Mid-Career Solution Room

WORKSHOP AIM AND INTENDED OUTCOME    

This workshop will bring together academics (educators and/or researchers) who are ‘mid-career’ to discuss the challenges experienced at this career point and to seek solutions as a group, and with an expert panel. While there is no universally accepted definition of a mid-career academic, this term is often applied to someone who approximately 5-8 years out from their last postgraduate degree and who has extensive experience of teaching and/or research across its lifecycle (from initial conceptualisation, design, implementation and evaluation). Importantly, being mid-career is not determined solely by ‘grade’, but rather reflects increasing experience, with increasing responsibility and/or opportunities for leadership roles. With this, comes unique challenges, and this workshop will allow delegates to explore such challenges (e.g., barriers to career progression, balancing clinical and academic roles, maintaining work-life balance) and identify solutions for pressing issues with peers and through discussion with an experienced panel of primary care academics.       

FORMAT    

A 90-minute interactive workshop in a “Solution Room” style.    

Preparation:    

Attendees - when signing up in advance for the workshop, please indicate your most pressing career-related questions/challenge.    

Attendees come prepared to discuss one question/challenge in a small group format.    

Expert panel -    An ‘expert advisory panel’ are invited to attend.

Proposed panel:     2x GPs     2 x Primary Health Care Scientists    

The panel will come prepared to introduce themselves and to aid facilitation of small groups, but mostly to provide the answers (“solutions”) to the most common/pressing questions and concerns identified during the discussion sessions.     

Workshop organisers will inform the panel of the concerns that are likely to be raised, based on the email response from registered attendees.        

INTENDED AUDIENCE    

Delegates who self-identify themselves as mid-career academics or will be entering this phase of their career soon.