The power of network in medical careers

Autumn leaves outside Kensington Palace, October 2023

Medical careers can be very linear. Applications processes for training posts are centralised and check-boxy until interview stage. Some aspects of clinical training do not require interviews at all, including the Foundation Programme- the first two year series of jobs most UK medical school graduates undertake.

What happens when you want a job outside a training programme or away from a typical career pathway? Doctors can do this at different stages of their career, and for some, the autonomy they experience is so liberating that they never look back. For others, working outside training can be challenging, isolating, disorienting and difficult to build in to an overall career narrative.

When looking for a job outside training you have more agency on factors like location, team and working conditions. However, unlike applying for a position in training, there is no centralised application system where all relevant vacancies are listed together on a synchronised timeline, with an outline of prerequisite qualifications and a portal that takes prospective applicants through steps necessary to apply. Jobs are advertised in different places at different times. Some jobs are not openly advertised. Applications and what is required of candidates can be more opaque and can also be more flexible. There may be no timeline or progress plan for competencies to be acquired in the role. Getting a job and making the most of a job as a stepping stone within a career is not always formulaic when outside a structured programme. And this is where network comes in.

The medical workforce in occupational health is atypical in its makeup. Many doctors come to the specialty from other areas of medicine to take on roles either within, or more commonly outside training. Many doctors working in occupational health have other ongoing career strands alongside their OH work. The speciality primarily operates outside the NHS which can be very unfamiliar territory for doctors new to the speciality.

I caught up with Dr Syed Zakir Abbas, Chair of the Association of Local Authority Medical Advisors (ALAMA). We discussed the power of network in medical careers, particularly relevant to careers in occupational health. Here are the highlights of our chat.

Opportunities

Building a network can help you access opportunities that are not ‘live’ in the public domain. For example, being approached to speak at a conference, being asked to collaborate on a research project or being suggested to a prospective employer before recruitment is underway. Without relationships with people who are working in a particular area it can even be difficult to know where to begin to look for opportunities.

Career wisdom

People build soft intelligence around finding and creating opportunities through their career as well as balancing career with life outside of work and frequently provide reassuring real-life examples of ‘connecting the dots’ in hindsight. Learning from others who have been at similar career crossroads previously can provide more than an efficient way of finding a route forward. Networks can help inspire, motivate and innovate.

Support

Being out of the security of a training programme comes with its challenges. From finding the right senior support necessary to navigate grey areas in practice to finding routes to CPD that enable growth outside a structured list of competencies, doctors have to hack out their own path more than they may be used to. A strong network can provide support in this regard, for example, helping troubleshoot and share learning from challenges in practice or signposting to high yield CPD events, and even coming together to organise CPD on target areas.

Community

Working outside of training or in a non-clinical role can leave doctors more siloed. This has both practical and emotional challenges. For example, doctors with clinical backgrounds can find their first academic post lonely compared to the heavy team presence they are used to in clinical environments. Clinical posts outside training do not necessarily come with the automatic inroads that can help with meeting and building relationships with colleagues- such as weekly teaching programmes or mess socials. Having a network can mean being part of a community which is even more important when relationship building with colleagues is not integrated into a job plan by default.

ALAMA as a network for occupational health

ALAMA is an association of like-minded doctors with a special interest in occupational medicine, who work in the public or private sector. The association is run by members for members, and provides a valuable resource when it comes to network and CPD through platforms including events, conferences and online forums. When thinking about a career change or adding a new strand to a portfolio career, building a network is an essential step alongside upskilling. For anyone thinking about a career in OH, network should be part of the journey from the outset. Interested in hearing more about the ALAMA network and medical careers in occupational health? Contact ALAMA chair Dr Syed Zakir Abbas via LinkedIn.