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WEX: What Is It?
Working in the NHS and social care is an extremely rewarding career and offers an experience like nowhere else. Every role, whether it is clinical or non-clinical plays a vital role in making a difference to patients, service users and families and carers. While there are many clinical or frontline roles which involve delivering care to patients and families there are also a large number of staff who work in non-clinical areas such as administration, finance, maintenance and media and communications.
Work experience is time spent in a work environment, learning new skills, shadowing staff and gaining first-hand, real-world experience. It offers you a great opportunity to understand different roles in the NHS and gain experience of being in an NHS environment.
What kind of WEX do we offer?
Our Work Experience Programme offers a variety of work experience placements across Alder Hey during the year (although please note that some restrictions apply). Placements are normally 1 week.
Who Can Undertake Work Experience?
Our Work Experience programme is available to everyone, whether you are at school thinking about your future career, taking a career break and wanting a change of direction or currently in work but wanting to try something completely different.
Please note that:
How to Apply/ Information for Applicants
Please email work.experience@alderhey.nhs.uk to request an application pack.
Not all departments are able to accept work experience placements and others will have specific criteria which students must fulfil (details will be in the application pack). We do not consider applications where the criteria have not been met or the correct procedure for applying has not been followed.
All eligible applications are dealt with in strict rotation - as we receive high volumes of applications, particularly in summer, we may not be able to accommodate all requests.
**Please note that as part of your application we will require evidence of your up-to-date immunisations from your GP or a screenshot of your vaccinations information form the NHS App which shows evidence of your immunisations particularly 2 x measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines. If you are unable to obtain a list of your immunisations from your GP/the NHS App you will need to supply written evidence of a blood test result showing immunity to measles, mumps and rubella**
OTHER PLACEMENTS
In addition to WEX, we offer a limited number of placement opportunities for students studying BTEC Health and Social Care as well as students on a range of university courses. We work directly with local Colleges and Universities in this regard. Please note that we do not normally accept applications from individual students for these placements.
NHS Careers - useful websites:
NHS Careers https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/
Includes: Resources for teachers and careers advisors; Information about the range of roles in health; Careers Quizzes to help you find your career; Useful information about pay and benefits;
NHS Careers North West https://nhscareersnw.co.uk/
NHS Jobs https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/ Search for vacancies in the NHS
Alder Hey currently offers supported internships to students from the City of Liverpool College and Greenbank College in partnership with LUFT, DfN Project Search
The aim of supported internships is to prepare young people with additional needs for paid employment by:
Whilst the ideal outcome from a supported internship is the offer of a paid job from an employer, other outcomes include:
Information & Resources for Schools & Colleges
Here at Alder Hey we are passionate about supporting those interested in a career in healthcare to explore different roles and consider the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to work in the NHS.
We know that many young people are not aware of the wide range of roles in the NHS and the different job opportunities available. Areas such as estates and facilities, finance, healthcare science, administration, medical engineering, public health and digital / IT are typically less well known than front-line clinical roles such as nursing, medicine and paramedicine etc. We want to broaden children and young people’s horizons, raise aspirations and also challenge some of the views that children may have about jobs in the health sector and the people who do them.
For Primary Schools
HOLLYS BIG ADVENTURE (ANIMATION)
Join Holly, Alder Hey’s very own Therapy Dog, as she goes on an adventure around the hospital, meeting some of our amazing staff and patients along the way. Find out about some of the jobs that people do, and the skills needed to do them.
NEW RESOURCES AND LINKED WORKBOOK
To accompany the video, we have also created a linked picture book, short story book and wider resources to support discussions about skills, different roles and the world of work. The workbook includes resources that link skills to roles, explores healthy foods, encourages children to learn about their bodies and to think about what they are good at and what they enjoy doing …… and much much more!
SPEND A DAY @ ALDER HEY for Year 2 or 3 pupils: a day of hands-on health related activities in the Institute in the Park on the main Alder Hey site.
To enquire please email joanne.downes@alderhey.nhs.uk
For Secondary Schools/Colleges
STEP INTO ALDER HEY VIDEO showcasing a wide range of different roles within Alder Hey Children's Hospital and the wider NHS.
Doctors, Nurses, Speach & Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Pharmacy, Community, Estates, Project Management, Administration and organisational Management.
WORK EXPERIENCE (must be aged 16+) see details in first section of this page
BTEC / VOCATIONAL PLACEMENTS
ASPIRING MEDICS This one-day intensive programme is aimed at lower sixth students / college equivalent who are serious about wishing to pursue a career in medicine and who are also predicted to achieve the grades necessary to enter medical school. The current minimum A level grades needed are AAA, (Grade A in Biology and Chemistry is the norm plus a further A level at Grade A), noting that some HEIs have contextual offers. Participants will spend day based in the Institute in the Park and will have the opportunity to take part in different workshops, discuss different clinical scenarios, talk to a number of doctors about their roles, ask questions of University admissions tutors and current medical students and explore healthcare today. For further information email:theacademy@alderhey.nhs.uk
CAREERS TALKS / EVENTS – we work with Elevate EBP to support their programme of careers events across the City. We may also be able to support specific events in Schools / Colleges as we have a number of Careers Ambassadors across the Trust who are keen to showcase what they do and inspire the next generation.
Please email joanne.downes@alderhey.nhs.uk to enquire
USEFUL WEBSITES:
NHS Jobs https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/
Search for vacancies in the NHS
Since June 2022, Alder Hey has been working in partnership with the Prince’s Trust to support local people under the age of 30 to help them take their first steps into a career in health and social care.
So, if you’re under 30, we can provide great signposting and advice that’s tailored to your career needs which may include one to one support with searching for the right job for you that matches your skills and experience, help with completing job applications and preparing for interviews, insight days or appropriate apprenticeship programmes that will all help with your future employability and potentially lead to a role with us or another organisation. Quite simply, we’re all here for you.
Reach out to us today by emailing us direct at: jerri.comerford@alderhey.nhs.uk
Alder Hey Children's Charity
