Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Coláiste Ríoga na Máinleá in Éirinn
Building on our heritage in surgery, we will enhance human health through endeavour, innovation
and collaboration in education, research and service.
Student Career Development
Manager
Information Schedule
KEY DATES
Applications Open: Friday, 18 January 2013
About RCSI
Established in 1784, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is an independent, not-for-profit, health sciences institution with a unique international perspective from its headquarters in Dublin and its presence on three continents. Its original purpose was to train surgeons and set national standards for surgery in Ireland. Today RCSI has a wide portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate academic and professional courses. Its undergraduate medical school is the largest in Ireland. In Dublin RCSI educates a substantial cohort of international alongside Irish and other EU students. To remain competitive in an international market by providing an internationally recognized and respected medical and health sciences qualifications and careers, RCSI continually invests in elevating educational standards, innovation and facilities.
Our campuses
More than 60 countries are represented in RCSI’s international student body.
In Dublin there are over 3,000 students from approximately 50 countries and approximately 800 staff. RCSI is based in the heart of Dublin city – a unique city centre campus in one of Europe’s capital cities. The College has a strong international presence with Schools in Bahrain,
Malaysia and Dubai.
In Bahrain, the College established a medical university, the RCSI Medical University of Bahrain (MUB) in 2004. MUB provides a full spectrum of undergraduate courses in Medicine, Nursing & Midwifery and postgraduate courses in Nursing, Healthcare Ethics & Law and Healthcare Leadership to over 1,000 students annually. Students on these courses come from Bahrain, the Gulf Region and beyond.
In Dubai RCSI’s Institute of Leadership run
postgraduate courses in healthcare management and leadership for experienced healthcare professionals.
In Malaysia, RCSI has run Penang Medical College in association with University College Dublin, since 1995. This is a ‘twinning’ model where mostly Malaysian medical students complete the first half of their training in Ireland and then return to complete their studies, based on an Irish curriculum, in Penang. By 2013, over 1,000 medical students will have graduated from this programme. From 2011, RCSI extended its long-standing educational involvement with Malaysia when it established an undergraduate medical programme in
Kuala Lumpur, as a partner to Perdana University. The first group of Perdana students, studying the RCSI curriculum delivered mainly by RCSI specialist academic staff, commenced in Autumn 2011. Graduates of medicine across all of RCSI’s campuses complete rigorously evaluated programmes that allow for a common degree award of RCSI and the National University of Ireland.
Strategic Plan
RCSI holds a distinctive position in the Irish third-level education landscape, with a number of unique attributes:
A singular institutional focus on healthcare education and research
An unrivalled international presence in healthcare education
A long-standing engagement in life-long learning, as the national agency responsible for surgical and other postgraduate specialty training
A strong record of innovation in teaching and learning, focused on a high quality student experience
A distinctively entrepreneurial culture, by virtue of the need to be self-sufficient in an international marketplace, and as a not-for-profit organisation, with minimal dependence on the State
Regional Engagement in Ireland
We are committed to continuous improvement and implementation of best practice in teaching and learning to enhance students’ learning experiences, deepen levels of learners’ engagement and collaboration and also optimize value for money for students and sponsors.
At a national level RCSI has relationships with a number of affiliated public and private hospitals across all provinces. However, we recognise that our deepest regional engagement is within the Eastern region, most notably the North Eastern region, see figure 1 which
illustrates this regional reach of RCSI through our hospital partnerships and 3U Partnership alliance with DCU and NUIM.
We have close links to a number of teaching hospitals across Ireland with particular links to our main teaching hospitals in Dublin, Beaumont Hospital and Connolly Hospital. No health professions education programme can exist without significant investment in clinical training sites and RCSI invests considerable funds to ensure adequate training facilities for our medical, pharmacy and physiotherapy students.
