Work experience
Work experience in the NHS is a fantastic way to gain insight into a particular career. It can also be a valuable way of getting some confidence and experience of working in a team and caring for people. Work experience can help you understand what it is like to work in an area, or prepare for a university application.
Placement opportunities
We offer short work experience placements for those who are going on to Medical School and those who are interested in other roles within the NHS, including clinical and non-clinical professions. You will spend time observing the work of the department and those who work there.
Once you are sure which area you would like to experience, please contact that area directly using the details provided. They will provide you with an application so that we can check that you will get the experience you are looking for, and make arrangements for your placement.
The only placements currently available are listed on this page. We are unable to arrange placements on an ad-hoc basis for any applicant.
If you are over 18, you need to apply for a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check ahead of your placement.
Available placements
Pre Medical School work experience
As part of the UCAS application process it is extremely advantageous to have undertaken some work experience in a hospital / surgery environment.
Sitting in on clinics and consultations may be beneficial, but does not introduce prospective medical students to the practical skills which form a major part of the medical practitioner role. Our week long course exposes you to a range of experiences in a controlled and supervised environment. You'll have the chance to:
- Visit theatres
- Attend clinics, ward rounds and clerk simulated patients
- Speak to doctors and medical students to gain an insight into medical training
- Enjoy talks from medical educationalists about training and applying to medical school
For more information, visit our Medical Education website.
Rockingham (Orthopaedic Elective) Ward - not currently taking applications
*Please note - due to the high number of applications, we are not currently offering placements on Rockingham Ward*
| Placement Name | Rockingham Ward (Orthopaedic Elective) |
|---|---|
| What you will see | Rockingham Ward is a busy, fast-paced ward with 14 orthopaedic elective beds. There will be experience looking after patients from 16 years plus that require elective orthopaedic procedures such as new hip or knee joints. You can experience post op care alongside basic nursing care. |
| Available placements | Monday to Sunday, 7am to 7.30pm. To be arranged on application to suit work experience needs. |
| Contact | Ward Manager: Laura Roberts Email: laura.roberts17@nhs.net |
Ear Care and Audiology
| Placement Name | Ear Care and Audiology |
|---|---|
| What you will see | You will be given the opportunity to observe all routine clinic based elements of Ear Care and Audiology during your placement. This may be located at Rotherham Community Health Centre or Rotherham Hospital. We undertake a range of clinics, including specialist ear care, adult and paediatric audiology which includes hearing tests, hearing aid fittings and repair appointments. You will have the opportunity to spend time with adult and paediatric audiologists, specialist ear care nurses, newborn hearing screeners and technical officers. |
| Available placements | Placements available for a maximum of 1 week, Monday to Friday. |
| Contact | Amanda Burgin, Service Support Manager a.burgin1@nhs.net 01709 423145 |
Fracture and Orthopaedic Clinic
| Placement Name | Fracture and Orthopaedic Clinic |
|---|---|
| What you will see | Our Fracture and Orthopaedic Clinic has appointments with patients that include consultations for pre-operative discussions for joint replacements. Alongside trauma patients that have an orthopaedic injury pre or post op for clinical management. There is also the opportunity to attend the plaster room where patients will have a range of casts applied/removed alongside specialist appliance and casts. |
| Available placements | Placements available Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 7.30pm to be arranged on application to suit your work experience needs. |
| Contact | Department Managers: Charmaine Lait or Amanda Hobson on c.lait@nhs.net and amanda.hobson7@nhs.net |
Ward B5 non-elective surgery (Placements not currently available in this area)
| Placement Name | Ward B5 non-elective surgery |
|---|---|
| What you will see | We are a busy, fast-paced ward with 33 beds caring for acute/non elective surgery patients. There will be experience at looking after general surgery, urology, maxo-facial and medical patients, along with post Intensive Care Unit discharge patients. You will experience caring for these patients pre and post operatively along with delivering basic nursing cares. |
