At a glance
Our people need the best medical minds at work. You’ll get a fully-funded degree in a specialist area and, once you’ve qualified, join a multi-disciplinary medical team and work all over the world.
Healthcare & Medical Rating (Student)
Get paid to study and gain all the skills and qualifications you need for a career in healthcare and medicine.
Start your application
As part of your application process, we’ll help you find the most suitable role based on your skills and experience.
Register interest£42,000
Earn at least this amount whilst studying at university
Extra pay
For every day spent at sea
£38,000
Earn over this amount after university and initial training
6 weeks
Of paid holiday every year
Free
Medical and dental care
Travel
All around the world
I’m multi-disciplinary, which means I get really varied work, whether I’m on board ship, or in an NHS hospital.
What you can do
Profession details
Joining the Royal Navy as a Healthcare and Medical Rating (Student) means you’ll get a salary and a fully-funded specialist degree or diploma. You’ll complete initial naval training before starting either at university or being trained within the Royal Navy, whilst learning alongside other military students. Once qualified, you’ll work within a specialist medical or dental team. Healthcare and Medical Ratings (Student) can specialise in dental nursing, biomedical science, mental health nursing, adult nursing, operations department or radiography. Whatever your pursuit, you’ll start your medical career at the top.
- Combine your degree or diploma with military training to prepare for life in the Navy
- Play a key role in supporting deployed personnel as well as those stationed in the UK
- Be part of a world-class medical service that’s respected far beyond the Armed Forces
- A salary of up to £25,200 while studying at university
- If completing a degree level course, earn at least £42,000 after university and initial training
- An excellent pension scheme
- Six weeks of paid holiday every year
- Free medical and dental care
Qualifications you'll gain
- A BSc (Hons) or Diploma (Dental Nurse) in your chosen profession
- A potential opportunity to study further at Degree level 6 and Masters level 7 to top up your professional portfolio
- Continued training and development in challenging environments
- Ability to be adaptable and flexible to practice anywhere around the world
- Team working and communication
- Leadership and management
- Aged 16 (Dental Nurse only) or 17 to 39 (You can start your application from 15 years and 9 months old however you must be at least 16 years old (Dental Nurse only) or 17 years old on the day of entry to basic training)
- 2 GCSEs for Dental Nurse, 120 UCAS points for Nursing inc. Mental Health and Radiography, 112 UCAS points for ODP and BMS students require BBB (A-Level) (to include Biology or Human Biology)
- You must be a British or Irish national, a Commonwealth citizen, or a Dual National - Dual Nationality restrictions apply
- Minimum height of 145cm
- A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)
- An aptitude for technical thinking in the clinical environment
- A caring and compassionate nature
- A passion for helping people
- A team player
- An adventurous spirit
Career progression
From responsibilities to pay, find out where this role can take you.
Day one
University
Start your four years of studying at Aston University
Professional training
Training
Once qualified, finish joining routine, start your rotation
Year one
First Year
Following your degree, Leading Rates Leadership Course
First promotion
First Promotion
Become Leading Hand, mentor students, go on deployment
Second promotion
Second Promotion
Become Petty Officer, take on more managerial responsibility
Joining process
From picking your profession to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.
- Register your interest
- Complete your application
- Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)
- Interview
- Student assessment board
- Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)
- Start training
Register your interest
Find the right profession and entry level for you, make sure you meet the basic eligibility criteria, and register your interest online.
Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive an email with more details about your chosen profession, along with an invitation to speak with our friendly recruitment team about any questions or concerns you might have.
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Start your application
Find your place in the Royal Navy. Make friends for life, learn new skills and experience the world.
Got a question?
Our virtual recruiter is available to answer your questions 24 hours a day