The healthcare domain is vast and offers a range of careers. The NHS itself has more than 350 different career options for anyone in the medical profession to choose from. The first thing is of course to decide which of the diverse career options within the NHS suits you best.   

You can join the NHS irrespective of your background, previous qualifications and work experience. One of the more attractive aspects of joining this organisation is that once you are in the NHS, you get plenty of opportunities and support to enhance your potential and skills.

Caring For Patients Directly Or Behind The Scenes

With the NHS, you have the option of working directly with patients. Alternatively, there are several jobs that you can choose from that involve offering behind-the-scenes support to the staff that work directly with patients.

Some staff work directly with patients and treat and care for them. Medical professionals from fields such as midwifery, nursing, dentistry, medicine, healthcare science and allied health professionals account for 70% of the NHS staff. The other support roles in the NHS include health informatics, management and a broader healthcare team. While members of the support staff may not be directly in touch with patients, they still play a key role in the care and treatment of patients.

The NHS works as one cohesive team. Regardless of your specific job designation, there will be active involvement with patients. Broadly, NHS careers can be categorized into 3 primary segments:

• You may work with patients and be a part of a team. A hospital setting is an example of this and you will be part of a team of doctors, therapists, nurses and scientists, all of whom work together to provide care and treatment to those who need it.
• You will be able to work in the community on a one-to-one basis with different patients. Those who work in this field will generally be part of a much smaller team in clinics, GP surgeries and in patients’ homes.
• There are also several different opportunities to work in other careers that support the care and treatment of patients, but will not have any direct interaction with patients

Using IT in the NHS

Today, the NHS uses a wide range of the latest in healthcare technology to ensure that patients receive more effective and efficient treatment, especially for complex conditions. While most staff will use information technology at some level or the other, there are other specialist careers where computers are used at a more advanced level, where the main focus is the development and implementation of new technology and research. .   

If you think there may be a career for you in the NHS, now is the time to explore the many career options that are available. With more than 3 million people being treated at the NHS on a weekly basis, for anyone interested in caring for people, this could be the perfect career choice.