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Career planning support – what's available
22 March 2023
Our career planning support team is here to help you take control of your own career. The services we provide are confidential, and the advice given is impartial. Our aim is to provide a client-centred service that can be accessed flexibly according to your needs.
It is important to start thinking about your future career in medicine early, and the skills necessary to plan your career development can be learned. Whether you are considering specialty training towards becoming a consultant or GP or an alternative route such as a specialty doctor, we are here to help you make an informed decision about the next steps. Perhaps you are further along in your career but want to make a change.
To make an appointment, you can email our team directly, self-refer or receive a Professional Support and Wellbeing (PSW) referral.
A careers guidance appointment offers you the opportunity to speak to a careers adviser to explore your career thinking, questions, and goals. It can give you the space and time to explore your ideas and work through your thinking and decision-making, providing crucial support as you move through your career. It can be helpful at any stage of your career journey, as it provides a chance to clarify your thoughts and identify the next steps to take.
The appointment will be focused on you, you can expect the careers adviser to ask what you want to talk about and how you would like to use the time. Using a combination of guidance and coaching skills, the adviser will ask plenty of open-ended questions in order to get you to explore different areas. An adviser is impartial and will not tell you what to do, nor do they have all the answers, but they may suggest areas that you have not explored and signpost you to further information.
- Choosing a specialty or exploring different pathways, for example Specialty and Associate Specialist (SAS).
- How to research medical specialties.
- The process of applications and training.
- Tips for your CV, portfolio building, interview preparation, or application forms.
- Whether to change your career in medicine or change specialty.
Prior to your appointment, it is helpful to think about what you may want to talk about. It can be a broad discussion, for example "I am not sure where my career is headed", or more specific, such as "I have been offered two positions and I am not sure which to take". To make the best use of the time, it can help to make some notes around the key issues.
You can find out more about the service we offer and get involved by visiting Severn career planning support or Peninsula career planning support or get in touch with a member of our team.