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Work experience

Work experience placements are an opportunity for the Trust showcase our fantastic work and inspire young people to consider a career in the NHS and in particular at Oxford University Hospitals.

Information for applicants

A new work experience process is under discussion to improve the application process.

There will be a pause on work experience placements from 1 February 2025. This page will be updated to keep you informed.

We are accepting placements for December 2024 and January 2025.

For those wishing to undertake a work experience placement, age criteria are applied:

at 15 years of age or over students are eligible to apply for a placement in non-clinical areas or departments, where they may undertake administration/clerical type duties
students must be 16 years of age or over to be placed in a clinical area or ward for work shadowing/observation only - they should be assigned to shadow an employee undertaking their normal duties, allowing close observation to gain an insight into the role
students must be 18 years of age or over to be permitted to observe in theatres.

To arrange a placement we actively encourage students to approach departments direct with a cover letter and CV - they may apply for as many placements as they wish.

We regret we cannot offer placements in the Mortuary.

Contact details for departments and services can be found via the A-Z.

Places are offered at the discretion of the supervising department and the Work Experience Office then assists with the pre-placement checks.

Once a place has been agreed please forward the following information via email:

student's name, email address and date of birth - or CV
name, title and site location of who will be supervising the placement
placement dates.

Upon receipt of your email confirming your placement, the Work Experience team will contact you to start your pre-placement checks.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the General Recruitment Team on the following email address.

Email: ouh.workexperience@ouh.nhs.uk

Three-day Nursing Work Experience

For applicants specifically interested in nursing as a career.

Dates to be announced.

Virtual work experience programmes for prospective health professionals

If you are interested in working in the healthcare sector, you can sign up for a short free programme online created by Health Education England and learning platform Springpod.

There are three 10-hour courses available for Nursing, Medicine and Allied Health Professionals. Each programme will provide an overview of what a career as a doctor, nurse or allied health professional looks like, as well as develop key skills for the profession.

There's also the opportunity to hear from NHS professionals and learn about their day-to-day work.

Upon completion, participants are awarded a certificate, which can be useful for CVs, personal statements and interviews.