Elliott Williams

I wanted to join the Summer Internship Programme to get real-world exposure to work and diversify myself into a different area of healthcare, giving me a more holistic view of my future job as a doctor. My internship focused on developing resources for medical students on moral injury and vicarious trauma, working with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). Through the project, I was able to see the end point of complaints and understand how they can be used to support medical students and improve learning.

Working at the PHSO was fantastic and one of the highlights of my internship. The complaints were a gold mine for learning and gave me a unique insight into patient experiences, healthcare systems and the impact that feedback can have on improving care. It was a completely different side of healthcare to what I had experienced so far during medical school and helped me gain a broader perspective on the profession.

The biggest challenge was getting to and from Manchester each day, as it was a difficult trip in the morning. Despite this, the experience was incredibly worthwhile and gave me the opportunity to work alongside knowledgeable professionals and learn from real cases.

One of the most important things I learned during the internship was that complaints should be viewed as a gift rather than a reprimand. Working with the PHSO really showed me how valuable complaints can be as learning tools and how they can help improve practice and support future healthcare professionals.

In the future, I would like to become a paediatric critical care anaesthetist. The internship has helped me develop a wider understanding of healthcare and has shown me the importance of learning from patient experiences alongside clinical practice.

I would definitely recommend the Summer Internship Programme to other students. It provides valuable real-world experience, exposure to different areas of healthcare and opportunities to learn from experienced professionals in a supportive environment.

The whole team at the PHSO were fantastic, extremely knowledgeable and supportive throughout the internship. I would also like to mention how absolutely fantastic Dr June Jones is, as her support has been second to none.