Professional Support & Wellbeing

Northwest Professional Support & Wellbeing

The Professional Support and Wellbeing (PSW) Team, to better support Post Graduate Doctors in Training in the Northwest.

Who we are:

Deputy Dean for Learner Support & PSW: Tamsin Dunn

Associate Dean for Foundation & PSW: Joanne Rowell

Business Programme Manager HCC School Liaison: Claire McGovern

Programme Support Manager: Claire McNally

Programme Support Coordinator: Fran McLaughlin

Programme Administrator: Kerri Ann Weir

We have also recruited 7 case managers to work as part of the PSW team, they are experienced educators from various specialities across the Northwest Region.

The PSW Team can be contacted via england.PSW.NW@nhs.net

What the PSW can offer:

Currently the following resources can be accessed via the PSW:

• Exam Support: bespoke exam support coaching with our educational psychologist
.
• Mentorship & pastoral support via our experienced educator PSW Case
Managers

• Careers Support (please see the Accessing our Careers Support Manager section)

• Dyslexia screening via Genius Within Coaching

• Neurodiversity screening via Genius Within Coaching

• Bespoke Coaching for the above via Genius Within Coaching, should the initial screening advise, this would be beneficial.

Please note we cannot provide clinical diagnosis for dyslexia/ Neurodiversity. Our aim is to gain better insight to implement support to help Post Graduate Doctors in Training to navigate their training.

Accessing our Careers Support Manager:

As part of the PSW we work alongside our NHSE Careers Support Manager Shah Rahman, who can draw on the different resources below to help support Post Graduate Doctors.
Shah can be contacted via shah.rahman12@nhs.net

• Careers Advice
Definition: Provides specific information and recommendations about career options, educational pathways, job markets, and application processes.
Focus: Immediate, actionable information.
Example: Telling someone what qualifications they need for a particular job.

• Careers Guidance
Definition: A broader, more developmental approach that helps individuals understand their strengths, interests, and options to make informed career choices.
Focus: Long-term career planning and decision-making.
Example: Helping someone assess their skills and interests to choose a suitable career path.

• Careers Counselling
Definition: Involves a deeper, more personal exploration of career issues, often addressing psychological and emotional aspects of career decisions.
Focus: Emotional support and resolving personal issues related to career choices.
Example: Assisting someone in overcoming anxiety about career changes or addressing dissatisfaction in their current role.

• Careers Coaching
Definition: A results-oriented approach that focuses on achieving specific career goals and improving performance through structured sessions.
Focus: Goal-setting, skill development, and accountability.
Example: Working with someone to develop leadership skills or prepare for a job interview.

• Careers Management
Definition: The ongoing process of planning and managing one's career, including setting career goals, acquiring new skills, and navigating job transitions.
Focus: Continuous development and proactive career planning.
Example: Creating a five-year career development plan and regularly updating it based on progress and changing circumstances.

• Excelling Careers
Definition: A less common term, usually referring to strategies and actions aimed at achieving exceptional performance and rapid advancement in one's career.
Focus: High performance and accelerated career growth.
Example: Tailored professional development programs to fast-track someone to executive leadership positions.

Understanding these distinctions helps in choosing the right type of support for specific career-related needs. We provide all the above except mentoring and decide in the session which methodology to use through reflective practice.

How to refer to the PSW Team:

We cannot take self-referrals so if you are a Postgraduate Doctor please link in with your supervisors in the first instance.

Please tell them you would like to access the PSW resources and ask them to complete the following form:
https://forms.office.com/e/u6wpWAHrJN

If you are an educator, please complete the PSW Referral form with your trainee’s knowledge and consent.
Please contact the team directly if you have any queries via england.PSW.NW@nhs.net