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Training usually starts with a five year first degree in medicine followed by two year foundation doctor training, two year core medical training and three year specialist training (ST3-5). This period of training will include your royal college exams. Length of training can vary according to your circumstances.

Doctors may work up to 48 hours a week. The working hours may sometimes extend beyond the normal working day to include early mornings, evenings and weekends. You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training after medical school. The basic salary ranges from £29,384 to £34,012. Once you start your specialty training as a doctor in renal medicine employed by the NHS, you can expect to earn a salary of at least £40,257, which can increase to between £84,559 and £114,003 as a consultant.

You'll need excellent communication skills to manage a wide range of relationships with colleagues, and patients and their families. You'll be emotionally resilient, have excellent problem-solving and diagnostic skills and work well in teams and under pressure. You'll also be very organised for the benefit of patients.

In 2021, there were 647 nephrologists working in the NHS in England. In 2020, there were 227 applications for 67specialty training places. You could specialise or conduct research in areas such as haemodialysis, transplantation or academic nephrology, teach medical students or postgraduate students in training or get involved in research at universities, the NHS or private sector.

To be fully qualified as an electrician, you need a level 3 qualification, usually an NVQ and/or a Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment. Although electricians often join the NHS fully qualified and experienced, it may be possible to train as an electrician. Employers usually ask for at least three GCSEs (or equivalent), including maths, English and science. They may ask for some experience in construction or other practical work. There are sometimes apprenticeships in estates support/estates maintenance that can provide this type of experience. Employers may ask for a driving licence. When you start as a trainee electrician, your training will include health and safety, how to use the tools and equipment and all aspects of electrical work You will be encouraged to study for qualifications such as NVQs.

Estates staff working in the NHS are paid on the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay system. As an estates support worker, you could start on AfC band 2. As a qualified electrician in estates maintenance, you will typically start on AfC band 3. With further training and experience, you could apply for more senior positions at bands 4 and above. Electricians in the NHS work standard hours of around 37.5 a week. The job may involve shifts including early starts, evenings and weekends. Electricians may be part of an on-call rota for emergency cover. Terms and conditions will usually be different for electricians working outside of the NHS.

As an electrician you'll need to be very health and safety aware, able to follow procedures, careful and responsible, able to work alone or unsupervised when necessary and able to work to deadlines. You'll also need good manual (hand) skills, good organisational and time management skills.

Once fully qualified and with experience, an electrician can become a team leader, supervising the work of others. With further experience you could progress to manager, responsible for electrical services in a hospital, area or trust. Electricians may be able to move into other estates services roles such as estates technician . They can apply to train as engineers. There are opportunities outside the NHS.