Health : Entry and progression

How do I find a job?

Entry to the health sector depends on individual organisations’ recruitment procedures. The main entry routes are via an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, apprenticeships, work experience and volunteering, and gaining employment either directly or through a scheme.

There are formal career structures and training paths within some larger organisations, such as The National Health Service (NHS) . Details can be found at NHS Careers  and Careers and Opportunities in NHS Scotland . Jobs within the NHS are advertised on NHS Jobs and NHS Scotland Recruitment .

Other vacancies are advertised throughout the year on company websites, in professional journals and magazines (e.g. Community Care , Health Service Journal , Nursing Times and New Scientist Jobs ), on health-specific job websites (e.g. Health Jobs UK , Jobs in Health and NursingNetUK ) and in hospital and trust vacancy bulletins.

Some employers use agencies to help them recruit permanent and temporary staff. NHS Professionals , for example, provides flexible work opportunities for nursing and medical staff. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)  is the representative body for private agencies and provides details of relevant member agencies.

Many smaller companies within the sector have no formal or graduate training schemes. Vacancies may be advertised in the local or national press, relevant journals and association websites or through recruitment consultancies and agencies.

The Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) section of the Skills for Health website has useful information on understanding the sector, types of jobs, career pathways, work experience and volunteering.

Find out more about job application advice.

What skills do I need?

In addition to high level professional and job-specific skills, required skills include:

• patient handling;
• management and leadership;
• teamworking;
• numeracy and literacy;
• communication and language;
• IT and administrative (LMI, National Guidance Research Forum , 2010).

In general, the health sector has a more highly skilled workforce and offers more training than other sectors of the economy. A high proportion of occupations require degree level entry.

Research your area of interest to identify the competences you need to develop. Some jobs may require specific knowledge, skills, experience or technical ability. Other jobs require more general skills, developed through a combination of activities, including academic work, participation in clubs and societies, voluntary work, part-time jobs, work experience and work shadowing.

Where can I find work experience?

Gaining relevant work experience is often essential when applying for jobs and professional training courses within the health sector. Any job-related work experience is valuable as it demonstrates interest and commitment to potential employers or admissions tutors, and will also help you to find out what the work is really like.

Structured work experience schemes are rare but available with some of the larger organisations. Schemes include short-term supervised placements, Easter and summer vacation schemes and year-long industrial placements. Information on these schemes is usually available on company websites.

Work shadowing and volunteering are great ways of gaining experience and skills. Many opportunities are unadvertised and speculative applications may be useful. See the following websites for more information on work experience and volunteering:

• Skills for Health (CIAG section);
• Volunteering England , Volunteer Scotland , Volunteering Wales and Volunteering Wales (Northern Ireland).

Is postgraduate study useful?

Entry into the sector is available at all levels, and formal qualifications are not required for some positions. Some jobs require GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) whereas others require a degree or a postgraduate qualification plus additional supervised training elements before fully-qualified status is achieved.

A relevant postgraduate qualification may be advantageous, and sometimes essential. Postgraduate study is becoming increasingly popular as it enables you to add value to your first degree and develop specialist knowledge and skills.

If you are a graduate in a non-vocational subject, there are a number of possible routes that allow you to retrain in medical and scientific professions. However, your choice will be considerably wider if you have a scientific degree or background.

Shortened postgraduate courses are available in psychology (further study needed for specialisation), dietetics, occupational therapy, radiography, speech therapy, nursing and audiology.

Second undergraduate degrees are required for professions such as medicine (accelerated courses available), dentistry, optometry, orthoptics, physiotherapy, podiatry and orthotics/prosthetics.

See NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) , NHS Careers , professional body websites and Financial Help for Healthcare Students for details of bursaries and funding available.

Art, drama and music therapists usually enter through a degree that is broadly related, followed by specialist postgraduate study. An accredited biomedical science degree is the usual route to becoming a biomedical scientist and a relevant science degree is essential to become a clinical scientist.

The majority of these routes are not open to HND or foundation degree graduates without further study. Check individual job entry requirements for details.

How can my career develop?

Possible areas of career development include specialisation, a move into management and progression into teaching, training, research or academia.

The NHS has developed a career pathway that clearly defines the routes available for career progression. Priorities include structured training and the promotion of lifelong learning through work-based learning, distance and e-learning and further education.

Close collaboration and joint service provision between the NHS and independent healthcare sector has strengthened opportunities for learning and career progression. There are now many opportunities to progress and develop so that skills and expertise are recognised by employers across these sectors.