Consistent Careers Support Where now, what next

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Consistent Careers SupportWhere now, what next?

• Sally Blake
• Wales Deanery

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Then and now
Shift from a clear career pathway to an often
unpredictable journey, requiring frequent
regeneration
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The BIG Questions

• What career support measures are most relevant
  for Foundation doctors and when?
• What and how should we standardise?
• What feedback should we be asking for and working
  on?

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Medical student soundbites

• I think we dont know enough about the system to
  be energised to learn about it
• The future is blur as to what happens after
  F2theres so may different routes to get to a
  particular specialty but what happens in the
  interim, nobody really knows
• theres a lot of things changing at the moment,
  a lot, and more than half of us dont know what
  the hells going on
• Ive heard so much about FP1/2/STbut I can
  honestly say if someone said what is the form,
  how do you fill it in, when is the due dayI
  feels like no-ones actually sat us down as a year
  group and have been like, youve got to apply for
  jobs
• I do admit that Ive just kind of bumbled
  alongperhaps it would be useful for future years
  to put some early thought in

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The dilemma

• Face to face, non-standard information from
  clinicians and junior doctors, placements, peers
  and family carries most weight
• Standardised information i.e. careers talks, web
  and written information carries least weight
• Does this mindset continue in Foundation?

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F1 soundbites confidence crisis

• I dont think we get long enough to decide and
  thats the thing thats bothering me now
• All of our consultants know that were not going
  to be as good as they areas theyll all probably
  have double the experience that we have
• the problem with the selection processis how
  you look on a piece of paper

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Foundation doctors

• Largely undecided at the outset about future
  choice
• Feel rushed into specialty applications
• Perceive the system as inflexible
• Felt information from their educational
  supervisors was uncertain or inconsistent
• Are influencing our medical students!

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Things we have standardised

• Careers Fairs our brand
• ROADS the underpinning model
• Career Support Information Leaflets
• Deanery website
• Specialty DVD/video channel
• Hard resources for F1 F2 doctors
• Curriculum based careers workshops

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Foundation careers workshops

• Learners
• Typically Generation Y
• Most motivated when content and topic align with
  real -life career needs
• Only interested when right thing at right time
• Delivery must optimise interest and interaction

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Careers Education planned and timed

• 3 sessions
• ROADS model
• F1 start Career planning
• F1 end Making decisions
• F2 start Specialty
  applications

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Design features

• Content
• Sessions need key, up-to date information
• Aim to be consistent across the board
• Flexible enough to accommodate regular content
  updates and local initiatives
• Deanery develops generic materials, local
  trainers can deliver

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Delivery in 2008/9

• Largely by Deanery, few local trainers
• 197 F1 doctors, 167 F2 doctors
• BUT we missed others
• Delivery needs to be shared more
• E learning modules in development
• How do we widen access without diluting
  consistency or over-standardising?

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Reaction evaluation so far

• F1 1st workshop
• Im now aware of where to look for career
  information
• Excellent we need more of this kind of
  teaching/advice
• Never been told before how the system works
• F2 3rd workshop
• Gave ideas as to what application process will
  involve informed us of exactly what to expect
• Good chance to ask questions
• Reassurance if it doesnt work out
• All good as I have had next to no information
  about applying for ST

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Future challenges

• Educating the educators
• Evaluating all career support measures
• Improving engagement with medical students
• Moving beyond reaction-based workshop evaluation
  to outcomes rather than outputs

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Back to the Questions

• What is the timing for giving specific careers
  support measures to Foundation trainees?
• What standardisation of materials should there be
  to support the delivery of careers thinking?
• How should trainee feedback be used for continued
  improvement?