Start Your Career as a Healthcare Professional: Online Work Related Learning (FutureLearn)

Start Your Career as a Healthcare Professional: Online Work Related Learning (FutureLearn)

Gain a unique insight into working in healthcare and the NHS as you learn what it takes to become a healthcare professional. Discover NHS jobs and what it’s like to work in healthcare. The National Health Service (NHS) is constantly changing and evolving, and existing pressures within the NHS are making it much harder for students to complete work experience in a healthcare setting.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

That’s why the University of Leicester, in partnership with Medicine Calling, has put together this online course to help you find out more about some of the careers in healthcare.
This four-week course has been specifically designed to help you discover the skills needed to work in various healthcare roles. It will help you learn more about the industry and make an informed decision about whether this career path is right for you.
Explore the different careers in healthcare
On the course, you’ll be introduced to the roles and responsibilities of different healthcare professionals. Whether you’re interested in becoming a doctor, nurse, midwife, or physiotherapist, you’ll explore the routes you can take to start your career in healthcare.
You’ll also hear from various professionals and discover the skills and attributes needed to help you thrive in a healthcare setting.
Gain valuable experience from the University of Leicester Medical School
Many healthcare courses or healthcare-related jobs require students to complete some relevant work experience before you apply. This online course gives you a valuable insight into working in the NHS, one that is completely unique to face-to-face work experience.
You’ll learn alongside experts from the University of Leicester Medical School, to help build your confidence and knowledge for working as a healthcare professional.

Syllabus

Week 1: The NHS
Week 2: Meet the professionals
Week 3: Meet the professionals continued
Week 4: Routes into healthcare

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Summarise some of the challenges currently facing the NHS.
  • Discuss some of the roles in medicine and healthcare.
  • Identify important skills and qualities for a career in healthcare.
  • Explore some of the routes into a career in medicine and healthcare.
  • Describe the importance of reflection.

Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone wanting to start a career as a healthcare professional.
It is most suited for students in secondary school who are interested in healthcare.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Understanding Insulin (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Southampton

Understanding Insulin (FutureLearn)

Learn more about all things insulin: from how it works, to insulin types, to side effects and guidance on how to prescribe safely. The current spend on diabetes care by the NHS is estimated to be £1.6 million pounds per hour. 80% of this is spent on managing diabetes complications, the risk of which can be significantly reduced through effective blood glucose control using insulin.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Dysphagia: Swallowing Difficulties and Medicines (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Dysphagia: Swallowing Difficulties and Medicines (FutureLearn)

This course will enhance the knowledge of any person involved in the administration of medicines to patients with dysphagia. The course offers an opportunity to network with other learners and with the creators of the course through discussions, graphs and social networking features and to share knowledge with other learners and professionals.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Causes of Human Disease: Understanding Cardiovascular Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Causes of Human Disease: Understanding Cardiovascular Disease (FutureLearn)

Explore normal cardiovascular function and risk factors associated with heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading global cause of death. On this course, you’ll learn how the cardiovascular system functions and understand common cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke, as well as the risk factors associated with them.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Why Do We Age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Groningen,University Medical Center Groningen - UMCG

Why Do We Age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing (FutureLearn)

Why do we age? Is there a limit to human lifespan? Can we prolong our lives? Find out with this free online course. Discover the science behind the ageing process. The “why” and “how” of ageing has puzzled mankind ever since it questioned its place in the universe.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Edinburgh,The University of Sheffield,University of Glasgow

Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers (FutureLearn)

Explore different career options, learn what you want out of a career and understand how to implement good career decisions. Explore different career options and understand what you want from a career. Being an early career academic researcher, whether you’re a doctoral student or research staff, can be challenging: should you pursue further academic research? What skills will help you progress in an academic career? What other career options are open to you? On this course you will answer these questions and more, considering how to manage you career and reflecting on what you want out of a career.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Nursing in Crisis? Exploring Current Challenges (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Coventry University

Nursing in Crisis? Exploring Current Challenges (FutureLearn)

Explore the key issues affecting nurses' job satisfaction and practice today - from stress to changing roles and healthcare needs. Nurses play an important role in providing healthcare around the world and, in some countries, form more than 50% of the healthcare workforce. Yet, there is a global shortage with international organisations citing working conditions and image as contributing factors to nurses leaving the profession and to their initial recruitment.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Become a Pharmacy Preceptor (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Taipei Medical University

Become a Pharmacy Preceptor (FutureLearn)

Learn how to become an effective pharmacy preceptor, exploring the qualities a great preceptor needs. Good internship programs are vital for training healthcare providers well - that’s why effective pharmacy preceptors, the teachers who guide students through their pharmacy training, are so important. This course will provide those looking to to be internship preceptors, in the context of pharmacy education, with basic knowledge about pharmacy precepting.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Perioperative Medicine in Action (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London

Perioperative Medicine in Action (FutureLearn)

Explore perioperative medicine and how you can improve care for the high risk surgical patient. Join this RCoA endorsed course. Too many patients die or suffer prolonged complications following surgery. Perioperative medicine is an emerging, multi-disciplinary approach, which tackles this issue, by optimising the care of high-risk surgical patients. It encompasses disciplines including anaesthetics, surgery, nursing, care of the elderly, physiotherapy and healthcare management.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Liver Disease: Looking After Your Liver (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Birmingham

Liver Disease: Looking After Your Liver (FutureLearn)

Learn about how your liver works, ways to look after it and how liver damage is caused, studied and treated around the world. We are currently experiencing an international explosion of liver disease that continues to have enormous impact upon healthcare systems and global health. In the UK we have seen a 20% increase in deaths related to liver disease since 2000 and this pattern reflects the global situation.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
ECG Assessment: an Introduction for Healthcare Providers (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
St George's, University of London

ECG Assessment: an Introduction for Healthcare Providers (FutureLearn)

Understand the principles of electrocardiography and learn a step-by-step approach to the ECG test, with this free online course. The electrocardiograph (also known as electrocardiogram) or ECG is a non-invasive diagnostic procedure, commonly used to assess people with known or suspected heart disease, in a variety of healthcare settings. Competent recording, reading and interpretation is vital to ensure safe and effective care, yet ECGs are commonly undertaken by unqualified and junior staff, who have received little training.

Self Paced
2 Weeks