There’s no establishment around quite like the NHS. It’s a lifesaving, one-of-a-kind, national institution. Sit down and have a conversation with anyone who works there – medical or non-medical professionals – and they’ll talk emotively about their job and the positivity that helping to care for over a million people every 36 hours brings to their life.
It’s incredible just how positive healthcare workers remain, despite the NHS being perpetually in the eye of the storm, politically speaking. Britain’s National Health Service is a much-debated topic. Arguments rage on about junior doctors’ contracts, A&E waiting times and potential privatisation, while there are differing views between those invested in protecting the service and those who seem much more keen on dismantling it.
It’s painstakingly clear that, undeterred by opposition to their hard work, NHS workers have one single focus: caring for the health of the nation. They want to see the NHS – which was born in July 1948 out of a post-war will to offer care ‘free at the point of delivery’ – operate to its full potential.
The NHS still cares for millions of people every year and contends well with the growing population too. The UK relies on the caring and kind-heartedness of its dedicated staff.
Why work for the NHS?
Here’s reasons why become a doctor and why you should work for the NHS:
1. The rewards are plentiful
Working for the NHS means you can make a positive difference to the lives of people who most require medical care. It’s great to be involved, offering support to the families of patients who will likely be extremely worried about their loved ones.
2. No two days are the same
This is no 9-to-5 office job. Your own role and the department you’re in influences what each day is like. Additionally, each patient’s needs are different to the next patient. They might be in hospital for an A&E emergency, a check-up with a GP, or a much-needed operation, so even if you do work in the same department for an extended period, the variety will keep you on your toes.
3. You work with like-minded people
You are surrounded by like-minded people who are compassionate and caring, who want to provide the best possible care for patients. The NHS only recruits people who meet its core values. The value-based recruitment policy ensures that it only hires professionals who care that the NHS performs to its potential, and that it always meets its patients’ healthcare needs.
4. The holiday entitlement is generous
The basic annual leave for all NHS staff is 27 days, but add bank and public holidays to that total, and each worker gets a healthy amount of time off to relax and unwind. You’ll be all smug too, as it’ll be more holiday than your friends get. Unless they’re teachers, that is!
5. There’s certainly a career for you
With over 10,000 vacancies at any one time, anyone can work in the NHS, so you’ve probably got a skill that’s needed. Whether you want to be an ambulance driver, clerical assistant, doctor, nurse or IT manager, if you prove your credentials and ace an interview, you’ll be able to work alongside 1.6 million others, and will see for yourself that it rocks to work in the NHS.
Andrew Williams writes for GoToJobBoard, a dedicated job board which specialises in non-clinical and non-medical roles within the NHS and can help candidates to successfully find their perfect role in the NHS.