In Dublin, Beaumont Hospital and Connolly Hospital are well funded
with academically active clinical staff, and with library, lecture
Figure 1:
North Eastern Region & RCSI Links M1
theatre and a wide range of student physical facilities. Similar investments have been made in general hospitals throughout Ireland - Waterford Regional Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny, Mullingar General Hospital, Cavan General Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (OLLH) Drogheda; and also in specialist hospitals in Dublin such as in Paediatrics, Maternity, Psychiatric services and so on. We also have a diverse network of GP practices where our students gain experience in the area of primary care.
We believe that forging deep and sustainable relationships at a regional and national level is our responsibility as a Higher Education Institute. It also creates richer educational opportunities for our students and enhances our research agenda. We are focusing on a number of areas to cement our regional engagement mission. Key features of our relationships with these centres are outlined next:
North Dublin/North East Region Support: Beaumont and Connolly Hospitals are joining with RCSI to form an Academic Health Centre (AHC) in line with international best practice, to benefit patients, health professional students, and clinical and academic staff. Work on this project has been underway for two years. At this point, a number of significant clinical initiatives arising from the cooperation an AHC can bring are underway or in later stages of development. Plans are also in place to increase educational and research opportunities and cooperation for all partners.
South-East Region Support: RCSI are committed to further developing and supporting our partner training hospital Waterford Regional Hospital in health professional education and research for the benefit of patients and the wider south-east region. In 2008 the College jointly funded a clinical sciences building with the HSE. Developed because of RCSI’s medical teaching needs, the facility now serves Waterford Institute of Technology nursing students and general staff education needs in the hospital.
Job Description
Job Title: Student Career Development Manager
Location: RCSI, 123 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 Reporting to: Associate Director of AcademicAffairs
Timeframe: This is a permanent, full-time appointment
Objective
RCSI recognises that in order to deliver excellence in education to our students we need to prepare them as best we can for successful careers after graduation, and recognise the diversity of the careers they will pursue in varied and changing international markets. The Student Career Development Manager will develop individual career plans for our students and put in place mechanisms and resources in order to provide career management and support as part of their overall education programme at RCSI.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Determine career management needs for undergraduate and postgraduate students, covering healthcare professional and research focused options;
Implement a comprehensive Career Management Programme;
Engage with all relevant stakeholders to design Career Planning Templates for students;
Define roles and responsibilities regarding career management for students, e.g. role of mentors, honorary and College staff, alumni, fellow students and student groups;
Identify and offer career development skills training to students. This may include interview, presentation and CV development skills using workshops;
Work with the Student Career Advisory Committee to optimize RCSI’s support of student career development;
Establish and implement career placement opportunities to supplement skills, complete extra-curricular examinations e.g. overseas licensing examinations, to prepare students for successful careers;
Be available to meet with students on a one to one basis as appropriate;
Identify and facilitate potential employers as appropriate;
Develop interactive online programmes as appropriate;
Work with the Alumni Office to track graduates career progression;
Provide regular updates / reports on agreed career development metrics;
Work with RCSI’s colleagues in International settings to share and leverage expertise;
Implement policies and decisions as determined by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences;
Undergo programmes of training and development as may be required from time to time;
Represent the best interest of RCSI at all times;
Perform such other related duties as may be requested from time to time.
Person Specification
The successful candidate will possess/demonstrate the following:
Third level degree essential
Proven track record over a minimum of five years, in a third level educational environment essential
Excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to build and sustain relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Drive, energy and initiative to deliver change in a challenging and dynamic environment
Demonstrated ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities effectively
Advanced knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access)
Achievement oriented and results focussed
Excellent writing and documentation skills
A thorough knowledge of the Irish and international educational agenda in higher education would be desirable
Application Procedure
Applications should be sent to: [email protected]
Closing date for receipt of applications: 8th February 2013
Informal enquiries can be made through Mr. Gary Brady, Human Resources Department on +353-1-4022341 (email:
Note: this Job Description may be subject to change to reflect the evolving requirements of RCSI in delivering its Strategy, Noble Purpose and Vision
Overview of work underway around careers development in RCSI
Vice Dean for Student Career Development
RCSI has a Vice Deanship to work on developing this area within the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences. Collaborative agreements
RCSI has many collaborative agreements in place over recent years, securing up to 100 research and clinical elective positions for medical students particularly in North America.
