Observerships
Expand your horizons.
Develop your expertise.
Advancing expertise through observerships
Observerships at Manchester Specialist Health Academy offer international clinicians and healthcare professionals structured, short-term placements designed to provide a clear understanding of NHS systems and complex care. Observers benefit from consultant oversight, a defined induction, and tailored learning objectives within a supportive framework.
These placements focus on shadowing, giving you sustained access to specialist teams. You’ll follow patient pathways, observe multidisciplinary collaboration, and gain valuable insight into the advanced care delivered across our hospitals. Optional enhancements such as simulation days, short courses, and CPD sessions are available to enrich your experience.
Our fee structure is simple. Observers pay £850 for their first week and £300 per week thereafter. This gives you ultimate flexibility for determining how long you'd like to spend with us.
We offer observerships across a range of specialties, each designed to ensure clarity, consistency, and a positive candidate experience.
Applying for placements across the world can be challenging, so we have a simple 3-step guide. We'll be here with you every step of the way.
Eligibility
Demand for our observerships is exceptionally high, and we welcome applications from exceptional candidates who can demonstrate meeting the following criteria.
- Visa: Applicants must hold a valid visa that permits them to be in the UK for any reason, such as a visitor visa, work visa, or PLAB visa.
Duration
- Our observerships immerse you in the clinical environment for a deeper understanding of the NHS and complex care. Lasting 4–12 weeks, they provide access to specialist teams - allowing you to follow patient pathways, witness multidisciplinary collaboration, and build valuable professional connections.
Our Signature Observerships
Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
- Anaesthetics
- Allergy
- Bone marrow transplants
- Burns and plastics
- Children's Mental Health (CAMHS)
- Cardiology
- Cleft lip and palate
- Critical care
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Emergency and Trauma
- Endocrinology
- Epilepsy
- Gastroenteritis
- General Medicine
- General Surgery
- Haematology
- Immunology
- Infectious Disease
- Leukaemia
- Long term ventilation
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- North West Transport Service (NWTS)
- Oncology
- Orthopaedics
- Pain
- Respiratory
- Rheumatology
- Trauma
- Urology
Saint Mary's Hospital
- Colposcopy
- Endometriosis
- Fetal Medicine Unit /Screening
- Fetal Surveillance
- Genomics
- Gynaecology
- Maternity
- Maternity Medicine
- MESH
- Metabolics
- Newborn
- Oncology
- Palliative Care
- Reproductive Medicine
- Termination Services
- Urogynaecology
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital
- Acute & Comprehensive
- Cataract
- Cornea
- General
- Glaucoma
- Medical retina
- Neuro-ophthalmology
- Oculoplastics
- Paediatric Ophthalmology
- Uveitis
- Vitreoretinal
Your path to becoming an Observer
Tell us about you
You've learned a bit about our obseverships. We’d love to learn more about you!
Share your training, experience, and aspirations for your observership at Manchester Specialist Health Academy.
Use the button below to explore an overview of what to expect during your application.
Supervisor matching
On receipt of your application, a member of our team will match you with an experienced Consultant and look at dates that would suit you.
You'll be invited to interview with our medical team and meet some of your colleagues.
Onboarding
We'll then support you through a series of pre-employment checks. You'll need to give us some more information and we'll keep you informed as these progress.
We recognise that moving to Manchester might be daunting. We'll also offer you personal assistance with sourcing local accommodation, travel arrangements for you and your family. We want you to get the most of the educational experience, so we'll aim to make your journey and stay as easy as possible.