
- Life of a Medic writer created a COVID blog post ‘master list’ on virtual work experience opportunities for aspiring medical students.
Experiencing the NHS / patients
Most of your training will take place in the NHS so any opportunity to gain experience within or allied to the NHS will be helpful. Here are some examples:
- Part-time administrative roles may be advertised by NHS Jobs.
- Consider joining one of the many public and patient voice initiatives run by the NHS.
- The Royal Voluntary Service offers volunteering roles in Hospitals and the community and can be an alternative way to experience the NHS
- Take part in NHS clinical research and talk to the researchers involved.
