Getting Started with Sci59 – an online career tool for medical students and FY doctors

Looking for career guidance? Wondering which specialties might suit you?

What is Sci59 Online?
Sci59 Online is an Open University resource to help medical students and junior doctors in training see how their skills, attitudes, preferences and aspirations map against specialties.

What does it do? 
Sci59 lists the career choices that provide a reasonable match to your personal profile and, importantly, those that have a very poor degree of match.

Based on skills and attributes that consultants believe are critical to success in their field, Sci59 takes you through over a hundred questions about your preferred work settings, decision making styles, comfort with uncertainty and so on. The process takes about 15 minutes but you can stop at any time and go back to finish the questions later. 

The resulting personal profile ranks 59 specialties (including General Practice) against your expressed preferences, but also shows on which of 12 dimensions there were the strongest matches between you and a specialty. 
Your results are stored, so you can refer to them again. You can also print off the results in various formats. Your user name allows you to answer the survey three more times, so that you can compare results as you progress through your training. 
 
What it doesn’t do
Sci59 aims to provide food for thought and prompt further research – it does not tell you what to do!

Use Sci59 results alongside information, advice and guidance from other sources,such as Royal College websites and the NHS Medical careers website . We would also strongly recommend that, in order to get the most out of using this tool, you seek help in interpreting the results with colleagues, educational and clinical supervisors or careers advisers.

How do I access Sci59 Online and find out more?

Access is available through username and password only.*Student members of the BMA can access Sci59 via the BMA website. Click on careers guidance tools -  or from the Open University  website.

( *student membership of the BMA is free for the 1st year.2nd year introductory rate -£33.00.Subsequent years – £39.00 a year)

Calling all medical students: NPSA offers prize for essay on patient safety

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) through the National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS) is offering an annual prize for medical students studying in the United Kingdom on patient safety.

Three prizes will be awarded at the annual Patient Safety Congress. The winner will receive £500 and the two runners-up £200 each. 

Eligible doctors are encouraged to submit an original essay of up to 2,500 words on “The world of patient safety through the eyes of a medical student.’’

The essay must be the student’s own work.

The closing date for submission is 15th December 2009.

Please send  your essay, by email to Barbara Wilde, PA to Dr Kevin Cleary, Medical Director, NPSA. E-mail address: barbara dot wilde ‘at’ npsa dot nhs dot uk

Calling all junior doctors: NPSA offers prize for essay on patient safety

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) through the National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS) is offering an annual prize for junior doctors practising in the United Kingdom (foundation year one up to specialist registrar level) on patient safety.

Three prizes will be awarded at the annual Patient Safety Congress. The winner will receive £500 and the two runners-up £200 each. The winning entry will also be published in BMJ Careers.

Eligible doctors are encouraged to submit an original essay of up to 2,500 words on “The world of patient safety through the eyes of a junior doctor.’’

The essay must be the doctor’s own work.

The closing date for submission is 15th December 2009.

Please send  your essay, by email to Barbara Wilde, PA to Dr Kevin Cleary, Medical Director, NPSA. E-mail address: barbara dot wilde ‘at’ npsa dot nhs dot uk

 

2010 Foundation Programme Recruitment is Underway

Enrolment has opened

Click here and enrol. You must enrol before you will be able complete an application form. Applicants will be able to submit an application online between Monday, 12 October and 12.00 midday (BST) Friday, 23 October 2009. Applications received after this time will not be accepted.

2010 Foundation Applicant’s Handbook on website

We recommend that applicants read the 2010 Foundation Applicant’s Handbook before applying. It includes a wealth of handy tips and advice on completing each section of the form, a list of FAQs and an example reference. Click here to download a copy. Each section of the form is available to view as PDF documents. Click here to view these.

Podcast on how to apply to FP 2010 now available

This year, the UKFPO has also produced a podcast to accompany the Applicant’s Handbook. Narrated by UKFPO’s foundation doctor advisor, Dr Naomi Brown, it is essential listening for all FP2010 applicants Click here to download the podcast.

