Work experience requirements for Nursing, Medical, Social Work and Veterinary Science Courses

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Work experience requirements for Nursing,
Medical, Social Work and Veterinary Science
Courses
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• Contents
• Nursing, Midwifery Social Work Courses
  presented by Vanessa Chetwyn De Montfort
  University
• Veterinary Science Courses presented by
  Richard Stringer University of Nottingham
• Medicine Courses presented by Dr Margaret
  Barnes-Davies University of Leicester

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Work experience requirements for Nursing and
Midwifery
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• Nursing and Midwifery
• Two very popular course areas both here at DMU
  and nationally across the UK.
• 134,267 applications were made in 2012 for just
  25,000 places.
• Increased competition results in a greater
  emphasis being placed on the students
  application.
• Admissions tutors are looking for more than just
  good grades.
• Applicants need to demonstrate they have the
  right skills and attributes to succeed on the
  course and in the career itself.
• Source UCAS Data Resources 2012

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• Current entry requirements for Nursing and
  Midwifery are usually set at
• 5 to 6 GCSEs Grade C and above (inc English and
  Math)
• Between 240 and 320 UCAS points
• Universities prefer applicants with a science
  subject but its not always a requirement.
• Complete an occupational health check
• Pass a DBS disclosure check
• Successfully pass an interview
• Work experience is currently not a compulsory
  requirement

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• However.....
• Work experience is extremely important if
  students want to demonstrate that they
• a) understand what a career in nursing and
  midwifery involves.
• b) Have the confidence and experience of caring
  for people.
• c) Have used and developed keys transferable
  skills such as team work, organisational and time
  management, communication skills etc.
• d) Can display empathy, sensitivity, flexibility
  and emotional resilience.

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• Work experience is also beneficial because.....
• Its a great way of seeing what its like working
  in the health service.
• It can help students definitely decide what kind
  of health care career they want.
• It shows commitment to their future career in the
  NHS
• Most importantly your chances of being accepted
  on to a nursing and midwifery programme are
  significantly increased if you can demonstrate
  relevant work experience.

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• Where to find work experience.....
• Work experience can be paid or voluntary
• Course placements will be taken into
  consideration but not as stand alone evidence.
• The longer the experience the better, and the
  broader the set of experiences the better.
• Personal experiences such as caring for a
  relative should be spoken about but not used
  exclusively as evidence.
• Experience can be from a multitude of settings
  not necessarily just from within the NHS

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• Where to find work experience.....
• In a hospital or clinical setting
• The NHS is made up of 400 individual NHS trusts
  each responsible for arranging work experience.
• Students/teachers can contact their local NHS
  trust and enquire about available work
  experience placements.
• You can find your local NHS trust by visiting NHS
  Choices or Step into NHS websites.

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• In a hospital or clinical setting
• Students need to submit an application form
  detailing why they want to do the placement and
  how they feel they will benefit from the
  experience.
• Competition for places is high
• Limited number of opportunities available
• Might not always be possible to gain an
  experience in your first choice career but any
  experience in a healthcare setting will be
  beneficial.
• Students should apply as early as possible to
  secure the best chance of being accepted.

3 options available working with University
Hospitals Leicester.
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• Work experience outside of hospitals and clinical
  settings....
• Students can also gain healthcare experience in a
  variety of non-clinical settings.
• Residential care homes
• Charity organisations such as Mind, Shelter, Age
  Concern, Rainbows, LOROS
• Shadowing of NHS staff in the community school
  nurse, health visitors etc
• Patient visiting and befriending volunteering
• Community groups SureStart, breastfeeding
  groups, etc
• Interviewing NHS staff local GP, community
  nurse/midwife,
• Other sources of experience....
• Any volunteering experience demonstrates
  selflessness and commitment
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Showcases key skills
  such as leadership and team work
• Part time jobs Demonstrates time management,
  responsibility and working with the public
• Caring for relatives Showcases care and
  compassion
• Gap years abroad gain an international
  perspective of healthcare.

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• Writing about their experience....
• Whatever the type of experience(s) the student
  has, writing about them effectively is really
  important.
• Wherever possible students should talk not just
  about what they did as part of the placement but
  what they learnt from it.
• Talking about transferable skills is key to
  demonstrating your suitability to the career.
• Link it in to the 6 Cs of Nursing Midwifery
• Care
• Communication
• Compassion
• Courage
• Competency
• Commitment

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Work experience requirements for Social Work
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• Social Work
• Social Work is in the top 10 most popular courses
• DMU received over 600 applications in 2013 for 50
  places
• Social Work is a professional course which upon
  competition students can register as a Social
  Worker and begin to practise.

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• Entry Requirements
• Current entry requirements for Social Work
• 5 to 6 GCSEs Grade C and above (inc English and
  Math)
• Between 240 and 320 UCAS points
• Pass a DBS disclosure check
• Successfully pass an interview
• Work experience can be a compulsory requirement
  for some Social Work degrees.
• Individual universities set their own conditions
  for the amount of work experience needed.
  Students should research entry requirements
  before applying.

