A 22-year-old student, Raahat Shah, is training to become an eye surgeon at the University of Southampton, thanks to the NHS’s ‘Volunteer to Career’ (VTC) programme.
Raahat was originally studying pharmaceutical chemistry. His path changed after a hospital visit with his grandfather, which sparked his interest in ophthalmology, the branch of medicine that deals with eye health.
The Volunteer to Career programme, run by the national charity Helpforce, helps people without healthcare backgrounds gain experience in medical settings. The goal is to support NHS recruitment by showing new career paths to those who might not have considered working in healthcare.
“If it wasn’t for Volunteer to Career, I wouldn’t be working in healthcare,” Raahat said. “I just wouldn’t have seen it as a career path that was open to me.”
His turning point came during an appointment at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, where he accompanied his grandfather. Raahat was drawn to the hospital atmosphere and, in particular, to ophthalmology.
“No one in my family had been a medic,” he explained. “It seemed like a closed world. I had no idea how someone like me could get into it. But when I saw this opportunity, I grabbed it with both hands.”
Through the Volunteer to Career scheme, Raahat volunteered at Moorfields once a week for a year. His role involved helping patients and handling administrative tasks. This hands-on experience confirmed his desire to pursue a career in eye surgery.
Raahat described the year as “amazing” and said he knew “there and then” that he wanted to become an eye surgeon.
Now, Raahat is in his second year of accelerated graduate medical training at the University of Southampton. He noted that many students in his course come from families with medical backgrounds, which often gives them easier access to relevant experience.
“If you’re not from a family with medical connections, it can be hard to get a foot in the door,” he said. “That’s what the VTC scheme did for me – it was a springboard into a medical career.”
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