Career Guidance Essentials Toolkit

What is the toolkit?

A set of training materials and resources for career planning and career support available only on annual licence subscription
The toolkit items are royalty free with unlimited usage by any GMC registered medical employee (or student in the case of medical schools subscribing) of the organisation obtaining the license.
Contains material for both the providers and the seekers of career support
Please note the material is not copyright free.
At a cost that works out in the region of Ł5 per person per annum (depending on the size of the organisation)
A range of constantly evolving, integrated learning materials for supervisors, tutors, programme directors etc. to use, adapt and give feedback upon
Already in use at over 50 Trust Hospitals
It comprises items such as....

powerpoint presentations (for groups or individuals to use)

a (2 hour) workbook for providers of career support (CGE-tutor)

a similar workbook (CGE-personal) for trainees

a one page leaflet summarising the key points in these workbooks (a useful aide memoire once the workbook has been completed)

a four page addition to any "portfolio" (based on and therefore integrated with the workbook) to make career support meetings more structured and effective by encouraging trainee reflection and thought prior to the meeting

So why subscribe your Trust, Medical School or organisation to the CGE-Toolkit?

There are three main career guidance methods - Deliver it Teach it Delegate it

….in other words – do it yourself, get them to do it for themselves or find/train/persuade someone else to undertake the duty. But which option to go for and when?

Medical Forum has been spearheading innovations in career guidance for doctors since 1990. For six years we have collaborated with several deaneries to develop “Career guidance essentials toolkit” which addresses all three methods.

But firstly some clarification. We prefer the term “career planning support” to career guidance as the latter is only one of six elements in the former (all six are mentioned in the toolkit).

Delivering career planning support yourself

Almost all doctors, at some point in their career, will need to offer career support to others. Some simple training in career planning support not only benefits the eventual receivers of the support but it can also aid the career of the person delivering it. Similarly, learning how to deliver career support, even at an early career stage can help to ingrain good career planning principles.

Two important aims we believe are…

1) To get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet – as this helps to standardise (and thereby facilitate auditing) the delivery of career support (which has to date been quite patchy or ad hoc and strongly dependent on the ability and interest of the person delivering it)

2) To get career planning support skills integrated into the culture and curriculae – so everyone has access to quality career support within a recognisable framework and the process becomes a seamless infiltration into normal working days. One way in which we are spearheading this is the "Foundation Programme Careers Support Portfolio Pages" - four simple table based pages available as a download from within the CGE-Toolkit license pages. Trainees can use these as preparation prior to career support meetings to ensure they get the best from these advice sessions and to help the tutors standardise and structure the meeting.

Teaching career planning

A crucial part of career support is the imparting of career planning skills – so that not just the current career decision or challenge is tackled but the person develops skills, behaviours, habits and attitudes to career development that will last them for the whole of their career.

Delegating

Some people have more talent for certain things than others and career planning support is no exception. CGE-toolkit helps each organisation that uses it to identify and develop those with natural aptitudes and interests in this field whilst also aiding all who use the materials to understand the aims of career planning support and adopt good practice (or cease bad!).

As additional support Medical Forum offers a selection of online memberships and career programmes to which trainees can be directed if their career concerns seem unusual or particularly challenging or, if you or they feel some additional self directed work could assist.

And the cost of the toolkit?

Ł1000 per Trust per annum and Ł5000 per medical school per annum for a license for unlimited reproduction/download of toolkit items within that organisation by its trainees,students or employees. Organisations are subject to individual quotes.

This represents a cost of between Ł3 and Ł5 per doctor/student per annum (depending on the size of the organisation) for access to materials that will assist individuals at all ages (not just F1 and F2!) in both providing and seeking career support.

Special offers: 1) for deaneries wishing to involve all their Trusts (two have done so thus far) 2) medical schools

..... subscribing before July 1st 2007 20% discount (for 1st year license fee/s).

To request a sample workbook lesson, portfolio pages description and powerpoint demo please use the email form at the bottom of this page.

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