Health Psychology is a relatively new area of applied psychology. Although there is an increasing demand, there is still a reasonably high level of competition, with the average number of applicants per place on a Masters course at Southampton being six.
Work experience into the health field is often a requirement for acceptance onto a postgraduate course. This can be voluntary or paid - either is just as valuable.
Sometimes it is difficult to find work experience in a health care setting. If this is the case, shadowing someone to find out more about their job would be useful or even arranging a meeting with them to discuss what their career entails. This will help you to familiarise yourself with the types of roles carried out by a Health Psychologist. The BPS allows you to search for psychologists in your area.
The following points include examples of relevant work experience; some include jobs in the local area.
A Criminal Records Bureau Check will be needed if you will be working with young children or dealing with sensitive information