BrigHT Futures @BHT
Who can apply?
- You must be at least 16 years old AND in Year 12 or equivalent when you start, with the exception of 15 years old and in Year 10 for placements in property services and estates.
- We give priority to applicants in Buckinghamshire local authority and our immediate local area.
What roles can I experience?
We offer work experience across clinical and non-clinical roles including:
- Allied Health Professions (including dietetics, occupational therapy, orthoptics, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiography, speech & language therapy)
- Biomedical science
- Clinical engineering
- Clinical research
- Finance (non-clinical)
- Human resources (non-clinical)
- IT (non-clinical)
- Medicine
- Midwifery
- Nursing
- Pharmacy
- Property services and estates (non-clinical)
If you don’t know which role you’d like to experience, explore roles on NHS Health Careers and take the careers quiz to find your role. You can also get in touch with our Schools Engagement team to arrange a virtual 1:1 careers conversation: email bht.brightfutures@nhs.net
Where does work experience take place?
- We have two acute hospitals in Aylesbury (Stoke Mandeville) and High Wycombe as well as community facilities across the county. If we offer you a placement, we’ll let you know where it will be.
- Some specialised roles are only available on certain sites.
- All our sites are well served by public transport. Unfortunately we are not able to provide transport.
When can I apply?
- You can apply for work experience during the time periods below.
- While we do our best to fulfil as many requests as possible, we have a limited capacity and applying does not guarantee a placement.
- Placements usually last two days.
- We do not offer placements on weekends.
- We aim to let you know if your application has been successful or unsuccessful no longer than 4 weeks after the closing date (or 6 weeks of the longer summer period).
- Unfortunately we cannot accept applications received outside of these dates. However, if you are looking for work experience during term-time which is outside the application window below, please email bht.brightfutures@nhs.net to enquire about possibilities.
Work experience weeks | Application open during these dates | Link to apply posted here when application goes live |
Autumn half-term 2023:
23 October – 3 November |
4 – 17 September 2023 | CLOSED |
Spring half-term 2024:
12 February – 23 February |
18 December 2023 – 1 January 2024 | CLOSED |
Easter holiday 2024:
1 – 12 April |
12 – 25 February 2024 | CLOSED |
Summer half-term to end of summer holidays 2024:
27 May to 30 August |
1 – 7 April 2024 |
See healthcare careers through our eyes. Think wider than ‘doctor’ or ‘nurse’: click play below to explore roles in midwifery, the mortuary, pathology, pharmacy, radiography, research and innovation and in our operating theatres…
We encourage students in Years 10-13 who live in South-East of England to sign up to online work-related learning organised by NHS England in the following areas:
- Allied Health Professions
- Dentistry
- Health and Social Care – Great if you’re not sure where to start. Covers clinical and non-clinical careers.
- Medicine
- Nursing & Midwifery
- Psychology
- Certificate of completion
- Approximately 10 hours to complete
- Complete at a pace that suits you
- Are you 16 – 19 years old?
- Interested in learning new skills, giving something back to your local community and finding out what it’s like to be part of the NHS?
- Looking to boost your personal statement or CV to help with a university or job application?
We’re looking for Young Volunteers to become mealtime companions, patient befrienders or provide admin support – whatever our services currently need. These roles can fit in around school hours or at the weekends.
Our Young Volunteers are:
- supported through regular contact with our Young Volunteers Lead
- awarded a certificate after completing 50, 100 or 150 volunteering hours
- encouraged to complete a reflection diary to help you learn from your experience
- entitled to ask for a reference after completing a minimum of 50 hours of volunteering
Volunteering is great way to improve confidence and develop skills such as communication and teamwork. It also lets you put into practice abilities such as active listening, reliability, patience and empathy.
Interested in applying?