COSECSA elective opportunities
RCSI’s relationship with the College of Surgeons in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), has enabled a number of clinical elective placements in appropriate hospitals with good clinical links ensuring an excellent and safe clinical and cultural experience for medical students.
International Advisory group
RCSI has been invited by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) to be one of seven international schools involved in an advisory group to develop an international electives portal whereby medical schools can offer elective opportunities and accept students for clinical elective opportunities from around the world.
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF)
RCSI has developed a program with the CNCF, addressing safety, educational, ethical and professional concerns for students undertaking third world voluntary work opportunities. Three to four students sponsored by RCSI each year travel to the CNCF centres in Vietnam from the Schools of Medicine, Physiotherapy and Pharmacy.
Operation Smile
RCSI is part of this programme, invited through the sponsor Johnson & Johnson. Medical students compete for one position per year to join an inter-professional team that travels to a developing country to carry out surgical repair of cleft lip and palate. Malta
RCSI agreed and implemented an Memorandum Of Understanding in 2010 whereby graduates form RCSI Dublin and Bahrain are recommended for interview for the Malta GMC Foundation Programme.
United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLEs)
RCSI has developed a robust programme to ensure a positive supportive approach to the undertaking of these important licensing examinations. This sees the delivery of an ongoing tutorial programme and diagnostic examinations, supported by curriculum review which implements positive, constructive changes. This has led to excellent results that ensure RCSI students and graduates have excellent career choices in America.
International Careers Symposia
This biannual conference where key international speakers with relevant expertise present to RCSI students’ their unique insights on postgraduate training opportunities. The use of learning technologies has created a valuable repository of symposium to give ongoing access to this knowledge.
Student / Alumni interface
An exciting development of a new custom built interface, connecting alumni with current students, acting as a portal for career development and mentoring. This innovative system will allow students to tap into the latest, accurate “global but local”, advice around careers opportunities across the world.
Visiting speakers
RCSI regularly has events where visiting speakers present to RCSI students on international and national career opportunities. Speakers have presented on areas including personal statement development, interview techniques and post graduate training structures.
Moodle Careers Site
Moodle is our virtual learning environment, where information on Careers is centrally available to all students, which is regularly updated to ensure that advice is current.
Summer Research School
A unique opportunity for students to get a taste of life as a researcher. RCSI run a summer research programme where support is given to medical and healthcare undergraduate students to perform biomedical research during the summer break. This is a structured ten week programme which immerses the students into the research community of the College. The programme facilitates the early exposure of biomedical research to the students and allows them to put it into the context with their overall education.
RCSI Societies
There are currently 33 active student societies in RCSI. They range from cultural and national interest groups to recreational, charitable and general interest activities. In 2012 a Careers Society was developed encorporating 10 career strands. Society life is strong at RCSI and students involed play a major role in student life and the student experience. There is an opportunity to leverage the benefits of society involvement, to reward active students by recognising their involvement and encourage participation from students that are currently not involved.
Opportunities to broaden student’s CVs 1. RCSI Student Medical Journal
Implementation of an RCSI student journal led by a nominated student editorial group that facilitates RCSI student publications.
2. REACH RCSI Programme
Initiatives within the REACH Programme which provide opportunities for students to interact with our local community promoting education, health and recreation include Grinds Club, Student Ambassador Programme and Sports Day. 3. Peer Led Teaching
Implementation of a peer led teaching programme whereby senior students compete for these sought after positions. These students are leaders and educators of more junior students in the biomedical sciences, USMLEs and clinical skills.