Information taken from:
- Chambers R, Mohanna K, Thornett A, Field S. Guiding doctors in managing their careers: a toolkit for tutors, trainers, mentors and appraisers. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing; 2006.
- Chambers R, Mohanna K, Field S. Opportunities and options in medical careers. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing: 2000.
What is Career Counselling?
Career counselling, like other forms of counselling, offers a framework on which to identify problems and to provide support to the person in finding their own ways around these.
When may career counselling be required?
- You do not get a job or training post in your first choice career
- You feel that your career is not advancing as it should
- You are no longer happy or fulfilled in your work
- You are not using your talents and strengths at work
- You are considering cutting down your working hours e.g. part time, retirement
- Others think you are behaving or performing poorly at work
- You need help to solve career dilemma or make choices
Three stage model of career counselling
- The person requiring career counselling must tell their story – “Who am I?” “Where am I now?” “How satisfied am I with my career and my life?”
- Develop a better scenario (it may be the inability of the person requiring career counselling to undertake this step alone which is the cause for the requirement of career counselling) – “What changes would I like to happen?”
- Brainstorming ways of reaching the improved scenario and following each idea through to its logical conclusion – “What do I do if I don’t get what I want?” – then make a plan and act on it
Who will be your career counsellor?
A career counsellor (or adviser) should be:
- Skilled
- Impartial
- Well informed
Your university, trust, foundation school or deanery may provide a career counselling/adviser service – investigate this.
You may be able to use a mentor or coach as a career counsellor.