Hospital doctor

Your day to day tasks will depend on your medical speciality. You'll do some tasks common to most hospital doctors like:

• talk to, examine and treat patients in hospital wards or outpatient clinics
•  carry out medical procedures
•  write reports and keep confidential records
•  supervise and train junior medical staff
•  work with the wider medical team and update GPs about their patients

• knowledge of medicine and dentistry
• science skills
• counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
• sensitivity and understanding
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
• thinking and reasoning skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.

With experience you could:

• apply to senior or consultant roles once you're on the General Medical Council Specialist Register
•  lead a team, manage a department or work in a private practice
•  work in the Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy as a doctor or medical officer
•  train medical students or other healthcare professionals
•  move into clinical research