Professional Development
Professional 2: Career development for SAS doctors
Build a deliberate career plan across clinical expertise, Specialist roles, leadership, education, Portfolio Pathway and later-career choices.
Clinical safety: Use current guidance, local policy and patient-specific judgement.
Learning objectives
Identify realistic career directions available within and beyond the SAS grades. Use appraisal, job planning and development discussions as linked but distinct processes. Create a development plan based on evidence, opportunity and service context. Recognise the value of mentoring, supervision, SAS tutors and advocates. Review career direction at early, mid and later career stages.
Core reading: careers are built through linked decisions
A substantive SAS career can include increasing clinical autonomy, Specialist-grade practice, education and supervision, research, service improvement, operational leadership, medical management, Portfolio Pathway work and, where appropriate, consultant appointment. These are not mutually exclusive and they do not all need to culminate in a consultant post. A useful career plan starts with the work you already do, the work you want to do, and the evidence or opportunity gap between them. Appraisal can identify development objectives; job planning can create time and structure for agreed activity; supervision, mentoring and organisational roles can create opportunities to demonstrate capability. Each process has a different function. The plan should be specific enough to act on: one or two priority directions, evidence required, developmental activity, who can support it, and a review date.
Career stages and opportunity
Early-career SAS doctors may focus on induction, supervision, confidence, portfolio habits and defining interests. Mid-career doctors may seek expanded scope, leadership, education, Specialist roles or Portfolio Pathway. Later-career doctors may prioritise sustainable working, succession, mentoring, portfolio roles and retirement planning. Career development should not depend on informal sponsorship alone. National guidance encourages employers to support SAS development and to make use of SAS tutors, advocates, job planning and appropriate development opportunities. Local arrangements vary, so confirm what exists in your organisation.
