The experience of Job Shadowing?

Is work experience an official thing done through your school?

• Is it something I can do independently? For instance, my brother-in-law has a close friend who is the head of a hospital, so I'm gonna spend every Saturday (for a couple of hours) there. Do I have to let my school know or can I include that in my UCAS as work experience? What confuses me is how official it really is. Am I supposed to get a letter from him to prove I've done it or include some sort of reference number? I know it may seem obvious from the phrase "work experience" that you probably do some sort of work. What does it have to include? I doubt it'd include helping the doctor directly as I'm obviously not qualified for that. Does it involve just getting a feel of what it's like at a hospital everyday, or little jobs like filing things or making tea? Work experience and job shadowing seem extremely similar. I'm planning to study medicine in university and I'm in Year 12 at the moment. (I'm very aware it's difficult to get into medicine and I'm doing everything humanly possible to increase my chances).

• Answer:

  Yes it's done through your school. Last year, when I was in year 10, everybody HAD to go on work expierance and if you couldn't find anywhere yourself, the school would find you a placement. So what I did (I want to be a Primary Teacher) I went to my old primary school and ask if they had any spots left for work expierance, luckily they did, so they took down my details and contacted my school about it. My school gave me a green sheet and I just went to my old school a few days later, asked them to fill in the sheet (for safety etc) and I was good to start! I would advise you to go to the head of Sixth Form/College and talk to them about finding work placement. And you can do it in year 12 without your school knowning. My brother [who's in year 12] has applied and got a call from a HSBC to do two weeks work expierance. Good Luck!