Work Experience

[Polldoll]

Hi

Has anyone got any advice about how to get work experience with a doctor? One of my friends who is also a student nurse is struggling to find a doctor that will let her shadow them for a bit.

Are there any nurses doing medicine here, and if so did you get extra work experience or is nursing enough??

Many thanks
Px

[tinsel]

Hi, getting work experience is very difficult and if you know a doctor then it is lots easier-try the people you meet through your course maybe?
I'd guess that working as a nurse would suffice but i'm not so sure about being a student nurse (from the unis point of view- personally i think its more than enough!).
If you do find it very hard then other things will do instead-such as volunteering in a healthcare setting-care home/hospice etc. Be prepared to give up several hours a week. I massively underestimated the amount of work exp expected, some candidates have done immense amounts, disadvantaging everyone else.

[angel-a]

for most other people from an academic background having nursing experience might be enough..but with your background I think its vital that you get experience with a doctor. This is because most uni's love to ask nurses...so why a doctor and not a nurse?? then you answer and then but why?..but why?...but WHY???? (newcastle GEP) It will be very useful if you could shadow a doctor so you can make this distinction yourself.
I think the only way to get work experience of this kind nowadays is networking..put yourself out there..while you're on placements figure out which doctors seem genuine and just ask if you can sit in on a clinic or two..then they'll tell someone who'll tell someone who will say no probs you can follow me too. I got to see surgery (masectomy, key hole, hernia repairs) was in outpatients (chaperoning in breast clincs), shadowed an SHO on a night shift, a radiologist, saw muslce biopsies...all you need to do is ask. The worst they can say is no and then you'll still be where you are.
good luck!

[Roseofjericho]

Really do try to get shadowing experience. I have a strong w/e background (several years as an A grade), which i thought would be enough.

Then when i got into the interview i realised i was answering everything from a nursing perspective, and failed to give a good explanation for the "why not nursing?" question - mainly because i concentrated too much on the downsides of nursing, which invited them to ask me how the things i had listed would be different in medicine. Didn't get an offer.....

Do you not know any of the doctors from the wards you've had your placements on? Perhaps next time you're there, just explain the situation to an SHO. I can't imagine they'd say no.