Careers

OK, so, you're a doctor. What now? Long before you finish your foundation training, you'll probably be looking at what you want to do after you have trained. We have Associate Deans in each regional office to help you decide what is right for you. And if you are not a doctor yet, but you are thinking about it, visit the Thinking about Medicine page.

Associate Postgraduate Deans for Careers

West of Scotland

• Elizabeth Murphy Elizabeth.Murphy@nhs.scot

North of Scotland

• Surinder Panpher surinder.panpher@nhs.scot 

East of Scotland

• Shilpi Pal shilpi.pal@nhs.scot

South East of Scotland

• Alastair Leckie Alastair.Leckie@nhs.scot 

Colleagues, your Supervisors and your Training Programme Director can all be useful sources of advice on what specialty suits you and your life plans. All the Royal Colleges and Faculties have careers advice sections as does the BMA. For further information on these resources, and for links, visit the Careers page on the Scottish Medical Training website. For information on specialties and career options, visit Health Careers - hosted by Health Education England but covering the UK as agreed by CoPMeD (the Confederation of Postgraduate Medical Deans).

What about if I have a problem?

Even the best people can get overwhelmed with events. In the Scotland Deanery we want to help you achieve your career ambitions and offer lots of help and support to get you through difficulties and to make your work/life balance right for you and your family commitments. You don't need to compromise on your career aspirations if you want to work flexibly, or need to move across the country. Talk to us and find out what your options are, and what it means for your career.

Choosing Scotland for your training and career means good access to help and support, with a high proportion of trainees already working flexibly it's worth considering if you have carer's responsibilities or family commitments. There's no compromise with quality of training.

Life After Training

Scotland can offer a great life after training. Good housing, schools and in most cases a reasonable commute means quality of life is good here, and our NHS is not currently undergoing major change. Medical Jobs is the NHSScotland dedicated website for all consultant, GP and locum jobs offered by Health Boards.

NES offers different schemes and programmes to provide options for doctors at different stages of their careers:

• Career Development Posts, a non-training option for those taking stock on their career, particularly offering experience in General Practice
• GP Induction Programme for GPs new to the UK starting work in a NHS practice joining the performers list for the first time
• GP Returner Programme for those already on the GMC GP register but who have worked elsewhere and are seeking a supported return to UK practice
• GP Retainer Scheme for those unable to commit to working in practice but who wish to retain their skills
• SAS Development Programme provides ongoing support and funding for those in the Specialty Doctor and Specialty Dentist grades, at any stage of their careers

Living and Working in Scotland

For more information on a medical career in Scotland, and the regions, go to Working in Scotland, the official government site for people relocating to and in Scotland.

Guidance on taking time out after Foundation

Please click here for guidance on taking time out after Foundation.

Related Links

This page was last updated on: 28.03.2024 at 12.00