Most doctors proceed through relatively conservative career pathways for the first few years of their post registration careers. However as we are all living longer and able to access our post retirement pensions at an older age, we will be working for a longer period of time than our parent’s generation. This, coupled with the growing range of careers such as portfolio careers for doctors, or combined clinical leadership roles with a clinical career, means that the need for evidence based, quality career advice for doctors is growing.
It can be hard to know where to go to get professional career advice for doctors. Doctors in training are usually able to access some basic career support from their local Deanery, usually with a qualified career coach or career consultant for doctors. Career advice for medical consultants can be harder to access, because traditional career advisers are generally under-equipped to understand the complexity of a senior medical career; this is the same for career advice for GPs.
How can coaching help?
I provide high quality evidence based career coaching for doctors, combined with medical career counselling. When a doctor needs career advice on their future direction, I will usually use a structured career counselling process for doctors which includes understanding what the doctor needs at this point in their medical career, to help them open up their thinking about what the options are, and support to make a clear decision with a longer term career plan for doctors in place. Sometimes this may be retirement planning for doctors also, especially more recently for senior NHS consultants who are reconsidering their retirement options following changes to the NHS pension scheme which has affected many of the senior doctors whom I work with.
Feeling like you are a doctor in the wrong career can be a lonely and frightening place. Many doctors whom I work with believe that leaving medicine is the only option for them and they are seeking an alternative medical career or an alternative career to medicine. In fact I find this is usually not the case, and most doctors whom I help with career counselling for doctors are able to stay in their role with a number of changes which enables them to maintain their income and develop their medical skills further. Occasionally, leaving clinical practice is the right decision for a doctor and I help doctors to find the next step in their professional career.
It is important that the career advisor for doctors is fully qualified to work as a career coach for doctors and as a career counsellor for doctors, and that they work within an ethical framework with professional supervision, insurance and have an evidence base to support their practice as a professional coach for doctors. Some doctors are seeking life coaching rather than medical career coaching, and I offer coaching programmes to improve doctors wellbeing and doctors burnout prevention. I also offer mentoring for doctors, and medical leadership coaching. Please book a free confidential career consultation and find out how I can help you to make the right medical career decision for you.
Dr Fiona Day is the world’s only Leadership Coach with advanced coaching psychology, medical and public health qualifications (MBChB, FFPH, BPS Chartered Psychologist in Coaching Psychology, EMCC Master Practitioner Coach & Mentor) and is in a unique position to help you and your teams to flourish. Fiona specialises in coaching medical and public health leaders, is a coach Supervisor, and an EQA Foundation Award Holder. Get 3 hours of FREE CPD with Fiona’s Health Career Success Programme here. Book a free confidential 30 minute Consultation with Fiona here.