Planning & Production Credits: Jon Fairey, Oluseyi Adesalu, Victoria Twigg, Katharine Hankins, Sarah Siddiqui & Jane Gardner-Florence

Medics often face uncertainty regarding their career journey; whether it be deciding on speciality, taking time out of training, questioning career decisions, or navigating exams and ARCPs.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic this uncertainty has been multiplied, leaving trainees unsure about progression, exams, speciality choice and their professional identity. In this podcast, we are in conversation with PSU senior career adviser Jon Fairey, GP Naureen Bhatti and HEE Differential Attainment Fellow Seyi Adesalu, who reflect on their experience of managing career uncertainty. In particular, we discuss how reflecting on and developing more flexible attributes such as curiosity, open-mindedness, perseverance, self compassion and calculated risk taking can help trainees to embrace opportunities and widen their perceptions of how a fulfilling, well rounded career can evolve.

If you would like to give us some feedback on Episode 8 of our Pandemic Podcast, you can find a feedback form on our website here.

Bios:

Jon Fairey is a senior careers adviser and coach for the PSU. With a background in careers, education and HR, Jon has worked specifically with medical professionals over the last 5 years, helping them to reach informed, realistic and values led career goals.

Naureen Bhatti is a GP in Tower Hamlets as well as Health Education England (HEE) Head of School for General Practice for North Central and East London. She is passionate about flexibility to ensure working equilibrium for doctors as their needs change through their working lives.

Oluseyi Adesalu is a Differential Attainment Fellow in the London & KSS Professional Support Unit. Having completed the Academic Foundation Programme, she will be commencing specialty training in Clinical Radiology in September.

Sarah Siddiqui is a National SuppoRTT Fellow in the London & KSS Professional Support Unit. She is dual-qualified in Medicine and Dentistry and on sabbatical from Core Surgical Training.

Victoria Twigg is a higher surgical trainee in ENT in North London undertaking a fellowship at HEE looking at early-years surgical education across the region. She has an interest in leadership and management across the healthcare sector, with a focus on workforce policy.

Ajay Asokan is a Core Surgical Trainee in Trauma and Orthopaedics in the East of England Deanery and Associate Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin Medical School. He has a keen interest in medical education and academic interests in regenerative medicine within Orthopaedics.

Episode 7 - Assertiveness