A GP surgery isn’t the most obvious environment to find a student on a two weeks work experience, but at Great Bentley Surgery in Essex, the practice has been offering work placements through Trident for almost ten years.

For young people hoping to have a career in medicine or related sectors, it is work experience such as this which could encourage the university of their choice to offer them a place on their chosen degree course. Work placements in the medical sector are often difficult to find and few universities will take on students who haven’t shown the commitment to gain part-time or work experience in this field.

But what’s in it for the Surgery?   According to Practice Manager Hugh Cronin, it’s a good opportunity for all staff to look at what they do.   “We treat it as a sharpening-up exercise,” he said. “Explaining how and why we do what we do to young people allows us to really understand our roles and jobs better. We also feel strongly that it’s something that we should do and I would encourage other surgeries to do the same.”

Before being accepted on the work placement, students must take part in an interview so that they acknowledge the importance of the jobs they will be shadowing. They are also asked to understand and sign a confidentiality agreement. Hugh describes the jobs that the students can expect to do whilst working for the Surgery: “They will work on reception, answer the telephone, help to produce repeat prescriptions, makE appointment bookings, greet patients and perhaps spend a day at our pharmacy. Depending on their areas of interest, for instance if they are intending to pursue a career in medicine, they might spend a day out with our district nurse or attend a clinic.”

It takes time to arrange a good work experience placement for a student, according to Hugh, but the payback is providing young people with a realistic view of how a modern surgery is run.

“We hope that the young people we invite to spend time here will take away with them an experience they won’t forget.”

For those wishing to follow a career in medicine, or in practice management, Great Bentley is setting a high standard in work experience for other surgeries to match.