Work Experience Guidance

Advice on how to find experience worth having, and how to reflect on it so it holds up in the statement and under questioning at interview.

Who this is for

Students in Year 11 or Year 12 who have little or no experience yet and do not know where to start looking. This is the page you want if the problem is having nothing to write about.
Students who have done placements but cannot say what they learnt beyond that it was interesting.
Students without family contacts in medicine, who need routes that do not depend on knowing a consultant.

Where to look for clinical, caring and volunteering experience, including routes that do not rely on personal contacts.
What admissions tutors actually value, which is usually sustained caring experience rather than a week of shadowing.
How to keep a reflective record while the experience is happening, rather than trying to remember it a year later.
How to turn a placement into two or three sentences that show insight rather than description.
[TO CONFIRM] Session length, format and number of sessions.
[TO CONFIRM] Any templates or written materials provided.

1
Look at what is already there
We start with any experience already done, including part time jobs and caring for family members, which students often discount.
2
Plan what to add
We agree what is realistic to arrange in the time available and how to approach it. Format is [TO CONFIRM].
3
Practise the reflection
The student practises talking about a placement in terms of what it showed them about medicine, not what happened on the ward.

Approach placements, care homes and volunteering with a clear ask rather than a vague email.
Write about experience in the personal statement in a way that shows insight rather than listing dates.
Answer 'what did your work experience teach you' at interview with something specific.

Price

[TO CONFIRM]

[TO CONFIRM] Payment options for work experience guidance.