Those wanting to go to medical school to become a doctor can be offered a placement in one of a range of medical specialties.  The placement will consist of three days (normally Tuesday to Thursday at either Maidstone Hospital or Tunbridge Wells Hospital. Applicants can express a preference for a placement in a particular area of interest, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to arrange this.

Examples of placements in specialities are:

• Accident & Emergency
• Acute Medicine
• Cardiology
• Gastroenterology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Intensive Care Unit

Individuals who are 17 years and older only at the time of the placement will also be able to request a placement within Surgery, Trauma & orthopaedics, Anaesthetics, or Oncology.

Entry requirements:

• Have achieved at least 5 GCSEs at grade 9-6, including English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics
• Be studying towards and expect to achieve the qualifications that will enable you to enter into a career in medicine
• Be committed to apply to a UK medical school within the next 12 months

Availability:

• Will accommodate placements throughout the year apart from December, January and the summer holidays as these are exceptionally busy times.

We are offering a seven-week nursing programme. This placement will involve a general overview of this career in a two-hour session after school every Tuesday for seven weeks.

We currently do not offer any opportunities within Paediatrics.

Criteria:

• Extremely caring individual
• Comfortable with exposure to bodily fluids and potentially distressing environments
• Individual must demonstrate enthusiasm and professionalism

Availability:

• Twelve spaces available for programme starting on the first week of June

This cross site four-day placement will involve exploring how the laboratory works and spending one day within each pathology discipline: Microbiology, Cellular Pathology, Blood Sciences and Point of Care Testing (POCT).

Criteria:

• Display keen interest in Biomedical Science and Pathology

Availability:

• Seven placements – one individual per week between June and July

Exciting day within the Diagnostic Radiography team where you will observe a range of X-rays and CT scanning. In addition, you may be rotated through Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound and Nuclear Medicine, depending on your preferences.

Criteria:

• Age 18 and over, with a keen interest in radiology/ diagnostic imaging
• GCSE Grade 4 and above in Maths, Science, and English
• Have already obtained or on track for A-Levels (BBC) to include a science or equivalent BTEC – 112 UCAS points

Availability:

• 1 x placement a day in the Easter holidays
• Several placements available in July and August

Exciting Radiotherapy placement available at either our Maidstone or Canterbury site where you will observe treatment procedures, CT planning, and discuss opportunities with specialist radiographers.

Criteria:

• Must demonstrate a keen interest in Radiology
• GCSE Grade 4 and above in Maths, Science, and English
• Be studying or already secured A-level qualifications or equivalent in Physics, Chemistry or Biology/ Human Biology

Availability:

• 4 x placements available during the Easter holidays
• Several placements available in July and August

Spend two days with our physiotherapists. Gain an insight into the day-to-day life of a physiotherapist, exploring patient treatment plans to increase their mobility and/or function following injury, illness, or surgery.

Criteria:

• Must be comfortable with bodily fluids
• Be interested in studying Physiotherapy at University or completing a degree apprenticeship
• 5 x GCSEs (9-4/A-C) including English Language, Maths and at least one Science
• Have already obtained or on track for 2 or 3 x A levels (or equivalent), including a biological science and/or PE

Availability:

• Several placements available at Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells throughout June and July

Spend two days with our occupational therapists. You will observe occupational therapists as they assess the patients’ independence and ability to conduct everyday tasks.  Working with the discharge team, you will assess whether the patient has the appropriate equipment in place to be discharged to live independently.

Criteria:

• Patient individual who is a good communicator
• 5 x GCSE Grades 9-4 or A-C, including Science
• Be on track to achieving or already obtained 2 or 3 A-Levels

Availability:

• Several placements available at Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells throughout June and July

Spend two days with the speech and language teams, assessing patients’ communication and swallow. You will attend team meetings and debriefs. If you have a particular interest in being placed on a stroke ward, please state in your application.

Criteria:

• Good communicator
• 5 x GCSEs, grades 9-4 or A-C, including English Language, Maths and Science
• Be on track to achieving or have already obtained 2 or 3 A-Levels

Availability:

• Several placements available at Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells throughout June and July

Spend one day with the dietetic team where you will observe the team assess, diagnose, and treat nutritional and dietary problems. You will attend team meetings, observe staff completing nutrition updates before the ward rounds, and observe the creation of community referral plans before the patient is discharged.

Criteria:

• 5 x GCSE (9-4/A-C), including Maths, English and Science
• Considering studying the subject at university or as a degree apprenticeship
• To study Dietetics, you must be on track for AAA or equivalent at A-Level

Availability:

• Several placements available at Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells throughout June and July

This five-day placement will involve shadowing staff in undertaking daily tasks such as dispensing, accuracy checking, medicines management in a ward setting with pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and clinical pharmacy assistants, pharmacy stores, pharmacy distribution services, pharmacy automation such as pharmacy dispensing robot and Omnicell stock cabinets.

