Making Career Decisions

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Making Career Decisions
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Learning outcomes

• You will
• Understand a range of career factors which can
  help inform your choices after Foundation
  training
• Know how to evaluate specialty preferences and
  options in a systematic way
• Have access to a range of decision-making tools
  and resources
• Be able to use and interpret competition ratio
  data realistically
• Be able to scenario plan for the range of
  decisions and choices which typically occur as
  part of specialty training application
• Understand the importance of contingency plans

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Deanery Careers/LTFT Team

• Dr Melanie Jones
• Associate Dean and Careers/LTFT Lead
• Sally Blake
• Career Development Adviser
• pgmedicalcareers_at_cardiff.ac.uk
• E Guidance link from www.cardiff.ac.uk/walesdeaner
  y/careers

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Career Support for Trainees
Who provides support ?
SpecialistDeanery
You
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Are you ready for this?
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Your career at its simplest

• Go to Medical School
• Become a Junior Doctor
• Enter specialty training
• Become a consultant

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The road ahead
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Interactive Career map
From hot button on Deanery homepage
www.walesdeanery.org
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Main Options after F2

• Specialty Training programme
• Integrated Academic Training (WCAT)
• Specialty doctor
• Time Out/Abroad
• Research/teaching
• Other use of medical training (law, finance,
  informatics, sales, health related)

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Typical decision dilemmas

• Which round should I apply to? Should I
  wait/re-apply in Round 2?
• Should I accept an offer if I dont know where my
  posts will be?
• Dual career issues
• Am I prepared to move to pursue a specialty or
  stay and let Plan A go?
• What is my 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice?
• What is my Plan B?
• Should I go abroad?
• Do I still want to be a doctor?

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Influences on career decisions

• Time - earlier decisions are now required!
• Generation (Boomers, X and Y)
• Choice left to individual (UK norm)
• Prior exposure to a speciality helps inform
  choice
• Peer influence (what others think)
• Role models
• Positive and negative experiences (horn and
  halo)
• Life style and work life balance
• You need to take an evidence-based approach!

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Where should we be now?

• Self assessment
• Exploring career values, motivators,
  preferences, personal strengths, limitations
• Career exploration
• Establishing options, alternatives and plan
  Bs, information gathering, networking, reality
  checking
• Decision making (you are here!)
• Evaluating options, mapping skills and
  attributes against actual roles, considering
  options and preferences, clarifying personal
  factors, making choices
• Plan implementation
• Applicant research, CV update and
  applications, preparing for assessments and
  interviews

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Still exploring?

• You can organise tasters in F2 to look at
  specialties you may consider or want to find out
  about
• Go to national medical careers fairs (RCP, Mersey
  15 September, BMJ London 19 20 October)
• For diary of all UK Careers events
• http//www.medicalcareers.nhs.uk/career_planning/c
  areer_exploration/medical_careers_events_calend.as
  px
• Talk to trainees what did they choose, why?

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Try SCI59

• On line self assessment tool
• Improves self awareness if questions considered
• Gives 10 specialities most likely to enjoy
• Gives 10 specialities which will be a challenge
• Take it with a pinch of salt hazard warning!!!
• Free to BMA members via their website
• http//www.bma.org.uk/careers/careers_service/Care
  ersguidance.jsp

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Do some personal research

• Visit departments and talk to people
• Have your questions ready
• Have contact details to hand
• Youre the ideal person to ask about
• Id really value your view on
• Whats it really like working as a ?

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What do I need to know about particular
specialties?

• Skills and competencies required
• Experience needed
• Pathways and progression
• Competition ratios
• Number and type of posts
• Local and UK variation
• Qualifications and training needed
• Must be up to date information

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Have you got what they want?

• What I want What the specialty 1 wants
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• What I offer 2 What the specialty offers
  4

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Exercise

• Compare 2 Person Specifications
• How do the first sections differ?
• Look at common behavioural attributes e.g.
  Communication, Team work
• How do they differ?

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Competition ratios a word of warning!

• Medical students and doctors like evidence-based
  approaches
• Numbers look an attractive way of planning or
  justifying decisions
• Posts are based on NHS service need this changes
  from year to year
• Everybody presents information differently (and
  usually not the whole story)
• Using ratios to determine choice is like driving
  whilst looking in the rear view mirror

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Case study Radiology in Wales 2009/10

• 224 applications for 7 posts
• Competition ratio 321
• 39 invited to interview 51
• 15 attended 21
• 3 appointable candidates, 4 posts to Round 2
• 2010 28 applicants put Wales first choice in
  national process (but 20 interviewed and 5 offers
  made)

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Sources of Information

• www.mmc.nhs.uk on all specialty recruitment
  look at person specifications and careers
  sections
• www.bma.org.uk information on recruitment
  rounds and procedures
• www.medicalcareers.nhs.uk for specialty
  information including workforce projections
• www.nhscareers.nhs.uk for outlines of
  specialities, pay
• careerfocus.bmj.com/ details of UK and other
  job vacancies, career advice, FAQ
• Careers in Wales
• www.walesdeanery.org for info on specialty
  training rounds in Wales
• www.medicalcareerswales.com all vacancies in
  Wales
• www.doctorstrainingwales.tv for video clips on
  specialty training in Wales

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Gold Guide

• Everything about speciality training
• Flexible training/LTFT
• Time out for research
• Time out for approved clinical training or
  experience
• Career breaks
• Inter deanery transfers
• Time out for other good reasons
• www.mmc.nhs.uk

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Reality checks

• Even with your talent and aspiration remember
  that
• The NHS will train the workforce it requires, not
  create the posts you want
• Not everyone gets their first choice
• Think in terms of choosing some specialties not
  just choosing a specialty
• There will be changes, transitions and
  bottlenecks to navigate from hereon in
• Learn to live with risk and uncertainty

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Action Plan

• Weigh up all your circumstances
• Prioritise your options and preferences
• Think of a Plan B (and C)
• Carry out detailed research
• Build experience via Tasters / audit / teaching
• Get portfolio in shape (Dops, Mini CEX etc)
• Bookmark and browse your key information sites
• Update your CV
• Think about your interview skills