Healthcare and psychology careers

Want to find out more about a career in healthcare and psychology? 

Explore useful information about different healthcare paths and specialisms and discover the different types of roles on offer within the NHS and other employers.

Working with people can be extremely rewarding and there are over 350 roles working within the NHS alone. You could work directly with patients, in hospitals, an ambulance trust, or in the community. There are also a variety of roles that support health professionals, including clinical scientists, health data scientists and management positions.

Health professionals will often work as part of wider multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) supporting patients.

1/5 of our students said they are interested in Healthcare & Psychology

Careers Network

Explore your options

Want to explore career options in the healthcare and psychology? Explore the types of careers and resources below.

Medicine

Start your research with our list of useful resources:

  • NHS Health Careers – Explore your options for career as a doctor in the NHS. Did you know there are more than 60 medical specialties? Packed with case studies, application and interview advice there’s also a guide to choosing a medical school. 
  • Step into the NHS – Aimed at 14 to 19 year olds, this resource has career quizzes, videos, advice and information about work experience and careers within the NHS.
  • NHS YouTube Channel – explore a range of career options in the NHS through video case studies.
  • NHS Bursaries – latest information and news on NHS funded courses, bursaries and financial support.
  • The Foundation Programme – The Foundation Programme is a two-year generic training programme which forms the bridge between medical school and specialist/general practice training.
  • Your career options in medicine: specialisms – careers advice on a range of specialties from TargetJobs
  • The Royal Society of Medicine – useful links to colleges and societies.
  • Medical Schools Council – The student section covers frequently asked questions on being a doctor.
  • Careers in clinical trials infographic (PDF - 871KB) / Careers in clinical trials plain text (MS Word - 18KB) – if you are interested in science, improving patient choices and treatments, and enjoy working as part of a team, there are many specialist disciplines within clinical trials. 

Psychology

In the UK, 20% of psychology graduates become professional psychologists. To practice as a professional psychologist, you first need to: 

Areas of psychology

  • Clinical psychology 
  • Counselling/psychotherapy 
  • Counselling psychology 
  • Educational psychology 
  • Forensic psychology 
  • Occupational psychology 
  • Health psychology 
  • Sport and exercist psychology 
  • Neuropsychology 
  • High intensity therapist 
  • Cognitive behaviour therpaist 
  • Mental health nurse 
  • Play therpaist 
  • Speech and language therapist

Prospects resources

Sport and health 

Below are examples of job profiles related to careers in Sport and Health.

Physiotherapists

Qualify by studying a 2-year pre-registration fast-track postgraduate course, open to those with a good sports science degree. Applications to this course will be improved with relevant work experience

Sports Therapists

Give advice to athletes on how to train and compete safely, as well as treat injuries and assist with rehabilitation. Many Sports Therapists are self-employed and the profession is not currently state registered

Dieticians

Translate scientific information about nutrition into practical advice to help people make health-conscious decisions about food. Many work within the NHS and must be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). After completing your Sports Science degree you could choose to complete a postgraduate diploma in dietetics

Health Promotion Specialist

These roles help people to improve their health and increase their control over it. Work may vary from giving face-to-face advice to individuals to producing strategic policies for health promotion. Health Promotion Specialists work in a range of locations like communities, health centres, local authority buildings, hospitals, offices, and sports and fitness centres.

Healthcare Scientist

Primarily work within the NHS, carrying out a variety of duties that range from disease diagnosis to rehabilitation engineering. They play a major part in providing health services at the cutting edge of technological advance, innovation, diagnostic and therapeutic science. A popular entry route is via the NHS Scientist Training Programme.

Exercise Physiologists (two types): Sport and Clinical

Sport Exercise Physiology applies exercise knowledge to develop fitness conditioning routines for athletes, sport exercise physiologists work in a laboratory or in the field.

Clinical Exercise Physiology uses exercise as a form of treatment and prevention of ill health, as well as for therapeutic purposes. Clinical exercise physiologists will work as part of a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and health professional, providing expert advice on exercise for people with chronic diseases. Typically they are based in hospitals, medical centres and private healthcare organisations.

Useful resources for Sport and Health careers

Hear from our graduates

Rose Liddell

Care Coordinator – NHS

“I feel immensely privileged that every day people invite me into their homes, and I get to listen to their stories, and try and help in whatever way I can. Mental health is an immensely complex, but incredibly fascinating field which varies each day.”

Many of our graduates from University of Birmingham have gone on to pursue careers in the healthcare sector. Hear from our graduates in the following areas:

  • Read, watch and listen to graduate stories.

Attend an Employer Insights event

Healthcare and psychology events

Book an appointment with a Careers Adviser

If you have questions and want to find out more about pursuing a career in healthcare and psychology, have a chat with one of our Careers Advisers.  

Book an appointment through your Careers Connect account 

Plan your career

If you are ready to start planning a career in the healthcare and psychology sector, have a look below.

LinkedIn Learning 

LinkedIn Learning has over 13,000 courses to enhance your CV and stand out from the crowd when thinking about a career in healthcare and psychology. 

University of Birmingham students get free access to LinkedIn Learning.

Work experience 

Medical work experience

Healthcare work experience

Headway (Brain Injury Support) Volunteering

Based on-site at Moseley Hall Hospital, Birmingham, Headway are a brain  injury rehabilitation, care and support centre, offering volunteering placements either at their on-site at their day centre or off-site carer services.

For further information or to apply for placement, please contact Alison on personnel3@headway-wm.org.uk. The organisation also has bases across the UK, for further information and to contact these please visit Headway - in your area.

Overseas and international work experience

Where to find opportunities, jobs, internships and volunteering in Sport and Health

  • Careers Connect (Careers Network’s jobs, internships and work experience database)
  • NHS Jobs
  • HealthJobsUK  - wide range of job vacancies and a Volunteers section with opportunities in NHS Trusts
  • Self Management UK - volunteer opportunities with a charity supporting people with long term health conditions, in the community
  • Careers in Sport – vacancies, events and a really useful section Careers Profiles where you can view interviews with a wide range of successful professionals in a variety of roles in the sports industry.
  • Local Government Jobs – local government vacancies
  • Guild of Students - University of Birmingham Jobs, Skills & Volunteering

Bursaries and funding 

You may be eligible to apply for work experience bursaries through The University of Birmingham. For more details visit the internship funding pages.

Apply for jobs

If you are ready to apply for jobs in the healthcare and psychology sector, have a look below. 

Search and apply for jobs in the healthcare sector 

Application support 

When you have a clear sense of where you want to apply, the final step is making the most out of your application. Our Employability Advisers are here to help review your application documents.

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