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.
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 | We are happy to accept requests for work experience, however due to current service pressures, we are restricting these requests to a maximum of 1 per quarter. 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
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer work experience placements as we regularly host student placements throughout the year as part of their university Dietetic degree course.
However, we are happy to receive enquiries from those interested in studying for a Dietetic degree. We can offer an in person visit or a virtual visit on Microsoft Teams where you can learn about the role of a Dietitian, university course requirements and career prospects.
Contact: Sharron Cussens on 01709 426244 or email sharron.cussens@nhs.net
Therapy Services
| Placement Name | Therapy Services |
|---|---|
| What you will see | Therapies Services is made up of a number of professions including Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy. This placement will offer an insight into the day to day tasks of each area with an opportunity to observe the different places our multi-disciplinary team work. This could include hospital wards, GP clinics, home visits and care homes. You would shadow one of our team or observe classes with the opportunity to ask questions to gain a further insight into a career within this field. Please note: We are only able to offer work experience placements to people aged 16 and over. |
| 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 | Work experience placements are only available to school or college students (such as school students in Year 10 to Year 13, or those in college studying NVQ Level 2 or 3). Unfortunately we cannot offer voluntary work placements for those wanting work experience to anyone who is not a current student at a school or college. The work experience placements offered are for the duration of 1 week. To request a work experience placement, please email the contact details below, including a summary of why you are interested in doing work experience at the Trust’s Finance Department, and the dates that you are wanting to do the placement. Please note: the Finance Department’s busiest time of year is April to June, so we are less likely to be able to offer placements during that time of year. |
| Contact | Eve Allsop, Head of Financial Services Email: evelyn.allsop@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 |
Chaplaincy
| Placement Name | Chaplaincy |
|---|---|
| What you will see | Work alongside the Duty Chaplain and visit patients who have previously been identified by the Chaplaincy team, offering time and space for those who would like to speak to them. |
| Available placements | To request a work experience placement, please email us. In your email, include a summary of why you are interested in doing work experience at the Trust's Chaplaincy Department, and the dates that you are wanting to do the placement. Please note all applicants must be over the age of 18. |
| Contact | Ustadah Maysoon Shafiq Email: maysoon.shafiq2@nhs.net |