T levels are levelling up career development
We recently welcomed a group of T level students into our hospital for work placements for the first time.
Working in partnership with local colleges, we’re supporting these students in their health and healthcare science T level courses.
T levels are new two-year courses taken after GCSEs which offer students both practical and knowledge-based learning, as well as on-the-job experience through placements at relevant organisations, like ours.
They are a great way for budding healthcare workers to gain hands-on work experience at a hospital, and it’s a great way for us to meet budding, future healthcare professionals. Through our work as an anchor institution, we want to provide career pathways and opportunities such as T levels to support the workforce of the future, especially for those in our local communities.
Among the first group of students welcomed to Newham Hospital – and Barts Health – are students Adeola and Zoltan from New Vic College. They will come to our hospital later this year for their work placements and will be based across different departments to gain lots of different types of experience.
Why did you choose to pursue T levels?
Adeola: “I chose to do T levels instead of A levels because it offers not just classroom-based learning but also work experience. I was inspired by my mum who was a midwife to pursue midwifery because I wanted to help and care for people like her.
“Although I’m pretty sure about my decision to pursue midwifery, I still think that doing T levels are a great way to see if working in healthcare is the right path for me by taking part in placements and seeing what a typical day working in a hospital is like.”
Zoltan: “I was attracted to T levels because I believe that work experience is really important for young people, especially in boosting our skills and employability. I think that work experience is just as essential as academic performance and T levels offer the opportunity to do both.
“I’ve always had an interest in healthcare, specifically in medicine. I like the idea of helping people and in learning about different illnesses and their treatments. Like Adeola, I think that T levels are great for people who are considering careers in healthcare but maybe are still unsure or want to find out more before dedicating themselves to a specific career path.”
What are you looking forward to in your placements?
Adeola: “I’m really looking forward to being in the hospital environment, helping to care for patients, and learning from nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers. There’s plenty of things that I can learn from them that I won’t be able to learn just by being in the classroom, and that’s very exciting for me.”
Zoltan: “During our induction day, talking to patients and helping them really stood out to me, so I’m excited to do more of that in our placements. I’ve been to the hospital before as a patient and it can be a nerve-wracking experience for some people. I look forward to being on the other side of that and gaining experience in helping the hospital staff ensure that patients feel at ease and have a good experience during their stay.”
What do you hope to achieve in your career after you’ve completed your T levels?
Adeola: “At the moment, I want to follow my mum’s footsteps and become a qualified midwife. Once I do, I want to later go into education and teach so that I can pass on my skills and knowledge and help other aspiring midwives reach their fullest potential.”
Zoltan: “It’s still early days in my career but currently, my goal is to pursue medicine. Once I qualify, I want to become a surgeon and save people’s lives. It’s a tough career path to follow, but I know that I need to be strong and resilient and have what it takes to achieve my goals.”
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