Foundation Programmes available to view

A list of foundation schools and programmes they are offering for 2010 is available now to view. Click here to go to the listing. More information about each individual foundation school is available from their own websites.

Which specialty? New NHS careers website can help you decide your future career path

The NHS Medical Careers website was officially launched August 2009 and is a four-step career planning guide designed to assist you in understanding your options for choosing your future career as a doctor in the NHS.

The website provides ”a resource for making informed decisions when planning a career in medicine and related fields.  Register online to start building your personal profile, using self-assessment exercises and the detailed information about what options are available. This website will take you through the four stages of career planning. Comprehensive data on each medical specialty includes workforce statistics, competition ratios, growth areas and projections about future opportunities. A bookmarking tool allows you to save key facts about specialties that interest you.”

There is also a useful section for current medical students on choosing clinical placements, electives, work experience and how to make the most of your personal and professional development.

Foundation application form slides from BMA Careers Conference, Manchester, March 2009

Slides from the talk given at the BMA Careers Conference held at the University of Manchester on 24th March 2009 can now be found at:

The Foundation Application Process – An Introduction

Think you have research, teaching or leadership and management potential?

Then an Academic Foundation Programme could be for you!

What is the Academic Foundation Programme?

An opportunity to devote some of your foundation training time to academic research and to develop research, teaching and leadership/management skills.

Whether you are planning on a future career in research or just fancy a foundation programme with something a little bit different, academic programmes offer the opportunity to spend time away from clinical practice to develop extensive skills.

Essentially, the programme will still cover the key foundation competencies (it has to!) whilst also exposing you to a research setting. Some programmes allocate a set four month period to the research element whilst others ensure that there is protected research time each week.

Recruitment for entry 2010

Applications for academic foundation programmes are earlier than the standard foundation programme applications.

Applications are handled locally by individual foundation schools which means that each foundation school can currently have a unique opening and closing date for applications. Check the individual websites for the foundation schools that you are interested in applying to for their recruitment timeline.

Local application deadlines will fall somewhere within the national time window of Friday 8th May – Monday 14th September 2009.

Some schools have very early deadlines and interview dates within this window so check their websites as soon as possible.

National timeline

Friday 8th May – Monday 14th September 2009

Local academic recruitment takes place – check specific deadlines and interview dates with individual foundation schools.

Monday 8th – Friday 26th June 2009

UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) undertakes national eligibility checking.

Friday 10th June 2009

UKFPO notifies applicants of eligibility status.

Monday 14th September 2009

National deadline for foundation schools to make offers.

Monday 21st September 2009

National deadline for applicants to accept or decline offers.

How do I apply?

Full details of the recruitment process will be available on the UKFPO website from Thursday 7th May.

Key documents

Rough Guide to Academic Foundation Programmes

National Person Specification

Try something different…

…check out the opportunities at the Voluntary, Not-For-Profit and Public Sector Careers event on Wednesday 4th March, Academy 1, Oxford Rd 2009 (Manchester): 12.30pm – 4pm (FREE ENTRY!)

Over 50 organisations will be exhibiting including Barnardos, BUNAC, British Red Cross, Childline, The New Children’s Hospital Appeal, Frontier, Teach First, the North West Strategic Health Authority and many more.

So whether you fancy some overseas volunteering, an internship in a charitable organisation or just getting involved with something a bit different, this event is not to be missed!

Get invaluable advice and information and gain access to volunteering opportunities, internships, work abroad projects & graduate positions.

Find out more at:

www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/careers/aboutus/events/careersfairs/kaleidoscope/

Undergraduate research opportunities!

Do you fancy getting some research experience on your CV? Thinking of trying your hand at research before applying for an academic foundation programme? Are you passionate about a particular area of medicine and want to do more?

If any of these options sound like you, or if you’re just thinking of ways to add to your medical CV, an undergraduate research opportunity could be worth a look.

