The Higher Training application: Choosing your post
Congratulations! If you are reading this you have probably passed a lot of the hurdles of core training and are ready for the next exciting challenge of higher training.
There are a few important choices to make at this stage, do you want to apply immediately for ST4 training, or perhaps embark on a Masters or Phd, or perhaps even spend some time on alternative ventures..?
If you do want to apply for your registrar job then listen up as here are our top tips:
1. Future career prospects.
Take time to think about which subspecialty you want to apply for. Make sure you consider options of dual versions of your training even if you are set on a specific career path. For example, if you want to do General Adult Psychiatry with a view to working as a liaison consultant, it might be useful to think about dual training with Old Age Psychiatry so you have a wider breadth of experience for the general hospital setting.
2. Get the opinions of others before you make your decision.
Speak to your peers and consultants, but make sure you follow your own path and don’t be too side tracked by others’ opinions on your own career choice.
3. Think carefully about location.
Spend some time looking at the location of jobs that match your interest. It's useful to consider the distribution of jobs in areas that you would consider working in as well as those in deaneries bordering your top preferences as these can geographically be very close if you are considering factors such as commute times.
4. Consider the realities of vacancy numbers when planning your choices.
Each year the number of vacancies does vary within and between deaneries so keep an open mind. If you want to do a specialty such as Medical Psychotherapy or Dual Forensic and CAMHS be realistic about the number of jobs available as these are extremely limited and in some cases there may not be any jobs released in your preferred subspecialty. According to the Royal College of Psychiatry Website “As of 2007, only 17 members of the College were registered as having dual CCT qualifications in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. There is, therefore, an ongoing need to dual train psychiatrists in order to meet service demand, albeit at relatively small numbers.” This gives a flavour of the limited amount of training posts available each year for some of the subspecialities so it's important to think of backup training scheme options.
5. Re-applying might be an appropriate option for some people.
Remember that if you don’t get your top choice of trust or subspeciality, there is the opportunity to re-apply every 6 months as there is an August and a February intake each year. However, a word of caution, if you accept a job and later on choose not to continue with that subspecialty pathway, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to rejoin the same pathway later on.
6. Be aware that timelines can change.
Once you have submitted your application, keep checking on the timeline from the Royal College as windows for submitting important information such as the preferences available can change during the application process.
7. Don’t miss important e-mails.
Check your junk mail regularly during the application window as in our own experience, important emails can sometimes found themselves here…
So good luck with your applications and always remember to check out the Royal College website and Oriel for live and accurate updates on timelines and specific application queries.
