Talking about work experience

What this lesson covers

• What the examiner is really scoring
• The shape: one setting, one moment
• Weak versus strong lines
• Little hospital experience? Admit it, then move on
• The follow-ups, with lines to use
• How this comes up on the day

The words to use

Relevant experience

Any role that shows you what caring for people involves: shadowing, care homes, hospices, volunteering or a paid job. What you learned matters more than where it was.

Reflection

Thinking about an experience to work out why it happened, what it meant and what you will do differently. It is what turns a placement into evidence.

Insight

A realistic understanding of what the job involves, including its physical, organisational and emotional demands. Examiners look for it in what you noticed, not where you went.

Observe GP

A free interactive video platform from the Royal College of GPs showing the work of a GP and the primary care team. Open to UK residents aged 16 and over.

Virtual work experience

Online courses, such as Brighton and Sussex Medical School's, that show clinical settings through videos and tasks. Medical schools recognise them as a suitable part of relevant experience.