by Renee Ewe
Thank you to all our GP tutors who hosted WATCCH year 12 pupils at their practice this summer. We hope this was as rewarding an experience for you as it was for the pupils. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the transformative value of work experience from both pupils and our GP tutors.
“I had the pleasure of hosting WATCCH pupils my practice. The pupils were very keen to learn and were very grateful for the opportunity to shadow healthcare professionals. During their work experience, they had dedicated time to ask questions about healthcare careers. I also asked them to write a short reflective piece on their work experience and the challenges faced by the NHS to aid their interview preparation. The pupils produced very insightful pieces of work which formed the starting point of several fruitful discussions. Overall, I found the experience very fulfilling and I think the pupils gained a valuable insight into the life of a working GP, “ Dr Himanshu Bhatt, GP Partner, Brentfield Medical Centre.
In the post-placement workshop, pupils also had the opportunity to share a reflective piece about their work experience. As part of this workshop, Stephanie Powell, our Community Collaborations Lead, delivered an innovative session aimed at improving confidence and encouraging participants to think on their feet.
To help WATCCH pupils with their applications, the WATCCH team and mentors ran workshops on personal statements and interview skills. A mock interview session is planned for the 26th of November. We look forward to hearing about our WATCCH pupils’ future plans.