Getting experience

What is getting experience?

Getting experience is an opportunity for young people, those looking for a career change or those who are unemployed to gain experience in a workplace and learn about a role or organisation. It provides you with useful skills, experience and knowledge which can help you gain a job.

Our getting experience opportunities are open to all individuals thinking about a career in health and care and is available across all our employers. There are several placement areas, such as support services, nursing, medical, therapies, healthcare science, psychology, midwifery and so much more.

Our placement offers and opportunities change frequently so please check back regularly if you are looking for something specific or please use the contact form here if you would like a placement that we currently do not have listed.

We offer virtual and face-to-face sessions, depending on safeguarding, clinical environment, and work pressures. Our numbers are limited for our face-to-face offers and only available to Northamptonshire residents.

Getting experience directory

Getting Experience directory

Here you will find our Getting Experience directory with the professions that we offer placements in. We are delighted that our offer has now reintroduced face-to-face roles, as well as continuing our virtual and hybrid opportunities. The available roles are listed in the Getting Experience directory. If you are interested in getting experience with us, contact careersacademy@nhft.nhs.uk.

Our Getting Experience directory
Allied Health Professionals	Available - face to face (Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language Therapy)
Ambulance service	Coming soon!
Dental	Available - face to face Available - virtual
Doctors	Coming soon! Available - virtual
Health informatics	Coming soon!
Healthcare science	Coming soon!
Healthcare support worker	Available - face to face
Management	Coming soon!
Medical associate professions	Coming soon!
Midwifery	Available - virtual
Nursing	Available - virtual
Pharmacy	Available - face to face
Psychological professions	Available - face to face
Public health	Coming soon!
Wider healthcare team	Available - face to face (roles in various settings, including the office, reception, cafeteria and corporate positions)
Social care	Coming soon!

If a placement for a profession you are interested in isn’t listed, please contact us. We will always try to offer a placement where we can, but the health and care of our patients and the current work environment will always be considered first, we will however try to offer an alternative where we can.

If you’re interested in a role, but unsure which profession it sits within, please explore the 350 roles available.

Virtual experience - LearnLive

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Learnlive

LearnLive is our virtual platform that has pre-recorded videos that can be used to support getting experience and is completely free for schools. You can access live and pre-recorded broadcasts at any time, plus there are other great ways to interact with us.

We are always adding to our library, so please check back.

Virtual getting experience videos available
Classroom takeover! Clinical Psychology	Pre-recorded	Coming soon!
Mental Health nursing in the NHS	Pre-recorded	Coming soon!
I want to be a Midwife	Pre-recorded	Coming soon!
Nursing and Midwifery	Live broadcast	Coming soon!
Allied Health Professions	Live broadcast	Coming soon!
Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy	Live programme	Coming soon!
Ambulance service	Live programme	Coming soon!
I’m a Medic – Get me out of here!	Live programme	Coming soon!
Spotlight on Social Care	Live programme	Coming soon!
We’re not just Doctors and Nurses!	Live programme	Coming soon!

Additional information

Advice

Being able to offer you advice and support, whether you are a student, parent, career lead or manager, is important to us.

If you have any questions get in touch with us.

Advice for students

Applying for a health and care placement should mean you have a real interest in the sector. If you are unsure, please check out our LearnLive broadcasts before you apply for a placement or contact us. This makes sure we give placements based on interest. We also ask for evidence that you are studying subjects suitable for your career interest.

Making the most out of your experience

Please dress smartly, be on time and willing to learn
Ask lots of questions; the more you ask the more it will show your interest and the more you will learn
Make notes, offer to help and follow health and safety procedures

Youth Employment UK has lots of great resources, opportunities and free training to support your learning and experience of the world of work here.

Advice for parents

We are currently in the process of restarting some of our getting experience placements. This will be conducted in phases taking into consideration pressures across services and current guidance around COVID. A full statement will be shown on our website when restrictions ease and we allow getting experience placements to recommence fully.

In the meantime, please refer to our parents and carers page for further information. Please visit our careers page for guidance on the many careers in health and care, or look at our work experience directory, above, for current and upcoming programmes.

If you have a question that cannot be answered from the information available, please use the contact us form.

Advice for career leads

We are still adding and improving the information available on our website, please do check back regularly for updates.

Find out more information about the following by visiting their dedicated information sections:

If you have a question that cannot be answered from the information available, please use the contact us form.

Tips for personal statements:

Advice for staff / managers

Please give your time where you can by joining our NEXTGEN Ambassador programme. The programme is about staff inspiring young people and others already working with us. They can offer getting experience opportunities, first-hand experiences and information on roles across health and care by sharing your their knowledge.

You can choose the activities you would like to be involved in and all we ask it a commitment of one event per year, which could be as little as an hour.

If you want to make a difference, help inspire and champion the work you do, joining our new ambassador programme is a great way to do this! Head over to our NEXTGEN Ambassador page to sign up!

Click here to find out more about our NEXTGen ambassador programme

Where could it take you?

You can use experience in many ways. It helps you gain confidence, dispels myths about a profession and gives you insight and experience into a career. This allows you to make an informed decision about your next or first steps.