Question: Where could I go for useful work experience in order to go down the medical route?

Sheffield Psychiatry Ward Team answered on 25 Jan 2019: last edited 25 Jan 2019 11:57 am

Hi – Emma here 🙂

Unis want to see that you are committed to the specialty. This usually involves some work experience in a hospital or GP, as well as some voluntary work.

I spent half a day every two weeks at an old people’s home when I was in college, washing the pots and helping with meals, for a few months. After that I also started volunteering at a hostel for people with mental health difficulties every Saturday, helping to take them out and do activities etc. Both of those opportunities I found online, through various volunteering websites. You could always try contacting places directly and asking to speak to the manager and let them know you want to volunteer.

I also did a week of work experience at my local hospital, which I applied to do through contacting my local hospital. Some people are lucky enough to have doctors in the family/family friends who can help arrange this but I didn’t and managed just fine. I didn’t have much choice over which department I was in (I was placed on paediatric surgery) but the experience of working in a hospital was very worthwhile! Have a look here: https://www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/work-experience. Definitely try and arrange this sooner rather than later as it was many months before I actually stepped foot in the hospital, and there is lots of demand!

It’s important that whatever work experience you do you reflect on it in your personal statement: what has it shown you? what did you learn? did anything surprise you? what did you like and dislike about it and how might you use that to tell the Uni how it has informed your choice to do Medicine?

At the end of the day it is not the quantity of work experience but the quality of it – best of luck!