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• Work Experience Requirements
• Universities usually ask for anywhere between 6
  weeks to 6 months of work experience.
• This usually has to be work that directly
  involves interacting with service users.
• Placements done as part of a school/college
  course arent always accepted.
• Personal experience of social services may be
  classed as relevant experience and should be
  spoken about on the application

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• Where can you get work experience?
• Think about who are service users.....
• Adults 18
• Children and families
• Specific users....
• The elderly
• Young offenders
• Addicts
• Patients with mental health problems
• Homeless people
• Children in care etc
• Students can contact charities, community groups,
  volunteering centres, NHS departments, Local
  Authorities etc

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• Work Experience...
• Admissions tutors are looking for students who
  are emotionally resilient and prepared for the
  career ahead.
• They will assess what skills you possess to help
  you become a safe, confident and competent Social
  Worker.
• Students should consider the Framework of
  Capabilities for Social Workers when talking
  about work experience.
• Professionalism
• Values Ethics
• Diversity
• Rights, Justice and Economic Wellbeing
• Knowledge
• Critical reflection and analysis
• Intervention and Skills
• Leaderships

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Useful Websites NHS Choices - www.nhs.uk Step
in to the NHS - www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk Nursing
Midwifery Council www.nmc-uk.org Health
Care Professions Council www.hpc-uk.org De
Montfort University www.dmu.ac.uk
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Work experience requirements for Veterinary
Medicine
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• Veterinary Medicine at Nottingham
• Minimum six weeks of work experience but the more
  the better!
• Recommended Small and large animal vets
• Recommended At least one week in a dairy farm,
  one week lambing and one week in a stables
• Six weeks of one type of experience is not enough
• Get references from all work experiences

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• Why work experience?
• Not a tick box exercise work experience really
  matters!
• To gain insight into what its really like to be
  a vet
• To understand different environments and
  different animal types
• Ensure its the right career path for you!
• Shows you are proactive and enthusiastic

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Work experience requirements at seven UK vet
schools
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• What counts as work experience
• Work experience in abattoirs some universities
  require this others dont
• Lab based experience counts if linked to
  veterinary medicine but not essential
• Animal charities yes but looking for practical
  animal handling experience
• Office based experience in a related field good
  but doesnt count!
• Work experience abroad good but the course
  qualifies you to be a vet in the UK so the
  majority should be UK based

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• Talking about work experience
• Universities are looking for academic ability AND
  personal attributes
• Develop understanding of a vets role in the UK
• Awareness of vets place in the wider context
  e.g. in world issues like the BSE crisis and
  public health
• Was anything surprising? What did you learn?

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• Personal statements
• Keep a reflective diary of your work experience
• Your chance to stand out from the crowd
• Voice your own opinions you can be critical of
  your experience!
• How has work experience inspired you? What have
  you learnt about yourself?

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Scenarios
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• A student who grew up on a farm do they still
  need formal work experience?
• Yes!
• To get onto the course you need work experience
  in a variety of settings
• They can count work experience on another farm
  all farms work differently
• The course focuses on different types of animals
• Check other universities policies!

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• A student with their own horse
• This can count as animal handling experience
  (good!) but not as work experience
• A student with specific interests
• Having lots of work experience in one area, e.g.
  exotic animals, is great if thats their main
  interest shows motivation and enthusiasm
• However, the course covers various areas
• They may change their mind!

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• Barriers to work experience
• Age some places, like abattoirs, can be
  difficult to get into when youre under 18
• Living inner city can make it hard to get into
  rural settings
• No ready made contacts

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• How to get work experience
• We are looking for determination and motivation!
• Cold-calling
• Going in person
• Friends and family contacts
• The Student Room forum
• Advice from current or previous Vet Med students

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• If a student cant get sufficient work experience
• We will take into consideration any difficulties
  you have experienced send information in
  writing to the vet school
• Try your best - even if its just shadowing or
  talking informally to a vet
• Be creative and think outside the box show you
  have done your absolute best to get animal
  related experience

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• Other animal related courses
• e.g. Animal Science and Zoology
• Work experience is good but not essential
• Can be in a variety of settings e.g. veterinary
  practice, zoos, farms
• Admissions tutors are looking for genuine
  interest in animals and their biology rather than
  hands on experience or commitment to a specific
  career
• Use work experience as a way to stand out from
  the crowd

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• Summary
• Work experience is vitally important
• Good work experience gives insight into the
  profession in a variety of settings
• Importance of reflecting on students experience
• Vet schools will look at references written after
  students work experience
• Start early!

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• Useful resources
• http//www.nottingham.ac.uk/vet/
• http//www.rcvs.org.uk/education/
• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• http//www.workshop-uk.net/vetsim
• Vetsim course
• http//www.bva.co.uk/
• British Veterinary Association
• Vet Records magazine and Farmers Weekly to keep
  up to date on current issues!