What NHS jobs are there?

By Luke Aldred

​There are more than 350 different NHS careers. If you’re an overseas worker and thinking about starting, or continuing your career with the NHS, here’s some useful information on a few of the roles.

Nursing

Nurses are the backbone of the NHS; their knowledge, skills and commitment form the basis of our high-quality patient care. Very few careers offer as much variety and opportunity as nursing. If you choose this career, you’d enjoy an impressive starting salary (over £24,000 a year) and NHS benefits (including 27 days holiday, discounts and a good pension). Find out more about starting an NHS career in nursing.

Doctors

If you have a passion for improving people’s lives, becoming a doctor could be the ideal job for you. There are many different career avenues such as clinical academic medicine, locum work, SAS doctors (this includes staff grade, associate specialist and speciality doctors with at least four years’ postgraduate training, two of which in a relevant specialty) and more.

Allied health professionals

Allied health professions provide a range of diagnostic, technical, therapeutic and support services in connection with healthcare. If you want to pursue this career, and you’re overseas, you’ll need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council or, if you are an osteopath, with the General Osteopath Council.

Public health

Working in public health is all about helping people stay healthy and protecting them from threats to their health. This career will develop your knowledge of differing health needs, what influences our wellbeing and how to prevent ill-health.

Midwifery

These roles prepare women for the delivery of babies, making them vital during all stages of pregnancy, labour and the early postnatal period. To become a midwife in the UK, you will need a degree in midwifery (if you’re already a registered nurse you can take a shorter course instead, which takes 18 months).

Pharmacy

Pharmacies are where medicine is stored, prepared and handed out. If you want to work in the UK as a pharmacist, you’ll need to register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). If you hold qualifications from outside the EEA, or if you’re a non-EEA national who holds European pharmacy qualifications, you must follow the GPhC Overseas Pharmacists Assessment Programme (OSPAP) to register.

Ambulance service team

To become a paramedic, you will need to complete an approved full-time university course, work as a student paramedic with an ambulance trust or do an apprenticeship (depending on local recruitment policies).

Psychological professions

Are you interested in how people think and behave? If the answer is yes, and you’d like to use the study of psychology to help people with mental health issues, a career in the psychological professions could be for you. Roles include clinical and counselling psychologists, forensic and health psychologists, high intensity therapists and psychotherapists.

If you’re still unsure of which job is best-suited to you, use the NHS 'compare roles' tool or the find your career quiz.

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