What are they?

Undergraduate research opportunities come in a number of guises. Some are formally advertised whilst others require you to be a little more proactive in seeking them out.

Formal opportunities such as ‘undergraduate vacation studentships’ are offered by a selection of research organisations. They have competitive application procedures and set closing dates.

Other opportunities exist where pots of research money become available which enable academics to take on undergraduate students to carry out a research project during the vacation.

Vacation studentship:

Also know as undergraduate research studentships, these are specific research projects offered by societies, charities and research institutes. They usually take place over the summer and can last between six and eight weeks. Successful applicants are paid a stipend of around £185.00 per week and are placed in a research facility, sometimes within a university, to work alongside a research team.

Once you have found an opportunity that you wish to apply for you must first approach a lecturer or tutor who is willing to act as a superviser for the project. Your superviser can be someone from your own university or another. It is then up to the superviser to apply to the organisation offering the project in order to secure funding. You may have to work together with your proposed superviser to put in an application allowing you to carry out the project.

An example of an undergraduate vacation studentship can be found on the Society for Endocrinology website.

Think about the areas of medicine that interest you and have a look on the relevant society’s webpages for details of any undergraduate research opportunities.

The HE Academy for Bioscience produces an annual list of bioscience related vacation studentships which may also be of interest:

www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk

Other undergraduate research opportunities:

Consider contacting a lecturer or tutor who is currently researching in an area that interests you. You can find out about areas of research on the Faculty website.

The Faculty sometimes receives sources of funding which they can allocate to undergraduate research awards to enable to students to undertake research over the summer.

Get your skates on!

Deadlines for undergraduate students are usually between February and April so if you’re keen it’s worth looking now.

Making applications:

Don’t forget that if you would like an objective opinion on your CV or an application form, call the Careers Service to book a drop-in advice session (0161 275 2829, bookings taken from 9.05am on the day).

Working in New Zealand

Why New Zealand?

There are many similarities between the UK and New Zealand healthcare systems. There exists a wide choice of healthcare services funded both privately and through government subsidies. There are currently shortages of doctors in some areas of practice however there is also oversupply in others so check your area of interest.

The Medical Training System in New Zealand

Basic medical training involves the completion of a medical degree followed by two years working as a house surgeon. Doctors must do six months of medicine and six months of surgery in order to get registration. Following this they must work as a senior house officer for one to two years before beginning to work as a registrar. Registrar training programmes include specialist examinations which must be passed before applications can be made to senior registrar posts. Specialist training lasts for five to six years leading to eligibility to apply for consultant posts.

International Medical Graduates Practicing Medicine

The Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) registers doctors to practice medicine in New Zealand. Unlike the UK and Australia, there are no registration categories. Doctors are instead registered within a ‘scope of practice’ which determines the level of professional service they are allowed to perform. This is dependent on qualifications and experience.

International medical graduates are usually registered within a provisional general scope of practice. These are supervised roles for up to two years. To be eligible to apply you must hold a recognised medical degree and have one year general medical experience and full registration with the GMC.

There is a really easy to use self assessment tool on the MCNZ website which allows you to check your eligibility for registration within a scope of practice. You can also make an application for registration online.

All new registrants work under supervision for at least their first 12 months during which time their performance is assessed by a senior consultant.

Registration with the MCNZ within a scope of practice is only granted when you have a confirmed job offer under supervision in an approved hospital.

Finding a job

Most District Health Boards advertise their positions on their website so it is possible to apply directly to them.

Posts are often advertised in UK medical journals such as the BMJ or the careers section of the New Zealand Medical Journal.

Recruitment agencies are also worth considering as they do much of the organising for you. You will find a list on the MCNZ website.

Other useful links

www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/Workingabroadguide – A really useful guide to overseas work.

www.immigration.govt.nz – Immigration New Zealand.

www.kiwicareers.govt.nz – Information on labour market trends and working conditions.