Sunita

Where did you do your work experience?

Plymouth

What did you do?

As I want to be surgeon, I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to work with the surgery team. But my disappointment didn’t last long.

I was on a ward with the physiotherapy team and spent time with patients and staff. One patient was recovering from having a tumour removed. He was having problems regaining full use of his left side following the operation and his physiotherapy was really important. He was really funny and wound me up me a bit about being young but that was ok. In fact, it was quite inspiring to see someone in so much pain and keep on joking.

What did you enjoy most?

Although I couldn’t work with them, I was able to meet a few surgeons. It was great to meet them and ask a few questions.

But to be honest the best part of the week was working on the ward and spending time with the patients. Most of them were in pain or discomfort but were so friendly towards me. The staff in the physiotherapy team were great as well.

What did you learn?

Although I would still like to be a surgeon, I now know there are other options, such as radiography and healthcare science.

I had also never really thought about how important it is to communicate with patients. The staff at the hospital stressed how important treating them as individuals was and that each has different needs. I learnt that being able to communicate with patients can be the difference between an average healthcare professional and a brilliant one. I really want to be a brilliant one.

Do you have any advice for other people?

If you really want to work in the NHS, try your best to get work experience first. As well as looking good on my personal statement for university applications, it really helped me to get a proper understanding of what life is like at a hospital. I now know how hard it is but also really rewarding.