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Career Development Workshops

A comprehensive range of workshops for groups of doctors at all career stages (FYI through to retirement planning)

F1 Career Planning

Almost as soon as the induction talks are over and FY1 doctors are getting the hang of their first post, people will start telling them that they need to consider their longer term career plans. This practical workshops presents a reliable structured approach to careering planning that FY1 trainees can use to plan and realise their longer term career goals.

F2 Career Planning

This workshop will help participants review their career plans in order to check that they are robust as well as encouraging people to identify a back-up plan that they would also be happy to follow.  The session covers practical tips on assessing whether you have chosen the right option; preparing for ST1/CT1 applications; guidance on managing a portfolio and increasing your chances of succeeding at interview. Common interview mistakes will be discussed in order to ensure that participants don’t reduce their chances of success through poor preparation. The workshop will also cover what to do if you really don’t feel ready to choose your longer term career.

CMT Career Planning

Of all the Core training programmes, Core Medicine offers the widest possible array of specialties to follow on completion – in fact there are over 20 specialty routes to consider. This workshop (which is suitable for both CMT1 and CMT2 trainees) will help participants identify possible options (or review whether they have chosen wisely, if they have already made up their minds). In addition to covering specialty choice, the workshop will help participants prepare for the nuts and bolts of ST3 selection including general tips on filling out the application form; how best to demonstrate ‘commitment to specialty’ and succeeding at interview.

SAS Career Planning

Staff and Associate Specialty (SAS) doctors provide the backbone of clinical care in the NHS. Yet as doctors in these posts lack a straightforward pathway to completing their specialist training, they can often feel over-looked or unable to pursue their career goals.  This workshop will help participants take stock, in order to identify construct a longer term career action plan. For some this may involve applying for a NTN or aiming to complete their training through the CESR route’. But others may decide that extending their career responsibilities (eg by getting more involved in teaching, or in clinical service development), will provide a practical way of enhancing their career satisfaction. At the end of the workshop, each participant will construct a career action plan.

Navigating Career Bottlenecks

This workshop is for trainees in specialties where a future transition on their career trajectory may be highly competitive.  Drawing on the experience of trainees who have navigated this transition successfully as well as generic principles of effective career management, the workshop will include ideas on how best to scan the future career landscape; accurate self-assessment in order to identify key strengths and talents; exploring less obvious options and excelling in the selection process.

Multi-professional career development

Effective teamwork across multi-professional boundaries is an essential component of NHS practice. Colleagues from different professional groups not only share common professional values, but also share concerns about their individual career trajectories. By providing an opportunity for career goals to be reviewed in a multi-professional context, participants can take stock on a personal level, but can also learn about the rewards and challenges of the different professions that they work alongside on a day to day basis.  This workshop is appropriate for participants at any stage of their career. However, any one group will consist of participants of comparable levels of seniority/experience.

The approach to this workshop also incorporates the findings of a large scale study of work-based career discussions which showed that if the provider and recipient share a common framework, the recipients find the discussions more useful. By incorporating this key finding into the workshop, participants from all disciplines will be provided with a tried and tested structure for approaching future career decisions.

Preparing for consultant selection

As trainees approach the last eighteen months of their training programme, it can be helpful if they begin to construct a career action plan that they can use as the basis for the transition into their first role as a consultant.  This workshop introduces participants to a structured approach to career planning and guides them through implementing this approach to the specific task of preparing for consultant selection. Topics covered during the half day include early identification of weaker areas in your CV (and how to remedy them); identifying your career anchors, and using them to identify personal career priorities that underpin career satisfaction; carrying out through background research prior to a consultant interview; excelling during the interview process.

Working Equilibrium

Working equilibrium is about achieving a sense of balance between the different aspects of one’s life.  In contrast, feeling out of balance is a common experience for healthcare professionals working in demanding and pressurised roles. This can lead to a persistent lack of energy and reduced satisfaction with life both inside and outside of work.

 

This workshop provides participants with an opportunity to consider personal priorities and the factors that impact upon one’s wellbeing.  The approach is practically-based and grounded in evidence based research, using tools and techniques to help participants develop a more sustainable sense of working equilibrium.  This workshop is appropriate for medical and non-medical colleagues at any stage of their career.

Mid-Career Planning

Whilst support is often available at the outset of one’s consultant career, opportunities to engage in a process of in-depth career reflection ten or so years into the role are less common. By using a structured approach to career planning and incorporating optional psychometric assessment tools such as the Hogan suite of personality instruments, participants will be given an opportunity to identify short-term (1-2 years) and mid-term (5+ years) goals. Participants will also be able to consider how work commitments fit together with other aspects of their lives.

Retirement Planning

This workshop is designed for senior clinicians who are approaching retirement. Traditionally retirement preparation courses have tended to be limited to financial planning; whilst this issue will be touched on, the focus of the workshop is more psychological. Drawing on the relevant literature, the workshop aims to help participants manage the transition from work to retirement creatively, in order to maximise psychological and physical wellbeing. After the workshop participants will be able to access a 1:1 follow-up session if they so wish.

About the workshop facilitators

All workshops are delivered by facilitators who bring considerable experience not only in leading workshops, but also in providing careers support to individuals and groups in healthcare settings. In addition, all facilitators have recognised qualifications in occupational psychology, or career coaching.

Testimonials

“I can not thank you enough for all your support and advice during what has been a very difficult time for me - I am truly grateful...”

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Library

Read what Caroline and colleagues have written on topical career issues

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