The most highly-qualified people working in hospitals have done years of study and training to become nurses, doctors and healthcare scientists.
There are also NHS graduate programmes for management, IT, finance, HR and other business functions.
Example jobs
Mental health worker
Working with psychiatric patients to help them recover and leave hospital.
Audiologist
Testing hearing and diagnosing hearing problems.
General practitioner
Seeing people in a health centre, diagnosing and treating medical conditions.
Children’s nurse
Specialising in the care of babies, children and young people in hospital or in the community.
Midwife
Caring for pregnant women and their babies, delivering babies.
Physiotherapist
Treating people with physical problems caused by illness, accident or age, focusing on movement as key to their health and well-being.
Hospital consultant
Specialising in a specific area of medicine, leading a team of other doctors to deliver care in a hospital.
Case study
I have been very fortunate to work with the female British gymnastics team and various other high-level sportspeople.
Nicola Lomax, clinic director and senior physiotherapist, Metro Physio
Things you need to know
Typical working conditions
- You will usually work indoors, in a hospital or health centre, and may wear a uniform.
- You might be required to work shifts.
- The work can be fast-paced, especially in an emergency.
Qualifications needed
You need a degree to become a doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife, scientist or pharmacist. If you are already working for the NHS, you may be able to take a degree as part of your job. You need to be caring while remaining professional, especially when problems arise.
Career path
As a nurse, you can take on more senior roles, including management. You could decide to move into working in a school, company, prison or in the armed forces. Doctors can specialise, become more senior (for example, becoming a consultant) or move into management. They can also work elsewhere, including in private practice.
Useful links
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