‘Please be aware, any emails received to the email addresses below that do not meet the specific criteria stated may not be responded to, as it will be assumed you have viewed the decision tree and followed the appropriate channels to source your placement’.
Work experience is an unpaid, short-term placement, undertaken by students wishing to learn about a particular job or area of work. It offers an opportunity for students to find out what skills employers look for when they are recruiting for a position and provides them a chance to develop their self-confidence and communication skills.
Most work experience attachments are from school students wanting to sample healthcare before considering onward choices about medicine-related subjects. There are many aspects to healthcare from nursing to medicine, management to finance, surgery to psychology, therapies to pharmacy, and IT to administration – all of which support our organisation in its vision of delivering world-leading quality patient care.
RNOH does not currently offer a centralised work experience programme. However, there are many responsible clinicians and staff in senior posts who would be willing to support a few placements per year. It is for an individual department to decide if a work experience placement can be accommodated and to make the necessary arrangements. Please note that because these attachments need supervision, many staff will not be able to assist due to their own clinical commitments which cannot be disrupted.
Anaesthetics and Surgery
The Trust offers both work experience in Anaesthetics and Surgery for those interested in applying to medical school. In order to be considered you will need to submit your CV in addition to the work experience application form. Your CV must include evidence of the A Levels you are studying. These placements usually take place during the school holidays.
In addition to this, the team can also offer clinical observer placements – please complete the form here. Please ensure this department name is stated on the email and return to: rnoh.
Therapies work placements
The Therapies Department runs a combined Allied Health Professions (AHP) work experience programme. This may include spending time shadowing Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Dieticians, Speech and Language Therapists, Orthotists, and Prosthetists, subject to availability. Due to high demand, this programme is only open to students looking to study one of these AHP professions.
Interested? – Please complete the Work experience application form and ensure this department name is stated on the email and return to: rnoh.
Spinal Or PNI (Physical and Neurological Impairment).
The RNOH is recognised as a leading UK tertiary centre for the treatment of spinal injury and complex peripheral nerve injuries. Services include highly complex brachial plexus nerve repair and nerve transplantations in both infants and adults. Some patients are seen and treated as emergencies as a result of acute trauma, and others are referred because of chronic problems associated with earlier injury. The unit also deals with nerve tumours in the upper and lower limbs.
Interested? – Please complete the Work experience application form stating which department you wish to apply for (Spinal or PNI) and ensure the department name is stated on the email and return to: rnoh.
Cellular and Molecular Pathology (Histopathology)
Applications are now closed for placements over Summer 2025. Applications will only be considered for placements from October 2025 onwards
We are a specialist unit for musculoskeletal pathology including bone and soft tissue tumours, joint disease and metabolic bone disease. Students would need to have a keen interest in biomedical science and be in Year 12 studying Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics (the Core Sciences ) at A Level or a Science BTEC. They must have a projected minimum of grades C in at least two Core Sciences at A’ Level or equivalent qualification.
Block weeks are available during school holidays, or ad hoc placements of one day in term time – subject to availability and operational capacity.
Interested? – Please complete the Work experience application form and ensure this department name is stated on the email and return to: rnoh.
Other areas of interest
Individuals interested in a placement with the trust should contact the manager/department directly to secure a work placement.
Please find the current list of areas and contacts on Our Services web pages.
Further details of our consultants and their specialisms
· To ensure fair opportunity and to manage demand for placements, work experience placements are 1 to 5 days in duration. (There can be some flexibility around this dependent on your sponsor's availability, ie 1 day per week over several weeks)
· Students cannot be hosted in an area where a family member or close friend is working
· Students must be aged 16 – 18 years old and have the permission of their parent or guardian.
· Students cannot be placed in high-risk areas such as ICU, Paediatrics wards, and Estates. Not all areas will be able to accept requests.
· Students cannot be placed out of hours, weekends, or bank holidays.
· Students are permitted one placement only.
· We encourage applicants to give at least 8 weeks' notice, especially in times of high demand such as school holidays
If you have any further queries please email: rnoh.
Work experience application form.
Observerships – Over 18’s
An observership is an educational experience (longer than a day but no longer than 2 weeks) restricted to watching and listening during patient histories, physical examinations, procedures, outpatient appointments, teaching rounds, and educational conferences - therefore observation only.
Our observer placements provide applicants with the opportunity to work alongside RNOH clinicians.
Observerships are for over 18's only, for students aged 16-18 please refer to the Work Experience guidance above.
To request an observer placement please complete the application form below and send it to the RNOH clinician whom you wish to sponsor your placement. These are the clinicians/departments you would like to observe.
If you are interested in an observerships in Therapies – please visit the therapies education page to find out more about our teams.