Kareem Oseni-Lateef from The Billericay School in Essex completed his paid internship at St Luke’s Hospice, part of NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System in summer 2023. Hear how this experience helped him decide his next career steps.
Kareem joined the programme hoping to find direction for his future, and the chance to learn about different career paths.
“Before I joined Career Ready, I was unsure about my future, and not very confident because I didn’t have many opportunities to expand my knowledge of careers I could pursue.”
After working at St Luke’s Hospice for his paid internship, Kareem had the chance to see what a job in mental healthcare could look like, which was an important step in confirming his plans for his future.
“I’m now confident and determined to pursue the initial career I was interested in – I got to see that my career could help people, and that’s what I want to do.”
A first-hand glimpse into the workplace
For Kareem, seeing what his job could look like in a real-life context was incredibly important in helping him decide what career to go into. His paid internship at St Luke’s Hospice gave him just that, and a solid understanding of how the hospice worked.
“On my internship, I worked in different units exploring and learning about the types of jobs each person does, and how everyone’s role comes together to provide for patients. Although it was stressful at times, my team were always there to make sure I was alright and in the right mindset to keep working to the best of my ability. I enjoyed seeing how the hospital and hospice worked hand in hand to provide the best possible care for patients and maintaining staff wellbeing as well.”
Kareem enjoyed learning about the breadth of jobs available at the hospice, and a highlight for him was seeing how much the staff there cared about what they were doing.
“For me the best part was working with so many different people and seeing how passionate everyone was about what they did.”
Developing skills and experiences for the future
Kareem had the chance to develop several career skills on his internship, especially communication and working with others.
“Communication is a skill that I feel like I developed a lot more during my internship because it was a really important part of the job working at both the outpatient and inpatient units to make sure everything runs smoothly and effectively.”
Getting the chance to have a real-life experience of the workplace has been a key part of Kareem’s career journey, which he reflects on more below.
“Internship opportunities are so important because you get to see into the world of work and experience it for yourself. As a whole, the programme has given me an insight into working life and also the confidence to take opportunities and not lose my motivation.”
Looking to the future
Kareem came into the programme with aspirations of studying Psychology and helping people, something his internship has only solidified.
“This experience has made me sure of my plans to go into Psychology, as I got to see how important mental support was for patients, and helping people is something I want to do in my career.”
