Your Stories of work experience

Award ceremony at hospital after successful placements

On Friday 24th March an award ceremony was held at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for Blackpool Sixth BTEC Level 3 Health and Social Care students who have completed work placements at the hospital. 

At the event the Widening Participation and Apprenticeship Team at the hospital gave out certificates to all the students to acknowledge their successful placements.

Health and Social Care teacher Jodie McKenna commented, “We are very grateful to Blackpool Teaching Hospitals for looking after these students so well on their placements and giving them such a wonderful opportunity. The clinical placements are an integral and crucial part of the students’ health and social care course. We know that the students have all learnt and developed lots of skills from their experiences and that these experiences will prepare them well for future careers in the health and social care sector. We look forward to working with Blackpool Teaching Hospitals in the future and continuing to offer excellent opportunities for students from the local area.” 

Mark Hayes, Widening Participation and Apprenticeship Lead said,  “We are delighted to have been able to support the students with their work experience placement at the Trust. It’s been wonderful to welcome each and every one of them onto site and see and hear about their experiences and the opportunity they’ve had to learn more about the different healthcare roles at the hospital during their time with us. I’d like to thank all colleagues who supported the students; we look forward to hosting future groups, supporting their education and showcasing Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as an employer of choice.  

Health and social care student Ella Bibby commented, ‘My experience at the hospital was amazing and truly gave me a real insight into what it’s really like working for the NHS. The staff were extremely welcoming and nice as were the patients. I’d love to do it again!’

Fellow student, Clay Hill added, ‘Wow, I can’t thank Blackpool Sixth and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals enough for the placement opportunity. I was able to observe different areas of practice and I was present for numerous different clinical procedures that I would never have understood if I hadn’t witnessed them first hand. Being on placement in such a supportive environment has made me so excited to work in health in the future and I now understand the classroom theory so much more.”  

Emily Ireland, A-Level Fine Art, Biology and Psychology Student

Bryn Cronshaw, A-Level Maths, Further Maths and Physics  Student

"All the employees were very welcoming, they helped me through my time at Adecco and they also helped me understand the work environment."                      

BTEC Triple Business Studies student. Placement completed at Adecco, Blackpool 

''I would recommend work experience because if you are unsure about what  you would like to do in the future, work placement can help you decide what job or route you would like to take. It will give you  new experiences which you can talk about in an interview or use as examples in assignments.''      

 BTEC Triple Health and Social Care Student.                    
Placement completed at Heyhouses Primary School

"I would recommend this placement because everyone treats each other very nicely and with respect and it is a good learning experience for people who are interested in Pharmacology. I have learnt what the different types of drugs are used for and it all depends on what the patient is facing. I have also learnt how to package the drugs and how to separate them between what is being collected and what is being delivered."         

BTEC  Triple Applied Science student.  Placement completed at Normoss Pharmacy



"At my hospital placement, I learned how to take out a cannula, how to hoist someone out of bed, how to handle a patient who is bed bound, how to fill out SAS charts and update patient records. I was always kept busy and given something to do so I was not bored, as well as this I was always given the opportunity to develop new skills which was amazing.'' 

BTEC Triple Health and Social Care student.   Placement completed on a ward at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

'I want to be a teacher and doing placement in a primary school solidified my decision. Loved every second of it, the children are amazing.'' 

BTEC Triple Health and Social Care student.  Placement completed at Fleetwood Charity Primary School.

''By working on the maternity ward at the hospital, I have gained a valuable insight into what the role of the midwife would be like and I have become familiar with things on the ward such as where stock is, where the pharmacy is and staff members I can shadow.'' 

BTEC Triple Health and Social Care student.   Placement completed at Blackpool Victoria Hospital

I would recommend G-Line coaches as a place for work experience as it was a great way for me to see customer service in practice and get a real experience in working in an office environment. The G-Line team were friendly, welcoming and were happy to show me how to do things. I had a great time at G-Line and learned a lot.  

BTEC Travel and Tourism student. Placement completed at G-Line coaches,    St. Annes


"It has helped me make up my mind about my career and has also given me more confidence.  I learnt how to use different types of gym equipment and I have learnt how to instruct members at the gym. I highly recommend Blackpool sports centre gym, because they are great and they always have a laugh with you."

BTEC Triple Sport student.  Placement completed at Blackpool Sports Centre

"It has given me an insight into Human Resources as a career. I developed better communication skills as well as administration skills and all the staff were lovely and made me feel very welcome and part of the team"      

BTEC Triple Business Studies student.  Placement completed at Partington's Holiday Parks