| Available placements | Monday to Sunday, 7am to 7.30pm. Arranged on application. |
| Contact | Lauren Olliver, Ward Manager. Telephone: 01709 425365 Email: lauren.olliver11@nhs.net |
Nutrition and Dietetics
| Placement Name | Nutrition and Dietetics |
|---|---|
| What you will see | You will learn how diet can be used to optimise a patient's health. There will be the opportunity to observe different places that Dieticians work e.g. hospital wards, GP clinics, home visits or teaching education sessions. You will see how Dieticians calculate nutritional requirements and make nutritional plans for patients. |
| Available placements | Contact Natalie Taylor. |
| Contact | Natalie Taylor, Dietician Telephone: 01709 424297 |
Community Occupational Therapy Equipment and Adaptations Service
| Placement Name | Community Occupational Therapy Equipment and Adaptations Service |
|---|---|
| What you will see | As Community Occupational Therapists we visit clients in their own homes to assess for equipment and/or adaptations to enable people to live safely and independently in their own homes. We visit clients with a range of physical disabilities / health needs who are experiencing difficulty with activities of daily living. |
| Available placements | Contact Amy Wright to discuss potential dates. |
| Contact | Amy Wright, Admin Support Officer |
Finance and Procurement
| Placement Name | Finance and Procurement |
|---|---|
| What you will see | The Finance directorate at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust is a varied department incorporating financial management, budget monitoring, financial services, annual accounts production, cashiering, credit control and income, cash management, charity reporting, governance, contracting, procurement, and materials management. The placement will help you understand how finance support patient care through payment of invoices and staff, and by providing financial information to help decision making. It would be ideal for those interested in working with numbers in a practical way. To work in NHS Finance, you need to be adaptable, logical, and able to use Excel. |
| Available placements | Limited placements available. Contact Claire Hall. |
| Contact | Claire Hall: Assistant Head of Financial Services Email: claire.hall16@nhs.net |
Medical Imaging, Physics and Illustration
| Placement Name | Medical Imaging, Physics and Illustration |
|---|---|
| What you will see | Medical Imaging, Physics and Illustration is made up of several departments including: Clinical radiology (Plain film, CT, MRI, Ultrasound, Breast Screening), Medical Physics (Nuclear Medicine, Respiratory Physiology and Cardiology/cardiac devices) and Medical Illustration. This placement can offer a vast insight into the day-to-day tasks of each area, including administrative, clinical and advanced practice roles. |
| Available placements | Limited places available. Please contact for details. |
| Contact | Jennifer Shooter Anthony Brookes |
Digital, data and technology
| Placement Name | Digital, data and technology |
|---|---|
| What you will see | Our Health Informatics directorate provides a wide range of leading edge digital, data, and technology services. From ICT support, software development, data architecture, project management, systems analysis and clinical coding. We are able to offer one or two week introductory placements, either rotating through our departments or focusing on an area of interest. Additionally, we are able to offer placements to undergraduates as part of their year in industry undertaking relevant degrees. |
| Available placements | Dependant on volume of requests and area of specialism. |
| Contact | James Rawlinson, Director of Health Informatics jrawlinson@nhs.net |
Podiatry
| Placement Name | Podiatry |
|---|---|
| What you will see | You will be given the opportunity to observe all clinic based elements of podiatry during your placement this may be at the hospital or in community. We have various clinics from routine to high risk to nail surgery and biomechanics. You will observe multidisciplinary clinics and have the opportunity to discuss with the team any questions you may have. You will observe assessment clinics, wound debridement and dressings during high risk/ wound care appointments. You will have opportunity to spend time with our biomechanics team observing gait analysis and treatment plans for biomechanical problems, as well as observing new patient assessments and routine podiatry treatment, along with time observing our nail surgery team. |
| Available placements | Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm. Date and duration to be agreed on application to suit your work experience needs and the availability of the service. |
| Contact | Angela Flanagan, Specialist Podiatrist Telephone: 01709 427910 Email: angela.flanagan@nhs.net |