Not sure?

Did you know there are over 300 different careers in the NHS? You can work directly with patients or help to support those staff that do. You can work in hospitals or in the community. You can enter the NHS whatever your background, previous work experience and qualifications. And once you are in the NHS, we'll work with you to maximise your potential.

To help you decide which NHS career may be for you, think how your interests and experiences could be used.

Are you interested in:

Caring for people?

Over 3 million people are treated in the NHS in England every week. Staff who have the most direct contact in treating and caring for people usually come from the following groups: nursing, midwifery, medicine, dentistry, the allied health professions and healthcare science. 70% of NHS staff come from these groups. There are also a wide range of roles, such as management, health informatics and wider healthcare team , which, although have less direct contact with patients, make a very important contribution to the delivery of healthcare.

Working with people?

The NHS is a team and whatever job you have in the NHS you will be working with people. Careers in the NHS broadly fall into three main areas:

• working with patients as part of a large team, examples here would include many jobs within hospitals where doctors, nurses, therapists and scientists often work alongside to provide treatment and care
• working in the community often on a 1 to 1 basis with patients. Staff in these careers usually work as part of a smaller team in GP surgeries, clinics and patients' own homes
• working in careers where you will help to support the treatment and care of patients but not have regular direct contact with patients. Careers in this category would include the support and infrastructure roles in the NHS, such as finance, human resource and estates and facilities.

Using a knowledge of science?

Most staff who deliver direct care to patients use a knowledge of science to help provide the best and most effective care. While a general understanding of science is useful for many of these careers (for example nursing), there are roles which involve a very detailed and in-depth knowledge of pure science, for example chemistry and physics. Healthcare scientists, doctors, dentists and many of the allied health professions use their expert knowledge of science on a daily basis. In many other careers it is also possible to progress to advanced roles where science plays an increasingly important part.

Organising and managing?

The NHS, with 1.3 million staff, is the largest employer in Europe, made up of approximately 500 different organisations in England alone. This requires staff who have the skills, or the potential, to organise and manage care for patients, and to make sure that all the supporting services the NHS needs are in place. This includes people, buildings, finances, information services, stores and supplies. You can work in many of these areas without being a qualified healthcare professional, though each area of the NHS usually has its own set of qualifications most staff work towards. Examples include management and health informatics, but most healthcare staff can also progress to work as clinical managers helping to co-ordinate and ensure delivery of high-quality care.

Working with computers?

Information technology is used widely throughout the NHS. Most staff will come into contact with computers, however there are some specialist careers where computers are used regularly and to an advanced level. health informatics brings together careers which include IT technical support, health records, knowledge management (such as library services) and statistical roles.

Working at the cutting edge of technology and research?

Today's NHS increasingly uses a wide range of the latest healthcare technology to ensure more patients are treated more effectively. Technology helps all staff to perform their jobs, though for some careers the main focus is the development and implementation of new technology and research. Careers in this area include healthcare science and health informatics, but this can also be found in advanced medical, dental, nursing and therapy roles.

What next?

If you now think there might be a career in the NHS for you, why not explore some of the main career areas on the home page or call NHS Careers on 0345 60 60 655.

If you would like to know more about the NHS, the way it operates and details of local NHS organisations in your area visit www.nhs.uk.