Table 3 Selected comments from graduates regarding career preparation at RCSI Dublin and RCSI Bahrain

What was done well

• Kaplan and special lectures geared towards USMLEs and the US application process was invaluable

• Events organised by the Surgical Society, wherein consultant surgeons from various hospitals presented an overview of their careers and provided advice for those aspiring to be surgeons

• Careers day with speakers from number of different countries

• RCSI alumni and senior students from North America advising based on their own experience

• Kaplan and special lectures towards USMLE

What could use improvement

• I cannot recall formal career advice regarding careers in Ireland. There was advice available for the North Americans or for Irish people wishing to pursue residency in the US

• I received little to no personal guidance on which specialty would best serve my interests and goals. My choice was based almost entirely on my clinical experience. I would have liked to have had a mentor whom I could have met with a few times 1:1

• Discussion on career paths within the Irish system. Advice on alternatives to clinical practice.

• We did not have proper guidance during our medical education

• If someone wanted to take a career path that did not involve practicing in a hospital, there was no one or nowhere to go to for help. Students need to be aware of ALL their choices and should be offered help concerning where they want to go

• Seminars on the exact requirements to join any program in each country outside North America and Ireland

• Would be helpful if Alumni were available to speak to the students to help guide them on their path and give any advice based on their experiences

What additional resources would recent graduates prefer in their learning environments

• Career guidance day, where PRACTICAL information regarding the different medical and surgical specialities are discussed. Such practical information remains quite difficult to obtain and mystified when training in medical school

• Specific career guidance talks, seminars on training paths & research needed for various specialties. Diagrams with training paths early on in medical school would have helped us understand what lay ahead

• Assigning career mentors at junior levels who can provide advice about career planning

• Clinical facilitator to ensure students have access to speciality and subspecialty electives locally and abroad

• Career counsellor should be at our university and should meet with each student

• A staff person to help arranging overseas electives and guidance as well as assist with regarding options available after graduation