The role of career surveys: Identifying issues and evaluating practice

Abstract

Drawing on the results of two surveys of early career doctors conducted 12 years apart, this paper discusses how such surveys can identify career concerns and provide evidence of the effectiveness of career interventions. The first survey identified the need for more and better career advice in medical training. Since then, there have been considerable changes to the structure of medical training and a number of initiatives to improve the career support given to these doctors. It is argued that career surveys are an important way of monitoring and evaluating change over time but also have the potential to make a valuable contribution to informing and evaluating
career interventions in a range of settings.