Careers conference success
Published: 17/09/2009
The UKFPO recently hosted a successful conference entitled 'careers support for medical students and foundation doctors'.
The event on Thursday 10 September, aimed to bring together all those involved in providing careers support to medical students and foundation doctors to discuss careers advice and planning. During the course of a highly productive day, a number of key themes emerged. These included:
- Not all applicants will get their first choice of specialty; especially with post numbers expected to decline over the next three years. Therefore, there is a strong need to manage expectations and encourage all applicants to develop a Plan B and also to bear in mind the expectation for 60% of graduates to enter general practice by 2013.
- There is a need to promote equity of preparation provided to medical students applying to Foundation Programme as there is considerable variation in the support and assistance currently provided by universities.
- The Foundation Programme is a bridge between medical school and speciality training. Therefore, career management skills are required over many years and transitions.
- Doctors who cannot follow the usual pathway in the Foundation Programme and take time out of programme unexpectedly, need flexibility from employers and support from their colleagues and deanery in order to remain in the workforce and complete their training.
- There will be no major changes to the application process for 2010. Pilots for applicants (including Situational Judgement Tests) will take place during 2010 but will not affect foundation school allocation.
- Applicants to the 2010 Foundation Programme should be encouraged to fill out their applications early due to the possibility of a pandemic flu outbreak.
- Tactics amongst Foundation Programme applicants can vary considerably, but location, lifestyle and high quality training are significant motivators. Applicants’ view of tactics may not accord with their supervisors.
Presentations
Foundation Programme 2010 recruitment (Prof. Derek Gallen)
Specialty Training 2010 recruitment (Dr. Mary Armitage) (available from Sept 23)
Factors affecting specialty choice (Dr. Caroline Elton)
Communicating with Generation Y: Challenges and Practical Solutions (Miss Kelly Drewery)
From the frontline: experiences of an F2 doctor applying to specialty training (Dr. Scott Oliver)
From the frontline: F2s and career breaks (Dr. Kate Emmerson)
Breakout sessions
What kind of doctors will patients need in the future?(Mr. Andy Knapton)
Improving Career Support and Coaching Skills (Dr. Emma Sedgwick)
Understanding applicant tactics and influences on their choices / Foundation school survey (Dr. Melanie Jones and Mrs. Sally Blake)
