Work Experience

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

 

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.

 

Programme dates for 2026-27

Month

Running Date

Application Window

February 2026

16th—20th

31st October—21st November

May 2026*

26th—29th

30th January—20th February

July 2026

TBC

 

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.

 

Clinical attachments & elective placements

Croydon Health Services works closely with our local universities to support clinical attachments and elective placements as part of students’ courses. Because of this, we are not currently accepting external applications for such attachments/placements.

For enquiries about work experience, please contact ch-tr.workexperience@nhs.net .