As an educational supervisor you should familiarise yourself with the four stage model of career planning. You might also want to register and try out some of the exercises on this website yourself, so that you will be in a better position to discuss them with your trainee doctors.

Key points for a 1:1 meeting with your trainee doctor:

You can read our case studies in our sample scenario page.
 

Dr Caroline Elton, Head of Careers Advice and Planning, at the London Deanery has produced an excellent e-learning module for educational supervisors wishing to study more about providing careers support to their trainees. The e-learning module is freely available and can be downloaded from the London Deanery website.

You may wish to find out more about coaching. Dr Maire Shelly, Associate Postgraduate Dean, North Western Deanery has written a very useful guide, Career Coaching for Doctors which accompanies her video presentation. 

If you would like to learn more about giving careers support to your trainee/s,
most deaneries hold regular ‘Career Support Training Workshops’ run specifically for Educational Supervisors who are providing guidance to trainee docotors.  These sessions are run by careers professionals and will provide an opportunity to share experiences and gain an understanding of how to provide effective careers support to trainee doctors.

The following cases are the most difficult to deal with: 

• Trainee doctors who are contemplating leaving medicine
• Trainee doctors whose career plans may be unrealistic
• The chronically indecisive

In these cases it may be that you feel the trainee doctor should be referred to a careers adviser. See our guide to specialist careers advice.

Below are links to the three major reviews of MMC and the foundation programme:

Collins, J.P. (2010) Foundation for Excellence: An Evaluation of the Foundation Programme, Medical Education England.  There is a section on careers (P73 - 77)

Darzi, A. (2008) High quality care for all: Next Stage Review final report, Department of Health

Tooke, J. (2007) Aspiring to excellence: final report of the independent inquiryinto Modernising Medical Careers. MMC Inquiry

Resources for medical students and trainee doctors:

In the Resources pages you will find other sources of information and advice that will help trainee doctors in their decision making about their future career. These resources will provide you with further details about career planning, choosing a specialty and postgraduate medical training. They include links to the medical royal colleges, regulatory authorities and deaneries as well as a list of books you may find helpful.