Contact our Young Volunteers Lead Sylvia Parker: call her on 07855 010333 or email sylvia.parker1@nhs.net
Applying for an apprenticeship at BHT
To become an apprentice at our Trust, the usual entry route is that you need to first be employed by us. If you come to work for us in an entry level position, you can then access opportunities and apply internally.
We offer a range of clinical and non-clinical roles (such as Business Administration), although nursing is our main apprenticeship pathway, with colleagues undertaking:
- Level 3 Senior Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship
- Level 5 Nursing Associate Apprenticeship
- Level 6 Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship
Any apprenticeships offered externally will be advertised on our vacancies job page www.careers.buckshealthcare.nhs.uk or visit www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk.
See apprenticeship opportunities across the whole NHS at jobs.nhs.uk – select ‘apprenticeships’ from browse job types.
More information
- Find out more about NHS apprenticeships at healthcareers.nhs.uk/apprenticeships
- Explore all healthcare apprenticeship career pathways at skillsforhealth.org.uk
National Apprenticeship Week
Watch our apprentices talk about their experiences and career pathways on the Bucks Skills Hub ‘Meet the Apprentices’ webinars for National Apprenticeship Week:
- BBC Bitesize: Jobs in healthcare
- iCould: Focus on healthcare
- The WOW Show health careers special
- Follow the patient journey: watch ‘Jay’s Story’, the story of 18-year-old Jay Perez after he has a road traffic accident. Follow Jay’s journey from emergency care, through surgical intervention and during his aftercare both in the hospital ward and at home. Meet various job holders along the way and find out how they help Jay on his journey to recovery.
- Careers in healthcare – studying healthcare: free learning packages cover
- The 6 Cs (identify the component parts of the NHS’s compassionate care approach), and compassion.
- NHS structure (understand the formation and history of the NHS)
- Healthcare teams – Primary (find out about the role and function of a primacy healthcare team)
- Healthcare teams – Secondary (understand what we mean by secondary care and the work that takes place in a hospital setting)
- Healthcare teams – Doctors
- Good medical practice and regulated professions
- Values and attributes (what guides professionals working in the NHS and what are the seven principles that guide the NHS?)
- Capacity and consent (understand issues related to shared decision in clinical treatment
- Reflection (understand more about approaches to reflection and self-evaluation and appreciate the role of reflection in professional practice in healthcare)
- University of Bedfordshire: Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
- Bucks College Group: Health and Social Care
- Buckinghamshire New University: School of Nursing and Midwifery and School of Health and Social Care Professions (including Allied Health courses)
- University of Buckingham: Medical School
- An overview of the healthcare sector in Buckinghamshire: Life Science, Healthcare and Social Care
If you’re interested in becoming a doctor, explore:
- Health Education England Medicine Online Work-Related Learning: for students in years 10-13 and who live in the South-East of England
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School virtual work experience
- Medic Mentors – Motivating Medical Minds
- British Medical Journal – How to get into medical school
- British Medical Association – Becoming a doctor
- Roles for doctors – NHS Health Careers
- Academy of Medical Royal Colleges: explore the different medical specialists
Download our Labour market information (LMI) resource for students, teachers and parents/carers to find out about:
- Labour market information: what is it and why bother?
- What area of healthcare could I work in?
- Who could I work for?
- Focus on the NHS
- The healthcare sector in Buckinghamshire
- Introducing BHT
- What skills do employers want in healthcare?
- What values does the NHS look for in our employees?
- Working for the NHS: pay, positions and pathways
- How much money could I earn?
- Where do I find local job vacancies?
- Which jobs will be in demand when I leave education?
- Can I apply straight from school?
- Can I do an apprenticeship?
- Which college or university course should I choose?
- Where can I train locally for a healthcare career?
- Where can I find more information?
Meet our BHT family
We chatted to colleagues across Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) and asked them all about their jobs. What do they do? How did they get into the role? What skills do they need? What do they love about working for us?
Watch the career chat videos below. We hope one day you’ll consider a bright future with us yourself and join our BHT family.