OVER 70 secondary pupils from across the region took part in Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Partnership’s work experience week.
The pupils gained a firsthand insight into the work involved in roles ranging from care at home worker to dentist, laboratory scientist, IT technician and doctor – potentially shaping their future careers.
Last friday, pupils had the opportunity to get creative and present key skills, knowledge and what they learned throughout their placement. Originally only 67 placements were available, but after the volume of interest and 126 applications a total of 78 placements were provided to the pupils.
Dumfries Academy pupil, Eve Marchbank spent her week shadowing doctors at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, where she got to experience different aspects of medicine from being on wards, in the emergency department or in the operating theatre.
Eve found her time at DGRI to be invaluable and now she is excited to pursue medicine, she said: “Being able to hear and see so many parts of medicine has driven my commitment to become a doctor. Thank you so much to Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership for giving us this opportunity, it has been beyond beneficial.”
The work experience scheme also helped pupils to spark an interest in areas of health and social care they hadn’t previously considered. North West Community Campus pupil, Tarly Mossop spent the week with the Child Smile team and really enjoyed it. Tarly said: “It sparked an interest when I saw it on the application and I thought I’d give it shot. My mentors have been great, they have been the best bunch of girls ever, we’ve has the most fun and amazing laughs together and it seems like a really amazing place to work.
“I’ll definitely be looking into a career in health and social care, even if it’s not dentistry, I think it’s looks great and it has a lot of promising qualities behind it.”
The feedback from both students and NHS staff about the work experience week been predominantly positive with hopes to offer similar experiences to pupils for years to come.
Partnership chief officer Julie White added: “Attracting people to come and work within health and social care is vital, as we look to ensure we have a modern, sustainable service which can serve our region’s population for years to come.
“I attended the afternoon of presentation which rounded out the week, and was so impressed by the calibre of these young people
“If they choose to pursue a career within health and social care in Dumfries and Galloway, our services can only benefit.”
