We recommend that anyone who is thinking of working in healthcare should complete a short period of work experience before applying to any university, apprenticeship, or career within our Trust.
From Monday 31 March 2025, the Trust will not be accepting new applications for work experience due to planned changes and improvements taking place to the service so we can deliver a more efficient, user-friendly experience to young people and students in the relaunch in Autumn 2025.
This will not impact work experience placements already planned and confirmed to take place over spring and summer. This does not impact any undergraduate/postgraduate students who have placements as part of their professional training course requirements, or the HOSPEX service for medicine placements.
Why is the service being paused?
We have placed 2500 people in placements since 2022 and over that time have gained valuable feedback from students and placement supervisors on how we can improve the service and experience. We want to improve the experience of our future workforce when searching for placements, making applications and staying in touch with their supervisor and in order to do this effectively, we need to pause taking new applications as we test some exciting new ideas and implement them.
Work experience that is already planned for after Monday 31 March 2025, will still take place and if you have any queries please contact the work experience team: uhdb.workexperience@nhs.net
We will be back soon with a better, improved work experience service but until then you can browse local work experience opportunities on the Joined Up Care Derbyshire Careers website, and learn about their new 'virtual' work experience programme here >.
The Medical Education department organises a Hospital Experience Programme (HOSPEX) for Year 12/13 and postgraduate students who are considering medicine as a career.
The HOSPEX course is an opportunity to observe NHS doctors and surgeons in a variety of clinical environments, including theatres, clinics and wards, and will also include talks delivered by medical students and resident doctors. We have HOSPEX programmes at both Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton.
Please note the HOSPEX programme is the Trust's only approved route for access to medical work experience within our hospitals and we would ask individuals not to make separate or direct approaches to departments or clinicians.
For further information and to apply for our HOSPEX programme please compete the Application Form >.
For general enquiries please contact uhdb.hospex@nhs.net.