Work Experience Requirements for UK Medical Schools (2025 Entry)

If you're applying to medical school in the UK, you're probably wondering: Do I need work experience? The answer depends on the university – but one thing is certain: having insight into the realities of a medical career is essential.

In this guide, we'll explain what each UK medical school expects regarding work experience. Some universities require clinical placements, while others value voluntary work, part-time jobs, or even family caring responsibilities. Regardless of the type, what matters most is your reflection and understanding of what it means to be a doctor.

🔑 Why Work Experience Matters

Work experience helps you:

• Understand the daily realities of a career in medicine

• Reflect on whether this path suits your values and strengths

• Demonstrate key qualities like empathy, communication, and teamwork

• Support your UCAS personal statement and medical school interview answers

Medical schools aren’t just seeking impressive placements — they want applicants who have thoughtfully considered why they want to become a doctor.

🏥 Types of Work Experience Medical Schools Accept

You don’t always need to shadow a doctor. Many medical schools also accept:

• Volunteering in care homes or community centres

• Working in customer-facing roles (e.g. shops, restaurants, pharmacies)

• Taking care of family members or siblings

• Participating in online or virtual healthcare experience programmes

Remember: quality and reflection matter more than quantity.

📘 Medical School-by-School Work Experience Summary (2025 Entry)

Here’s a breakdown of each UK medical school’s expectations. These details can change, so please verify them directly with the medical school before making a final application decision. Some medical schools will also require you to provide evidence of your work experience.

Universities That Require or Strongly Favour Work Experience

• Cambridge (Graduate): Must have medical/healthcare work experience, preferably within the NHS.

• Imperial: Strongly favours healthcare experience (online or in-person).

• Manchester: Requires relevant work experience to understand the doctor’s role.

• Oxford (Graduate): Needs health or social care experience to show commitment.

• St Andrews (Standard): Requires experience in a health or care setting.

• Warwick (Graduate): Requires at least 70 hours across two settings and professions in the last 3 years.

• Lancaster: You’ll be required to reflect on work experience at the interview.

Universities Where Work Experience is Encouraged

• Cardiff: Encouraged to demonstrate awareness of UK healthcare in the personal statement.

• East Anglia: Must provide two relevant work experience examples.

• Queen Mary (Barts): You’ll be asked to reflect on your experience at the interview.

• King’s College London: Ideally in caring or public-facing roles.

• Hull York: Encouraged but not mandatory; a realistic understanding is essential.

• Bristol (Gateway): Minimum of five days recommended, but doesn’t have to be clinical.

• Cambridge (Standard): Strongly advised to gain relevant experience.

• Dundee: Experience discussed during the interview.

• Edinburgh: Prioritises quality of experience and your reflections.

• Keele: Requires insight into healthcare; reading or speaking with practitioners can supplement experience.

• Southampton: Requires reflection on interactions with people in healthcare or care settings.

• Newcastle (Graduate): Must have 3+ years of clinical experience as a healthcare professional.

• Nottingham (Graduate): Asks for relevant work or voluntary experience details.

Universities Accepting Broader Definitions of Experience

• Sunderland: Includes caring for family, paid work in public-facing roles.

• St George’s: Focuses on understanding the healthcare profession, not the setting.

• Leicester & Leeds: No formal requirements; reflection is key.

• Lincoln & Nottingham: Accept pandemic limitations; focus on understanding the profession.

• Aberdeen (Gateway): Requires awareness of the profession, with a work experience module.

• Brighton and Sussex: No requirement, but you must show a realistic understanding.

• Liverpool: Requests evidence of insight and awareness through its values document.

Universities Where Work Experience is Not Considered

• Buckingham

• Bradford (Gateway)

• Exeter

• Plymouth

• St Andrews (Gateway)

🧠 Reflection Matters More Than Prestige

If you couldn’t get a hospital placement, don’t panic. Many universities value:

• Voluntary roles in community settings

• Conversations with healthcare professionals

• Virtual work experience (e.g. Observe GP, BSMS Virtual Work Experience)

• Part-time jobs that show interpersonal skills

Use your UCAS personal statement and medical school interview to reflect on:

• What you learned

• What surprised you

• What inspired you

• How the experience confirmed your motivation

💡 Top Tips for Sixth Formers Starting Work Experience

1. Start early – weekends and holidays are ideal.

2. Utilise virtual options if you are unable to access clinical placements.

3. Keep a journal to record your observations and note how they influence your thoughts.

4. Link your experience back to key NHS values (compassion, respect, teamwork).

5. Reflect often – what qualities did you observe in good healthcare workers?

📋 Final Thoughts

Most UK medical schools no longer expect extensive shadowing or hospital placements. Instead, they want real insight into what being a doctor involves, and evidence that you’ve thought critically about your suitability.

Whether your experience comes from a clinic, care home, café, or family setting, what matters is how you reflect on it.