This handbook will provide medical students and doctors in their Foundation training years or at other stages of their specialty training programmes with careers information and advice, where pathway choices have to be made as their career evolves. We share information about ten medical specialty pathways, including what clinical areas each specialty covers, guidance on entry requirements and making a successful application.
Many doctors describe the paucity of careers support available to them as medical students, as doctors in training and for established doctors too - to enable them to make the right career choices that match their personality, interests, hopes and circumstances. Challenging doctors and medical students to review their own situation, formulate career aspirations and plan their career track is key to them enjoying and flourishing in their medical careers and sustaining their job satisfaction. Putting them back in touch with the values and beliefs that brought them into medicine and providing opportunities to diversify and develop, should help to retain doctors in practice long-term.