CAREERS INFORMATION FOR FOUNDATION DOCTORS

We all understand that deciding which step to take can be very straightforward for some, but plagued with uncertainty for others! 

We therefore have the following resources:

Trust based

• Alll our FTPD have been provided with skills and resources to provide careers counselling. This is not just for those going straight into specialty training, but for all trainees.
• Your medical education department can put you in touch with consultants/senior trainees to discuss a career in their field. .
• Each of our trusts also puts on a local 'careers fair' where different departments come and talk about the opportunities in their speciality.
• If your possible career is not incorporated in your foundation rotations, arrange a taster week. Each trainee can take up to 2 weeks of study leave [on separate occasions] to try out potential career pathways [see study leave guidance]
• please complete the careers form in HORUS and discuss with your educational supervisor

HEE EoE Deanery based

HUB clinical half days: these are led by enthusiastic trainers and trainees in many of the fields of medicine.

• Choose the 2 clinical hub half days in F1 and F2 both around areas you would like to have more specialised knowledge, and where you can consider future career pathways.
• Each should have a careers session and possible contacts to discuss further.

HUB professional half days: we have a number of careers choice half days. The central ones are predominantly around how to look at choosing a career and career structuring. The peripheral ones are trainee led and are practical approaches to how to apply. Best done in F1. We don't have a bespoke for 'F3' hub, though are considering offering this.

Bridge resources: with our new learning platform, we are asking our heads of schools to create a 'sales pitch' for you and a 'how to' with who to contact. These will gradually appear in the careers category. this is also open to core trainees to submit a how to guide also.

Remember although you have an expectation within the taught programme of attending 2 clinical and 1 professional hub, you may choose an additional hub if spaces available for your non-core taught programme, or for study leave purposes. Also, recordings of these, where possible, will be available on our Bridge learning platform.

Deanery website

• Look at our pages for the different schools. they have contact links to talk to. The deanery has a webpage careers springboard particularly for foundation doctors looking towards their future career.
• we forward on emails from our schools around careers events they hold for you. We don't have the supporting staff to place them on this website. [make sure we have an up to date email address with our programmes team!]

National resources

E-Learning

• Live web page link: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/midlands-and-east-of-england-applications-and-interviews-for-foundation-doctors/
• If you have any queries in relation to this resource, please email careers.em@hee.nhs.uk

E-LFH modules on careers planning

The BMA also has careers planning e-learning for members

Websites

BMA members interactive specialty explorer : we recommend all BMA members try this out in F1. you have 3 'turns' so use them wisely!

HEE speciality training webpages and the new HEE beyond foundation website [they liked our name!]

The various Royal Colleges will have appropriate pages.

CoPMeD/MDRS have some careers advice documents and strategy documents for F3 and working abroad

Career Related  Events

Twitter - many of the royal colleges advertise events for foundation trainees on twitter. 

• useful twitter handles : @hjohnson2FSD; @choose_Psych; @UKFPO; @eastpaeds; @EoE_Foundation; @RCObsGyn; @bmjcareers to get you started!

Having a pause in training

We hope that if you have a training pause - F3/career break etc that it is for a positive reason, that you wish to spend time abroad, or have a broader experience in a particular specialty or research, or that you have a travelling desire, new family etc.

However, If you are considering having a training pause because of burnout, difficulty making choices, negativity about the future, then we want to hear from you. Start with your FTPD and talk through your worry and issues. If this is due to a problem with our training programme, we will want to try and fix the situation as well as signposting you to other supportive resources.

When you return [as we hope you do] to medicine, then this page and this foundation school still belongs to you. contact the foundation school or our support team. For those with a year or two away, there is usually no difficulty in a return to medicine [and may of you will have been employed at least part of that time. Dependent on demand, we would consider a half day careers hub event for our F3+ around returning back to medicine and supporting application.

If you are out of medicine for 3+ years entirely, we run with suppoRRT a return to medicine programme. It is currently a pilot, but hope to continue. [see the suppoRRT page for more details]. We plan to email our trainees on the address we hold if they are out of medicine for 3 years at that point to tell them of our returners option. Your email may change, so you might want to email us via support!

F3 Resource links

we are looking to be able to provide a deferred start for trainees who have done foundation with us, and accept a specialty traininng post with us who wish a global health placement. this is a new project, please contact the foundation school.

Look at Messly, the student room and the BMJ for discussion and advice. Google throws up a huge number of blogs. Remember, this is a career choice too! Look at why you are doing it, and what you want to achieve from it. Talk to your ES and FTPD preparing for it.

the welsh careers page has advice on taking time out following F2

If you take time out, and want to share some of the positives and negatives, or advice for current foundation doctors, email the foundation school.

What if medicine is just not for you?

If you are uncertain whether your future career lies in medicine talk to your ES or your FTPD around this in the first place. They will be supportive. We will always encourage you to complete F1, but you have only one life, and we agree that you must ensure you live it according to ensuring your wellbeing and happiness.

Our PSW has a careers support and guidance function [see the trainee wellbeing pages] for trainees that are definitely considering life outside medicine.