Career changers
Are you passionate about what you do but are looking to change employer? Perhaps you are looking for a complete change of career and are considering retraining for a healthcare profession. Either way, the NHS will have a career for you. We recruit from all ages, backgrounds and levels of experience and offer an excellent benefits package for all employees. You can find out more on the benefits of working in the NHS.
Make a difference
You can join the NHS in a huge variety of roles where you will be working directly with patients, and there is a variety of entry routes open to you.
You may not want to undergo years of training but still be keen to join the NHS and make a difference to patients' lives. For many of the clinical support worker roles, for example working as an occupational therapy assistant, medical laboratory assistant or maternity support worker, you don't need a host of academic qualifications. Instead, employers will look for motivation and enthusiasm and you can progress your career by learning whilst you work.
Alternatively, you may be keen to undertake a degree, diploma or other formal training to start your new career. This could lead you to a job working in, for example, nursing or in healthcare science, as a physiotherapist, a paramedic or a dental therapist. There is no upper age limit to commencing training and any experience you can bring will be an asset. If you haven't worked in healthcare before it is wise to get some work experience or voluntary work in your area of interest to satisfy yourself this is the career you want to follow, and to emphasise your commitment to your training.
You can read more about how some people changed career and joined the NHS.
Qualifications
You may be concerned that you don't have recent qualifications such as GCSEs or NVQs. But because the NHS welcomes people of all ages and experiences there are a number of routes into training. For example, many candidates for nursing and midwifery courses have left school some years ago or are coming to nursing or midwifery through existing healthcare experience. Some have no formal qualifications but are still able to join an access course which will lead them to higher education.
Management experience
There is variety of management roles within the NHS where you can put to use the experience you have gained in your previous roles, either in the public or private sectors. Some management roles would like you to build on your clinical work, others expect you to utilise your skills in finance, communications, IT or project management for example. You can join the NHS at a level corresponding to your skills and expertise.
Read more about management careers in the NHS. Read the experiences of some individuals who have joined the NHS with previous management experience.
Gateway to Leadership
Gateway to Leadership is a 24-month programme to develop talented managers for a range of leadership roles within the NHS. You'll be given a real and challenging role from the start. You can expect to be working as a senior manager with real expectations on you to deliver and perform at an early stage.
If you're successful in being offered a place on the Gateway to Leadership programme, you will be matched with a NHS organisation. It will employ you on a permanent contract in a senior management role. This could be in an acute hospital trust, primary care, a mental health or specialist trust such as an ambulance trust, or a strategic health authority in England.
To find out more about the Gateway to Leadership programme and to see if you may be eligible to apply, go to www.nhsgatewaytoleadership.co.uk.
