Working in the NHS exposes you to many different roles and professions and together, these multidisciplinary teams work to provide safe and effective patient care.
DOCTORS
Undergraduate medical students – in the UK, medical students typically study for five years. Much of this study will take place in one of our many teaching hospitals and you may be asked, in your capacity as a fully qualified doctor, to contribute to their education and training.
Foundation doctors – doctors who have just graduated from medical school are called Foundation doctors. They are required to complete a 2-year training programme called the Foundation Programme. This programme provides experience in a range of different areas of medicine and surgery. Doctors on this programme are responsible for caring for patients but under the supervision of more experienced doctors and healthcare professionals. For the first year of the programme (called F1), doctors are provisionally registered with the GMC. In the second year (called F2), doctors are fully registered with the GMC and begin to take on more responsibility for patient care.
Specialty training doctors – these are doctors that are training in a particular area of medicine or surgery including general practice. Depending on the area of training, they may have to complete between 3 and 8 years of specialty training. As these doctors progress through their training and gain in experience, the supervision they require will reduce. Doctors in specialty training are referred to as ST doctors or registrars.
Consultants and GPs - Upon completing their specialty training and exit examinations, doctors are awarded a Certificate of Completion Training (CCT). This allows them to apply to the specialty register and apply for a consultant or general practitioner post.
NURSES
Hospital nurses (adult and child) – provide additional care and treatment to acutely unwell patients alongside a medical or surgical ward-based team.
District nurses – play a crucial role in the primary healthcare team. They visit people in their own homes, providing increasingly complex care for patients and supporting family members.
General practice nurses – support the delivery of care and promotion of health in the community according to the particular needs of the population.
Specialist nurses e.g. mental health nurses, theatre nurses, learning disability nurses – provide expert and evidence-based nursing practice within a specialty area or related to a specific condition or treatment pathway.
Nurse practitioners – are registered nurses with additional education and training who can diagnose and treat certain medical conditions without the direct supervision of a doctor.
Midwives – provide care and support to women and their families while pregnant, throughout labour and during the period after a baby’s birth.
ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Pharmacists – are experts in medicines and their use. They also offer health advice to patients on issues such as sexual health and giving up smoking.
Pharmacy assistants – help pharmacists prepare and dispense medicines.
Pharmacy technicians – manage the supply of medicines in a community pharmacy and assist pharmacists with advisory services. In hospitals, they do more specialised work such as manufacturing or preparing complex medicines.
Physiotherapists and physiotherapy assistants – work with people to help with a range of problems which affect movement using exercise, massage and other techniques.
Occupational therapists – help people of all ages to carry out everyday activities which are essential for health and wellbeing.
Speech and Language Therapists – provide life-changing treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing.
Health visitors – are nurses or midwives who are passionate about promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing illness. They work with families to give pre-school-age children the best possible start in life.
Radiographers – use imaging to aid with the diagnosis and treatment of pathology.
Health Care Assistants – work in hospital or community settings, such as GP surgeries, under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional to deliver basic care to patients.
Phlebotomists – collect blood samples from patients to help diagnose illness.
Ward clerks – do administrative work to support professionals in hospitals and health centres.
Domestics – keep hospitals, health centres, offices and other areas clean and hygienic.
Porters – are responsible for moving people and items around a hospital site.
This is not an exhaustive list and you are likely to meet many more healthcare professionals in numerous roles throughout your career in medicine. For further information on the other roles in health see the health careers website.
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