23 Tips for getting medicine work experience
It has become increasingly difficult to get clinical work experience during the pandemic, but there are still several non-clinical avenues that you can explore to help you in your application to medical school. Here we bring you 23 tips on how to secure work experience for your application to medical school.
Start looking for your medicine work experience early. Bear in mind there will be tens of thousands of students applying to medical school, and all of them will be looking for some form of medicine related work experience. This means the longer you leave it, the less likely you will be able to secure a placement.
We have had medical schools in the past stating it is not critical to have work experience. We would exercise extreme caution in following this advice. Even if one medical school does offer this advice, others that you apply to may not.
If you are applying for graduate entry medicine, the work experience requirements may be stricter, especially if your undergraduate degree is not related to medicine.
Medical schools may ask you to complete a separate application form, in addition to your UCAS form where they will ask about work experience, including the dates of the placement and where it occurred. They may contact the provider of your work experience to check that your details are correct.
Some providers of work experience placements may not be happy to take you if you are aged under 16. There may be legal and liability reasons behind this, so don’t push them if they decline your application due to your age.
You might be asked to complete a DBS (disclosure and barring service) check. This will check, amongst other things, whether you have a criminal record or any convictions. There may be a fee for this and it does take time to process, so please bear this in mind. If you do have such a background you must disclose it to your provider.
You may also need to sign a non disclosure and confidentiality agreement. You must stick to it. If you breach any agreement there could be severe consequences which can affect your career.
There is no need to pursue what might seem to be the most prestigious placement. The important points from your placement is that you learn what it is like working as a doctor and observe and reflect on your experience. The fact that your placement is not at the top teaching hospital is irrelevant.
The quality of your placement, not the quantity is more important, although bear in mind some medical schools, for example historically Warwick, may also indicate the requirement in terms of hours that need to be completed, as well as the placements being with more than one provider.
We can also provide in person work experience placements led by our surgery, Hazelvalley family practice. We bring our surgery, its patients and equipment to locations in London and Manchester over the weekends in summer. Please have a look at our Work Experience Placements page to learn more. They come complete with a certificate of attendance 💎
Some specialties may be easier to get some clinical work experience, for example paediatrics and care of the elderly. Some would be less suitable, for example obstetrics and gynaecology. Even during medical school training, patients may refuse to participate in medical training.
It may be possible to complete some of your work experience from home remotely. This obviously depends on your provider and what tasks they are able to give you that can be done from home. You will generally not be permitted to take any patient records from the placement.
You will not be able to undertake a medicine work experience placement in the surgery where you are a patient or even in a local practice. This is usually due to confidentiality and the risk of you seeing patients that you personally know.
If you have a family member in the medical profession or even if they work in a healthcare environment, then be aware that some providers may only offer clinical placements to direct relatives of current staff. You should find they are more sympathetic to your request.
You may need to be fully vaccinated against COVID19 and need to undertake regular lateral flow tests if you are working in a healthcare environment. There may also be other vaccine and medical requirements, more so if you are coming into direct contact with patients.
Some healthcare providers may refuse to let you work in an environment facing patients but may accept a placement in administrative roles. If you are in such a role, do not lose focus that you need to gain evidence of experience and reflection for a medical school application.
You may be able to find a non patient role in a GP surgery, especially if you are tech savvy. Students in the past have been given roles in filing records and sorting hospital correspondence, for example. However, you will need to take care as the medical school you are applying to may insist on a patient (or at least public) facing role.
Some medical schools may expect you have have evidence of experience in a caring role, in addition to insight into what it is like working as a doctor. A historical example of this is the School of Medicine at Glasgow.
Some providers only offer placements within a certain catchment area, perhaps specific to certain schools and only to students that fit the widening participation criterion. Whilst this may seem unfair to some students, accept that if you not meet the criterion of that provider you need to move on.
There are usually opportunities to volunteer in the NHS or in local charities. Make sure you pick a provider that offers contact with the public and ideally patients. There has been an opportunity to help with the COVID19 vaccine programme at vaccination sites but these may now be limited.
The careers section of your local NHS hospital trust may be a good place to start, as are local care homes or hospices. You may even be able to find a paid role. However, bear in mind that you may be required to make a commitment to attend a certain number of hours or on certain days, so take care if you are asked to sign any documents.
There are online virtual work experience placements that aim to give you an insight into what it is like working in the NHS. These include the Brighton and Sussex medical school virtual work experience and Observe GP, which has been created by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Remember your own personal reflection is critically important as you go through these. Some medical schools such as Dundee and Birmingham do mention these virtual placements in their entry requirements.
Please remember that some placements do not provide you with a certificate of completion and therefore cannot be used as evidence in a medical school application. The provider of such placements may not be receptive should the medical school try and contact them to verify your details.