Criteria:

• At least 5 x GCSEs – Grade 4 and above. This must be in Maths, English, and Science.
• For those interested in pursing a Pharmacy degree (MPharm) individuals must be taking 3 x A levels. This must include Chemistry and another science e.g., Biology/Physics or Maths and another high-grade A-Level academic qualification.

Availability:

• 1 x placement available per week at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells throughout July and August.

Brand new three-day Oncology pharmacy placement. This placement involves the same tasks as the Pharmacy placement but will be more specifically involved in the treatment of cancer.

Criteria:

• At least 5 x GCSEs – Grade 4 and above. This must be in Maths, English, and Science
• For those interested in pursing a Pharmacy degree (MPharm) individuals must be taking 3 x A levels. This must include Chemistry and another science e.g., Biology/Physics or Maths and another high-grade A-Level academic qualification

This five-day placement will involve shadowing a midwife to understand the role and scope of midwifery practice – this may include community, birth centres and acute hospital care.

Criteria:

• GCSE Grade 4 or above in Maths and English
• Be passionate about the subject and considering studying the subject at university or as a degree apprenticeship
• Midwifery is a competitive degree course with high expectations of academic grades
• Comfortable with possible exposure to bodily fluids and sensitive information

Availability:

• 4 x placements available during the Easter holidays
• Several placements available at the end of June and throughout July and August

This five-day placement will involve shadowing a range of disciplies in Medical Physics. This includes Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Physics, Radiation Engineering, Computer Sciences and Radiotherapy Physics. Please note that under 18s will be more limited in terms of exposure to radiation within Radiation Physics.

Criteria:

• Interested in pursing Medical Physics as a career
• Achieved or working towards an A-Level in Physics

Availability:

• 2 x placements in Easter holidays
• Several placements on offer during June and July

An exciting opportunity to be involved in training, working with our staff networks, and learning about the engagement and retention team.

Criteria:

• Interest in EDI
• Interest in staff engagement and retention – why staff work and stay at MTW

Availability:

• 1 x placement in Easter
• 1 x placement in the summer

Spend three days shadowing the Communications team. You will learn more about their roles, see how they respond to media enquiries, draft copy for their communication channels, including digital newsletters and social media. You may also observe planning meetings with different departments, and may potentially go around the hospital following up on staff stories, capturing photos and videos.

Criteria:

• Interest in writing, journalism, social media, video and photography

Availability:

• 1 x placement over the Easter
• 2 x placements over the summer

This department is offering a five-day placement involving our Clinical Software System team. This placement will involve working with various teams.

Placement outline:

• One day will be spent with the Sunrise Business Change Team- involved with stakeholder meetings to capture the changes that are required, writing a functional specification document, validating changes within the system and/or supporting troubleshooting.
• One day will be spent with the Sunrise Configuration team – translating the functional specification paper document from the Business Change team into a design using software provide to us.
• One day will be spent with the Clinical Systems Testing Team – this will involve going through testing scripts and testing out new functionality.
• Two days will be spent with the Clinical System Management team – going through all the clinical systems that are supported, preparing computer log in packs for staff, learning about the IT helpdesk and how we support users with a range of issues with password resets.

Availability:

• 1 x placement available during the Easter holidays
• 3 x placements available during the summer months

The IT department is offering a three-day placement. This placement will involve working with various teams and shadowing members who work with Systems, Networks, Desktop, Devices Service Sesk and IT Projects.

Placement outline:

• You will spend your placement at either the Tunbridge Wells or Maidstone site where you will observe the desktop team to support with a range of IT issues which may occur in various departments
• For those interested in cyber security or our systems and servers, you will be based within our Maidstone office.

Availability:

• Several placements available throughout June and July

This five-day placement will involve spending some time within the Purchase Ledger, Sales Ledger and Cash, Capital and Charitable Funds team.

Depending on your interests, you may even be able to spend time with costing, income and financial management teams.

Criteria:

• Interest in Finance

Availability:

• 1 x placement available per week within the months of June and July

The Research and Innovation team and Learning and Development department have teamed up to offer a four- day placement. This placement will involve working with various teams and shadowing members who work within Research and Innovation, Libraries, Learning, Systems and Compliance, and Career Development.

Criteria:

• Interest in research, HR, innovation and development

Availability:

• Several placements available every other week throughout June and July

The Reception team is offering a three-day placement involving meeting and greeting patients, directing patients and visitors to the correct departments and collecting wheelchairs.

Availability:

• Several placements available every other week throughout June and July