KSS Medical Foundation and GP residents should access support services via the KSS’s own Professional Support & Wellbeing Service. Please head to KSS Professional Support and Wellbeing Service for more information.
PSU Careers Service
We provide careers support for residents on a medical or dental training programme seeking to plan and develop their careers at any stage from Foundation Year 1 to CCT.
What does the PSU Career Service offer?
We can offer you support to make career choices at key transition points during your postgraduate professional training through:
- Individual, confidential and impartial one-to-one virtual careers support appointments with experienced careers coaches and advisors
- Workshops and webinars on topics such as career planning, managing transitions in training and preparing for consultant interviews
- A range of online resources, exercises and website links to support your decision making
What is 1-2-1 Career Support?
- Confidential appointments with a PSU Careers Service advisor to explore any decisions, difficulties or dilemmas you may have when planning the next step in your training and/or career
- Details of what you discuss in the appointment won't be shared with others involved in your work or training automatically or without your consent
- Appointments usually last up to 1-1.5 hours and can be by telephone or via virtual platforms (eg MS Teams)
- A careers appointment may be suitable if you:
- want an impartial and confidential space to talk freely about your career/ training plan
- are feeling concerned, overwhelmed or have doubts about your current career/ training plan
- want guidance about what clinical and non-clincal options you may have or wish to explore
- want guidance on preparing for specialty selection, fellowship or consutlant interviews
- want signposting to other resources - both within the PSU and externally
Please note the PSU Careers Service operates weekly 9-5pm. We try to offer some flexibility where possible but cannot always gurantee availability for appointments outside core working hours.
How can I arrange a one-to-one Careers Support appointment?
- Complete the confidential careers application form below (the information is not shared with anyone involved in your work or training)
- Your form will then be allocated to one of our careers service advisors who will email you and arrange a convenient appointment time
- Appointments are usually held virtually on Teams or Zoom but phone appointments can also be requested.
- You should expect to receive an email from one of our advisors within 14 days. Please email us separately if you have not been contacted or your query is unusually urgent.
Request your individual Careers appointment by clicking here: Careers Application
One-to-one Careers appointments - how it works
-
A suitable careers advisor will be allocated to work with you for up to three sessions (one x 90-minute session for consultant interview preparation)
-
Virtual appointments for career / training planning will be arranged between you and your careers advisor
-
Individualscan cancel or re-arrange an appointment by emailing their careers advisor at least 24 hours before their appointment. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will normally not be rescheduled. In all circumstances individuals should email their careers advisor explaining the reason for their late cancellation or non-attendance.
Careers Workshops
- The PSU Careers Servicerun a range of monthly online, interactive workshops to support individuals planning the next stages in their training or career, preparing for interviews, and stepping into the consultant role. Further information on our workshops can be found here: PSU Career Workshops
Careers Support For Foundation Doctors
We have developed a variety of online resources to support London Foundation doctors with their career planning including:
- What to consider when choosing speciality
- F3 opportunities
- Effective preparation for speciality interviews.
Further details can be found by clicking here: FY Career Planning
Careers Support for Resident Doctors and Dentists approaching CCT
Coming to the end of your resident training programme can raise many questions and requires utilising career planning and management skills effectively. To support your transition we have developed a number of online resources including bitesize videos, articles, tools and exercsies on:
- Defining your needs and priorities post speciality training
-
Researching opportunities and generating a network of connections to develop your career plan
- Understanding key aspects of the consultant interview process and how to best prepare
-
Exploring the types of questions asked at consulant interviews and how to use mnemonics to help structure impactful responses.
Further details can be found by clicking here: Prepararing for the Consultant role
Developing a Portfolio role
A vareity of resources on developing a portfolio career in Medical Education and Clinical Academia can be found by clicking here:
The SCAN Career Planning Model was developed by the London PSU Careers Service to provide a structured framework designed to offer informed, realistic and robust career planning for doctors and dentists in training. Further information and exercises linked to the SCAN Career Planning Model can be found here
[Animation Script is available in Document section below]
Testimonials
"It was extremely helpful to work through, initially my doubts and concerns, and later my ideas and plans for the future, with someone who was both impartial and experienced in facilitating these discussions"
CT2 Trainee
"There are very few places where you can get such objective, independent advice from someone who has no agenda."
ST4 Trainee
"It was extremely helpful having sessions spread over a few months so that I was able to understand how I myself changed over time. The sessions provoked thought, asked questions I do not regularly ask myself."
F1 Trainee
"I just wanted to thank you again for all your help and for helping me see that there is an area of medicine that I enjoy. Without your help, I would have given up and never seen this."
F1 Trainee who considered leaving medicine
"This has been cathartic."
Consultant who attended a career planning workshop
Downloads
Questions and queries?
If you cannot find the answer to your question on these web pages and wish to speak to a PSU Coordinator please email enquiries.PSULondon@nhs.net