Courses & Conferences to Attend
First and foremost, I would recommend attending the National Diabetes and Endocrinology Taster day organised by Society for Endocrinology (SfE) which was extremely invaluable and provided me with insight and understanding into the field of Diabetes and Endocrinology.
If possible, do volunteer to write a testimonial for the published proceedings from the taster day.
To ramp up my educational portfolio, I also attended the 'Teach the teacher' course, which provided me with the necessary tools to be an educator, following which I applied them to run and organise teaching programmes.
I would also recommend getting involved as an SfE Ambassador and applying for the same on an earlier basis since that would enhance commitment towards Diabetes and Endocrinology. On top of the above, I also attended and presented posters and oral presentations at Medical conferences held in the UK and USA, to name a few, on national and international levels. These would garner points in the application process as well.
One of the most invigorating aspects of Diabetes and Endocrinology is the amount of visceral and intellectual stimulation that the field provides. There is no dearth of conferences and courses to say the least!
I would subdivide them primarily into 2 main categories- Diabetes and Endocrinology separately. From the Diabetes perspective, your first post of call should be the Diabetes UK professional conference and from the Endocrinology point of view, the BES (British Endocrine Society) conference would be good starting points.
Organisations such as the JDRF, EASD, European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and Endocrine Society organise a plethora of courses and conferences and I would certainly signpost you all to the same.
From the management and leadership point of view, it would certainly be beneficial to attend a leadership and management skills course.
How to Maximise Your Portfolio
Success chases those who chase success, which involves early preparation and planning. If you have identified Diabetes and Endocrinology as your career choice, then map your skills accordingly in a timely manner.
Attend Diabetes and Endocrinology conferences, engage in networking with experts in the field, and identify interesting cases to write up publications, abstracts and posters.
Endeavour to present posters and abstracts at RCP-organised conferences, Endocrine Society, SfE led conferences and the European Congress of Endocrinology to name a few.
Work hard but more importantly, work smart as well.
Focus on areas that you feel are deficient in your portfolio. For example, if you have already led, formulated and completed all the cycles of a QIP followed by presenting it, then it would be more worthwhile to invest your energy and intellect in publications or taking up a leadership role (such as local CMT representative or organising a teaching programme)
Making the Most of Your Day Job
The 3 Ps hold in high stead here and that should be your mantra from the get-go.
Passion, Persistence and proactiveness are the keys to opening your door to success. From developing and leading QIPs in your relevant field of interest to organising educational programmes, the workplace you are based in is your oyster.
Get in touch with the local friendly Diabetes and Endocrinology department on an early basis, so that you can attend the department for a taster week. Make sure you attend clinics since the majority of clinical exposure occurs on an outpatient basis. Try to join the inpatient Diabetes team on the outreach Diabetes ward rounds or DSN rounds.
Get involved further by attending the various Diabetes and Endocrinology MDTs that occur which usually also has tertiary centre involvement. Even on your base ward (if not a Diabetes and Endocrine one) take the initiative of QIPs involving Insulin prescribing, Glucose monitoring, and comparison of current standards to best practice standards (as per NICE, JBDS, Diabetes UK).
Making the Most of Endocrine Placements
Make contact with your Educational and Clinical supervisor on an earlier basis. Formulate your PDP to cater towards your individualised needs. Create a roadmap of what you want to achieve from the desired rotation. This should involve attendance at clinics, MDTs and using this time to lead specialty focused QIPs and projects.
For example, in one of my rotations, I developed the MIBG therapeutic and investigation pathway/handbook for health care professionals and similarly I would suggest focusing on a project that follows the SMART principles with completion in a timely and effective manner.
What About Non-Endocrine Placements?
Diabetes and Endocrinology, especially Diabetes is a field that requires a holistic approach and a broad spectrum of knowledge. Working in a different specialty would actually be beneficial to an extent, since this would provide a wider overview of presentations and would help in lateral thinking.
For example, if based on a Cardiology rotation, consider presenting a poster on SGLT-2 inhibitors or an interesting case of Cardiomyopathy secondary to Phaeochromocytoma or Graves’ disease resulting in Cardiac sequelae. Keen an open mind and give a spin of Diabetes and Endocrinology to the various presentations that you encounter, on whichever rotation you are based. As a general medical registrar, these rotations would provide you the skills of prioritisation and lateral think, the importance of which I cannot stress enough!
The bottom line is, the skills that you acquire in alternate rotations would certainly come in handy in the future.
Top 3 Tips for Getting Into Endocrine
- Early planning is the key to success.
The vital aspect is to identify your field and the speciality that you are passionate about. It doesn’t matter if this particular step takes more time since the speciality you choose is going to be a part of the rest of your life.
- Be persistent. Remember, this is a marathon and not a race, so don’t rush preparation of your CV.
This needs to have a careful, methodical and tailored approach with a special focus to the commitment to the speciality section since that is the particular area that usually separates the candidates.
- Get in touch and liaise with Diabetes and Endocrinology Consultants/ Specialist Trainees
Gain insight and knowledge into the pathway for success and taper your portfolio accordingly. Networking with the right people is prudent, since the correct advice would take you leaps and bounds ahead.
