Health play staff support children through therapeutic play. This helps to make their healthcare experience enjoyable and reduces anxiety and the risk of psychological trauma.
You could enter a role as a play assistant with a relevant childcare qualification at level 3. Experience of working with children will be an advantage. Most employers expect health play specialists to be registered with the Healthcare Play Specialist Education Trust. To register, you need a foundation degree in healthcare play specialism. This is a two-year part-time course. If you are not already working in healthcare play, you need to arrange a placement during the course. A level 5 apprenticeship standard for health play specialists has been approved for delivery.
Most staff working in the NHS are paid on the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay system. As a play assistant, you will typically be on AfC band 3. As a health play specialist, you will be on band 4 or 5 (as a senior health play specialist) and with further training and experience, you could apply for more senior positions. Health play staff in the NHS work standard hours of around 37.5 a week. Terms and conditions will usually be different for health play staff working outside of the NHS.
To work in health play, you need to be interested in working with children, imaginative and fun, caring and kind, approachable and reassuring, able to deal with other people’s emotions (both children and adults), willing to work with parents and carers, health and safety conscious and aware of child protection and safeguarding. You'll also need excellent communication skills (including listening) with adults and children, good organisational and observational skills.
After working as a play assistant, with further training and experience, you could apply for positions as a health play specialist. You could then apply for posts as a senior play specialist, responsible for a team. With the appropriate qualifications needed for university study, you could apply to train as a healthcare professional such as a nurse or occupational therapist.
Related roles
- Children's nurse [2]
- Neonatal nurse [3]
- Newborn hearing screener [4]
- Paediatrician [5]
Rehabilitation engineering encompasses a team of people assessing and responding to the needs of people with disabilities.
You’ll typically need appropriate level-3 qualifications to apply for a place on a BSc (Hons) healthcare science in rehabilitation engineering NHS Practitioner Training Programme (PTP) or through the NHS Scientist Training Programme specialising in clinical engineering, for which you’ll need a 1st or 2.1 either in an undergraduate honours degree or an integrated master’s degree in a relevant pure or applied science subject. If you have a relevant 2.2 honours degree, you’ll also be considered if you have a higher degree in a subject relevant to the specialism for which you are applying. Evidence of research experience is desirable.
NHS staff will usually work a standard 37.5 hours per week. They may work a shift pattern. Most jobs in the NHS are covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales. As a healthcare science practitioner, you’d usually start on band 5, with opportunities to progress to more senior positions. Trainee clinical scientists train at band 6 level, and qualified clinical scientists are generally appointed at band 7. With experience and further qualifications, you could apply for posts up to band 9. Terms and conditions of service can vary for employers outside the NHS.
Effective communication skills, practically minded, and confident with technology, systems and processes, an interest in science and technology, meticulous attention to detail and able to work as part of a team.
With further training or experience or both, you may be able to develop your career further and apply for vacancies in areas such as further specialisation, management, research, or teaching.
Related roles
- Occupational therapist [7]
- Orthoptist [8]
- Reconstructive science [9]
- Experienced paramedic [10]