Careers

The home of medical excellence

Thinking about becoming a doctor? Already a medical student? Coming to the end of your training? There are lots of options for you to consider, and Scotland can offer a wide choice of careers, from rural GP to tertiary specialist.

Careers in NHS Scotland

The NHSScotland Careers site has really comprehensive information on all careers in Scotland in the NHS and has information for schools, students and current NHS employees. It has good information on medicine and medical careers, universities and the NHS in Scotland.

NHS Health Careers is the UK NHS site. Its pages on careers in medicine are comprehensive and have areas targeting school leavers, current medical students, and foundation/specialty trainees. Although focused on England and English universities, it has very good information generally about medical careers. There is also a YouTube channel with videos for more information.

A General overview is also available on the National Careers Service website.

Watch our video case studies and also visit the Scotland Deanery website careers area.

Thinking about a career in medicine?

The British Medical Association (BMA) guide has information for people thinking of applying to medical school. There are also links to medical schools and advice on how to apply.
The medical Royal Colleges all have sections on their websites for careers and information about the specialties they cover.

You can google the specialty you are interested in but many of the most informative ones are listed here:

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh have a comprehensive section on careers and becoming a physician, including videos of current trainees.
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for their take on careers and options for aspiring surgeons.
Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology has a big section on the specialty, including a quiz to see if it is for you.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has a careers section.
Royal College of Psychiatrists for a view of psychiatry - take the quiz and see if you are suited!
Royal College of Anaesthetists has a careers section covering what options are there for anaesthetists and how to train
Royal College of Emergency Medicine also advises on becoming an EM consultant.
Royal College of Pathologists guides to the different specialties in pathology.
Royal College of Radiology guide on being a radiologist and career pathways.
Royal College of Radiology guide on being a clinical oncologist and career pathways.
Royal College of General Practice becoming a GP.
For general information on studying and moving to a Scottish university visit Study in Scotland.The university medical schools can also give information on how to apply, and what the career options are for future doctors.
Tips on completing the personal statement in the UCAS application from Which? University
Looking for work experience for your application - there are two organisations who do placements overseas. Gap Medics and Projects Abroad.
University of Aberdeen
University of Dundee
University of Edinburgh
University of Glasgow
University of St Andrews

Careers advice in training

Careers advice during time in training can be obtained from a variety of sources. From colleagues, your Supervisors and your Training Programme Director, to the specialist advice of Associate Deans (listed below) in the Deanery you can get advice on what specialty suits you and your life plans. All the Royal Colleges and Faculties have careers advice sections (see the links above) as does the BMA. Below are some resources to consider for information depending on your stage.

Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Glasgow have useful booklet on Foundation training.
Royal College links above are all relevant to doctors in training looking at specialties.
UKFPO has a comprehensive careers section for Foundation Doctors.
BMA Careers has a large section aimed at Foundation doctors
NHS Health Careers has a foundation doctor section.
GPNRO also has a careers section.
Support4Doctors, a project of the Medical Benevolent Fund, has useful information.
BMJ Careers in addition to job vacancies has a vast number of articles on careers topics.
SCREDS is the Scottish Academic Training Scheme for those considering academic training.
Sci59 is an online psychometric test to help with choosing a speciality.

Medical careers in Scotland

After training, we hope our doctors will want to stay and work in Scotland as GPs and Consultants. The following sites should help with information about jobs, housing, lifestyle and education. Royal Colleges can provide careers support as can the Deanery to those about to complete training.

For doctors who wish to return to Scotland as GPs, NES runs a dedicated scheme for you to ease back into practice, or to have a guided induction to GP if you have not worked in Scotland before.

NES also provides development support to Specialty and Associate Specialty doctors looking to develop their careers and expertise.

Medical jobs in NHSScotland This site shows all medical vacancies in Health Boards across Scotland
Clinical Academic Jobs has vacancies for those in and completing academic training.
GP Induction and Returners Scheme is for those GPs looking to return to Scotland or who have never worked in Scotland as a GP but want to relocate.
TalentScotland Offical site for working and returning to Scotland
AboutScotland Official gateway to Scotland

What resources are available to support me if things go wrong?

Even the best laid plans don't always come to fruition - life and priorities change. You may want to work flexibly for a while during training, or transfer to another deanery. Sometimes you need a bit of extra support in your training. Scotland has a good track record in supporting doctors and we have a robust network of associate advisors and postgraduate deans in place. You will be supported when transferring in to a Scottish Deanery and the resources on this page should help you make that transition.

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 the quality of training.