How important is it to have a well-renowned hospital on your CV?

[dani85]

I am currently having a massive dilemma and am wondering if anyone can give me ANY advice? I am a final year med student and have a place in the South Thames deanery for F1 and F2. I am trying to rank my job preferences at the moment and cant decide what is more important; getting placements in jobs that I potentially would like to do in the future or getting placements at one of the really good hospitals such as Guys & St Thomas' or St Georges. I am interested in doing either paediatrics or GP as a career and therefore a good job for me would be at Guildford for F1 (doing general surgery/medicine stuff) then Epsom hospital for F2 doing GP, paediatrics & obs & gynae. However, I have been advised against doing both F1 and F2 at DGHs.

My score for the foundation programme application was quite high so I think I would stand a good chance of getting a job at either Guys & St Thomas or St Georges, however the actual jobs dont interest me as much as those at Epsom. I would probably only be able to do either GP or paeds but not both.

So basically, my dilemma is - do I go for the actual job or the hospital? How much would having Guys & St Thomas' on my CV help me in the future when applying for ST jobs?
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

[yazoo]

I think, by and large, most people should do jobs that interest them, or that they feel are good experience. That way, you can justify your decisions to yourself. If you can do that, then everything else should fall into place.

However, there are some caveats. Some trusts are generally renowned as horrid to work in. Some jobs are awful. I know a few in my current trust that are considered dire by most!

I think big hospital names have little influence at junior Dr level these days. Jobs for the boys don't exist anymore to any great extent. But it can matter more at senior level. It may, for example, only be possible to learn certain skills and techniques in some large centres of excellence (but these are not always in big name hospitals!).

Find out why the juniors in these trusts don't advise DGH jobs. If it's just a big name thing, I personally would ignore them.

[Touche]

Go for the job you want!

Who advised you against both years at a DGH?

For GP and paeds (i.e. generalist jobs) DGH experience in the right specialities WILL be more useful than a teaching hospital job in a random speciality you have no interest in.

[Christine1]

I am a bit late iwth my application process for FY1. I am working on my CV and supporting statement. COuld you let me know what is important in order to write an excellent supporting statament?

Also, what kind of audit would be suitable when applying for FY1? I have a possibility to do an audit now, so I need to decide on the topic...

Thank you fo ryour support!
Christine

[Ada]

Dani85 et al...
I wasn't aware doctors could spend both F-years in DGHs...you learn something new every day.

Definitely very late now, but I'd agree with going for specialties of interest, as opposed to "big hospital names".

I think the added bonus (controversial) of doing your intended specialty in addition to generic training received during foundation years is advantageous (even if only psychologically!) if you're applying for that specialty later on.

Certainly more so than a completely unrelated specialty in a big hospital where you only obtained generic skills (as opposed to specialty-related skills/experience as well) and possibly hated nearly every minute of...



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Christine...
I think thoroughly reading the person spec and general duties of an F1 is very helpful. And I'm not being patronising either...

Read the person spec. READ THE PERSON SPEC. Re-read it, before re-reading it again. Only then might you be ready to begin to read the penultimate re-read of the person spec, and hopefully write down a cracking supporting statement i.e. how your experiences make you the best person for the job, in your opinion (I'm assuming your experiences would obviously display the criteria presented in the person spec)

It's all there- in the person spec. READ IT.
Good luck