Jess

Thinking of applying for GRID? (paediatric sub-speciality training). Here are five things to consider: 1. GRID vs. SPIN 2. How many jobs to rank 3. Get rid of perceived barriers 4. Specialty-specific examples 5. Distinguish audit/QIP/research 1. Be crystal clear about the difference between working as a sub-specialist (i.e. via GRID) vs. paediatrician with specialist interest (i.e. via SPIN). Make sure your application conveys an understanding of why you want to work as a sub-specialist long-term. 2. Think carefully about which job(s) to rank nationally. The more you rank, the greater your probability of getting an offer, brings more uncertainty (i.e. “will we move to Scotland, Devon, or Cardiff?”). If you rank only one or two posts then it is much harder. (You can be an excellent candidate, come 2nd, and not get the job. There is always some randomness in the application process.) It is difficult and important to weigh up 2-3 years relocation against a different subsequent career for 20-30 years. Also, be aware that there is general expectation you will work as a sub-specialist after finishing GRID (though you can also do general paeds), which may limit where you would ultimately work. For example, for hepatologists, Leeds, Kings’, and Birmingham are the only places we can work. There are more centres for things like tertiary neonates, of course. 3. If you want to, apply! Do not let perceived barriers stop you applying. [For example “I can’t apply, I haven’t got a PhD / publications / done an IMD job / know any of the consultants” - none of these stop you applying.] Just go for it and the worst outcome is a ‘no’. 4. Fill your application with sub-specialty examples. You will have lots of relevant experience from core paediatrics training, even if you haven’t done a post dedicated to that sub-speciality. Even if you can’t come up with a subspecialty-relevant example, link it back to the topic. For example, under ‘practical procedures’ I put: "[talking about PICCs and neonatal transfers]...These are transferable skills that are underpinned by the principles of teamwork and communication, which will be useful for managing liver-related emergencies such as variceal bleeds." 5. Be careful to separate audit/QIP, research, and management as per the questions. Sometimes audit/QIP can sound like research projects if you’re not careful how they are phrased. Similarly, it is possible to use a research project as a management example, but you need to make it very clear about the management skills acquired during that time. If you do use the same example/experience twice, don’t just say “as discussed above” as the questions are marked separately and you need to separate the points you make. I realise I come from a specific perspective of only one job when applying and few long-term centres where we could work. The experience may be different for those doing things like PEM and Neonates with more potential places to work when grown-up. Tagging a few GRID trainees for their thoughts. @DrKidneyAsh @dralexscrivens @ChrisCourse @DrSheena_Guram @lauraamkelly @sunitha_varan @AssimJavaid @EmmaMDyer @WMPaeds @Paedsoftlanding