Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)

They Told You That You Need More NHS Experience. Here Is What That Feedback Actually Means — And How To Fix It Without Another Unpaid Placement.

You received feedback after your NHS interview.

It said: We felt that the successful candidate had more NHS-specific experience.

Or: We would encourage you to gain more experience within the NHS before reapplying.

Or: Your clinical experience was strong but we were looking for someone more familiar with NHS systems.

And you are sitting with that feedback wondering what it actually means. Because you have clinical experience. Real, substantive experience.

You have managed complex patients, contributed to MDT decisions, and delivered outcomes that would stand up in any clinical environment.

So what exactly is the NHS experience they are referring to — and how

do you get it without spending another six months in an unpaid observership?

I want to give you the specific, verified answer to this question — because the feedback is real, the gap it describes is real, but the gap is significantly narrower than the feedback implies.

What "NHS experience" actually means to a shortlisting panel:

When NHS interviewers use the phrase "NHS experience," they are not exclusively referring to time spent on an NHS ward. They are referring to four specific competencies that NHS clinical experience typically produces — and that your application is not currently evidencing:

NHS documentation standards. Every NHS Trust uses an Electronic Patient Record system. Every clinical decision, every assessment, every MDT contribution is documented in a specific format — SOAP notes, outcome measure scores, discharge summaries aligned to NHS standards. If your supporting statement and interview answers do not reference EPR documentation, structured clinical records, or NHS documentation governance — the panel infers a documentation gap.

NHS governance framework familiarity. Clinical governance in the NHS has a specific architecture: Datix incident reporting, clinical audit cycles, NICE guideline implementation, CQC compliance, the Freedom to Speak Up framework, the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework. If your answers reference clinical governance in general terms rather than naming these specific NHS frameworks — the panel infers a governance gap.

NHS escalation pathway knowledge. The NHS has documented escalation pathways — from bedside clinician to ward senior, to registrar, to consultant, to rapid response team, to MET call. Every specialty has a specific escalation framework. If your answers describe escalation in general terms rather than evidencing specific NHS pathway knowledge — the panel infers a system gap.

NHS MDT contribution evidence. NHS MDTs are formally structured, documented, and governance-governed. If your MDT experience is described without referencing NHS-specific MDT documentation, shared care records, or the specific professional contributions expected from your role within an NHS MDT — the panel infers an integration gap.

Here is how to close these gaps without another unpaid placement:

Gap 1 — Documentation: Complete the NHS England e-Learning for Healthcare modules on EPR documentation and NHS record-keeping standards. Free. Available at www.e-lfh.org.uk. Include the completion certificate in your CV and reference it explicitly in your supporting statement.

Gap 2 — Governance: Complete the NHS England e-Learning modules on Datix incident reporting, the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, and the Freedom to Speak Up framework. Free. Completable in a weekend. Reference them by name in your interview answers.

Gap 3 — Escalation: Study the specific escalation framework for your specialty. For physiotherapists — the NHS England Deteriorating Patient escalation framework. For OTs — the Community Care escalation pathway. For doctors — NEWS2 and the MET call criteria. These are publicly available. Knowing them and naming them in interviews closes the gap immediately.

Gap 4 — MDT: Research the NHS AHP Strategy 2022 — We Are The NHS: People Plan AHP commitments — and the specific MDT contribution expected from your profession in the NHS context. Reference this in your answers.

None of these require you to be employed in the NHS. All of them are achievable in 30 days. And all of them, when embedded in your supporting statement and your interview answers, close the gap the panel identified — without a single additional day of unpaid work.

📩 Closing the NHS experience gap in your documents and your interview answers is one of the most specific and high-value services provided.

DM me "NHS" and I will tell you exactly which gaps your specific application is presenting and how we close them.

Post 5 drops at 5:00 PM — and it is the post that brings Day 4 together. It is about the one thing that internationally trained clinicians do in NHS interview.

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