The NHS is the biggest employer in the UK, It offers 350 different career pathways in clinical roles. Some of the job roles are Nursing, Medicine or Allied Health Professionals roles such as Physiotherapy, Counselling or non-clinical roles such as receptionist, IT, Catering or maintenance. Some job roles require academic degrees but other roles offer apprenticeship routes and on the job training opportunities.
Labour Market Information
Career Paths
Explore some of the career paths that are available through the NHS, along with the transferrable skills you will need for these roles. You can find out more about each career on our career coach - just click the name of the job role you are interested in.
You might also want to check out the Step Into the NHS website for more ideas.
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Physiotherapy - specialists who treat and rehabilitate
Skills required: patience, tolerance, compassion, and the ability to build a rapport with people of all ages
- Nursing - care for adults and children with ill physical/mental health and provide support for their families
Skills required: ability to juggle the medical needs of patients and set people at ease in circumstances that may be distressing
- Dental Nurse - assist with passing instruments, preparing materials, taking notes and caring for patients during treatment
Skills required: sympathetic manner, quick response times, able to handle delicate equipment and accuracy
- Doctor - preventing ill health, treating disease and improving wellbeing
Skills required: team player, excellent communication, able to handle pressure, enquiring mind, good at analysis, good time management, good leadership skills
- Ambulance Care Assistants - transport patients to and from hospital and other care settings
Skills required: physical fitness for lifting, moving and driving people who are frail, responsible, patient and able to stay cool in a crisis
- Receptionists and telephonists - deal with phone and face to face queries in healthcare settings and use computer equipments
Skills required: effective communication, the ability to remain calm and clear when dealing with patients and relatives
- HR manager - responsible for recruitment, selection, appraisal and development of staff training, implementing of employment legislation
Skills required: good communication, time management and organisational skills, ability to work under pressure and be assertive
- Catering Assistant - provide nutritious, appetising food and drink for patients
Skills required: able to work as part of a team in a fast paced environment, excellent personal hygiene and courteous manner
- Pharmacy Technician - preparation and dispensing of medicines
Skills required: good colour vision, excellent numerical and scientific skills, methodical and accurate, ability to explain instructions clearly
- ICT technician - installing PC's and diagnosing and fixing faults
Skills required: enthusiasm, team player, ability to work efficiently in a busy environment
- Maintenance staff - responsible for the upkeep of buildings and grounds - includes gardeners, joiners, electricians, painters and decorators
Skills required: conscientious, work consistently to a high standard, practical, can work solo or as part of a team
- Medical and Dental Technicians - design and test tools and equipment used for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation
Skills required: engineering skills, ability to work with a range of people from patients to staff, develop own design, workshop and management skills
Quiz
Why not have a go at the NHS Careers Quiz? You can find the best career route that suits you by answering a few simple questions!
Work Experience
Industry placements through College, NHS and private hospitals, health clinics, charities or socials enterprises, St John's Ambulance or the Red Cross, residential care homes, day centres or caring for a friend or relative are all ways of gaining work experience in the health area that interests you.
You can find more details, along with useful links to volunteering opportunities at the NHS Health Careers page.
Useful Links
Lincolnshire Training Hub Futures Programme
There are a number of programmes delivered by Lincolnshire Training Hub including Future Doctor, Future Nurse and Future Pharmacist.
This website can provide you with more information about apprenticeships, cadet schemes, work experience, live vacancies and events. Click the link above to visit their website.
The NHS Health Careers website can offer lots more information about working in health, exploring career roles, career planning (including study/training and talks about apprenticeships, traineeships, cadet schemes, degrees and graduate opportunities).
This is a widening participation organisation who support young people to get into careers in medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry and allied health professions.
Nottingham University Hospitals Work Experience
Current opportunities in the Nottingham healthcare sector and more information about how to start a career in the NHS can be found here.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals Work Experience
Find information about vacancies, apprenticeships and work experience opportunities in the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Browse careers, apprenticeships and work experience within the NHS in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
Do you share the NHS values?
- Working together for patients
- Respect and dignity
- Commitment to quality of care
- Compassion
- Improving lives
- Everyone counts