Work Experience at Croydon
Our work experience programme gives students from all across Croydon a real taste of life in the NHS through a blend of workplace shadowing and interactive workshops. Over the course of the programme, students gain real insight into hospital life, explore a variety of roles ranging from nursing to corporate, and build valuable life skills to support future career choices. It’s an inspiring first step for anyone curious about a future in the NHS or healthcare.
What we offer
We offer placements in a range of services and departments in Croydon University Hospital, with the opportunity to rotate to different areas during the course of the programme. Check out our A-Z of Services page to see what’s available at the hospital. Please note that placements in certain areas are not guaranteed, based on the availability of staff and service operations.
We do NOT support placements in any of the following services/departments:
- Clinical Coding
- Critical Care
- Domiciliary
- Emergency Department (A&E)
- Maternity
- Mortuary
- Paediatrics
- Psychology/therapy
This is due to confidentiality, health and safety protections. For surgery/theatre placements, students must be 17 years or older.
The schedule
The 5-day programme consists of 2 days placement in a department or service, and 3 days participating in workshops and activities at Shirley House, Croydon University Hospital. Students will be shown what it means to be a part of #TeamCroydon as well as taught the essentials of effective team building, networking, and representing our Trust values.
|
Month |
Running Date |
Application Window |
|
February 2026 |
16th—20th |
31st October—21st November |
|
May 2026* |
26th—29th |
30th January—20th February |
|
July 2026 |
13th—17th |
13th March—3rd April |
|
October 2026 |
26th—30th |
26th June—17th July |
|
February 2027 |
15th—19th |
26th October—16th November |
*Please note our programme does not run on bank holidays so such programmes will be 4 days consisting of 2 days placement and workshops respectively.
The application process
Our 2 main eligibility requirements for applicants are:
- That you are between 16 and 18 years of age
- That you live or study in the borough of Croydon
While we do accept applicants from outside of the borough of Croydon, we have a duty to prioritise applicants from our local community and schools. We cannot accept students under the age of 16 due to Trust insurance policies.
Stage 1 – application form
Applications can be submitted via this MS Forms link . Please do not send any document application forms to our work experience inbox, they will not be accepted.
Stage 2 – interview
Applicants that are successfully shortlisted will be invited to an informal interview by the Learning & Organisational Development (L&OD) team.
Stage 3 – offering
Applicants that are successfully shortlisted from the interview stage will be sent an offer letter to sign and return to us prior to the start of the programme. Further information about the first day and preparations will also be sent by the L&OD team.
T-Level placements
Unfortunately, we are unable to support T-Level placements as part of our programme. The Trust insurance policies allow for a maximum of 5 working days (37.5 hours) of work experience per financial year within the Trust.
Clinical attachments & elective placements
Clinical attachments and elective placements for medical students and Foundation Year doctors (F1/F2) are arranged directly through universities and formal training programmes.
These placements are not managed through the Trust work experience programme; therefore, we are unable to accept individual requests for clinical attachments or elective placements.
If you are seeking a clinical attachment or elective placement, please contact your university or medical school for guidance.
Volunteering
The Trust volunteers scheme is not managed as part of our work experience programme. Please see the volunteers page for more information and contact details.