What is a clinical placement before medical school?

A clinical placement can be defined as any arrangement where a student is present, for educational purposes, in an environment that provides healthcare or related services to patients or the public.

Where can I do this?

In any one of these places:

• Teaching hospitals
• Private hospitals and clinics
• Community health centres
• Specialist areas, such as early childhood services, or drug and alcohol services

Who to approach?

Hospital: Every hospital has a medical education department which can usually be contacted through the hospital switchboard or by email.

GP / dental surgeries: Most surgeries have a practice manager who can be approached to find out if placements are possible.

Community Health Centres: Like GP practices, community health centres also have a manager or a senior nurse who can be approached.

When should I do a clinical placement?

Your local hospital will have its own work experience guidelines, explaining when it will be willing to host placements. There is often an application process, and placement numbers are often limited and can quickly become fully booked, so the sooner you start looking, the better.

During the placement you may get an opportunity to sit in on a clinic and observe and ask questions. Some placements have also give the opportunity to observe procedures in the outpatient setting. Theatre experience is often limited in many hospitals at this stage of your career, and may only be allowed at the medical/dental student level. This does not matter for those budding young surgeons. At this stage you’re only obtaining a preliminary exposure to work in a clinical setting.

Although many placements are appropriate for sixth-form students, some people like to get earlier experience, well before A-levels, in order to help them decide whether medicine is the right career for them.

Why should I do a placement?

A work placement before applying to medical or dental school shows your commitment to the subject. Demonstrating that you’ve taken time to explore and test your vocation in medicine or dentistry can be a real strength in your application. Work placements can also benefit you in the interview setting, giving you the experience to talk about subjects such as what makes a good leader, and they can also help you clarify in your mind the reasons why you want to go to medical school. Finally, they enable you to demonstrate that you’ve had an authentic involvement in in a patient’s journey.

To get the most out of your placement, dress smartly, show interest and engagement, then, afterwards, spend time reflecting on the placement, so that you can draw on your experience fully when answering interview questions.