TransitionTimes: Think of hospitals and you think of doctors and nurses. You might be surprised by the range of other caring professions they involve, reports Gráinne Faller.

A hospital is a surprisingly diverse workplace, although you wouldn't think so from television. In Scrubs, for example, the characters consist of numerous doctors, a couple of nurses, a permanently depressed lawyer and a delightfully evil janitor.

ER - not surprisingly when it has the likes of the lovely Luka to concentrate on - also tends to focus on the doctors and nurses. But as anyone who has spent more than a brief time in hospital can tell you, there's more to the staff than that.

As medical science progresses, areas such as diagnostics and rehabilitation have become increasingly important to patient care. Doctors and nurses work alongside radiologists, physiotherapists, social workers, dieticians, speech therapists, occupational therapists and laboratory technicians. The prospects for somebody interested in working with patients are dizzying, and transition year is a great time to explore them.

But picture the scene. You're lucky enough to have secured some work experience at your local hospital, and, all of a sudden, you're confronted with the dilemma of which department to choose. I, for one, didn't know what occupational therapy was when I was 16. You have only a week, so what's the best way to spend your time?

Deirdre Fitzgerald, a speech and language therapist at St Columcille's Hospital, in Loughlinstown, Co Dublin, often had students calling and asking for work experience. Realising that they didn't always get the best view of the range of jobs in the hospital, she decided to try to formalise the process.

The arrangement has worked well, and now St Columcille's provides organised weeks of experience to local students who are interested in careers beyond just medicine and nursing. The idea is simple: during their week of work experience, students follow a timetable that splits their time between radiography, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, nutrition and dietetics. They also get to spend a day in the hospital laboratory.

The arrangement benfits the health professionals, too: as every department is expecting the students, they are well prepared and ready to make the most of the experience.

Fitzgerald, who co-ordinates the programme, says: "It gives students an idea of what these professions actually are. It's practical, professional exposure, and it gives a great insight into working in a hospital and dealing with patients from day to day."

Students are encouraged to send in CVs and apply. So far, demand has far exceeded supply. Emily Roche, a transition-year student, was one successful applicant. "I'd like to do nursing," she says. "The week helped quite a bit. It was very interesting to see how things work."

The students had an enormous amount of interaction with patients and got a taste of the hospital's day-to-day workings. "Some of it was surprising," says Emily. "Speech and language therapy is very stressful, for example. You need lots of patience to do it." She was impressed by the professional relationships within the hospital. "Everyone works together," she says.

Fitzgerald adds: "The integration of different professions is important. Out on the ward, each person has an input into how best to treat the patient. There is an interdependence there."

"The structure of the work experience definitely helps," says Emily. "There are so many areas you could go into. In the beginning I was only thinking about nursing, and now I'm looking at physiotherapy as well." She was certainly encouraged in her ambition. "I realised that I could handle seeing people being ill. I think that part could scare people."

"People within the hospital have been really co-operative," says Fitzgerald. "I think it's a useful experience for students. The broad nature of the programme suits 15- and 16-year-olds. You can't beat the practical experience."

So what do they do?

Many of the professionals who work in hospitals have gone straight from school into degrees that train them for their jobs. As the Leaving Cert does very little to prepare students for such careers, colleges strongly advise students to find out about the job before applying for the course. This is a brief guide to what some of the professionals do.

Occupational therapist An occupational therapist assesses people who are physically or mentally disabled and helps them to redevelop skills that they have lost. When the nature of their disabilities makes this impossible, the therapist helps them develop new skills that will enable them to be as independent as possible.

This can include selecting wheelchairs and other equipment. Occupational therapists work with patients of all ages, from babies to the elderly, and can work in hospitals or in the community. Their basic aim is to improve the quality of people's lives.

Speech and language therapist Speech and language therapists assess and treat people with communication difficulties. They also help patients who find it hard to eat or swallow. In hospitals they often work in intensive care, helping stroke victims who are having difficulties swallowing.

Physiotherapist Physiotherapists help people to maintain and regain physical movement. They play an important role in the recovery of patients who have lost some mobility by using skills in exercise, in movement and with various forms of equipment. They also play an important role in the day-to-day care of patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis.

Pharmacist Hospital pharmacists are responsible for the effective and economical supply of drugs in the institution. They monitor the safety, quality and use of medicines and keep abreast of developments and products in the market. Pharmacists also lecture medical students and nurses on drugs, their side effects, dose rates and more.

Radiographer A radiographer must combine a caring profession with considerable technical expertise. Diagnostic radiographers are responsible for producing high-quality images to help in diagnosing and treating diseases. Therapeutic radiographers (or radiation therapists) are responsible for administering radiation therapy to cancer patients.

Dietician Dieticians have an extensive knowledge of nutrition and diet. They have medical and scientific backgrounds that enable them to work as part of a medical team in managing conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. They also advise patients undergoing particular treatments, such as chemotherapy, on what they should be eating. They plan food and nutrition programmes and advise on food preparation.