“Speed dating” for careers advice in psychiatry

Authors: Meinou Simmons 

Publication date:  04 Nov 2009

Speed dating was set up to enable people to meet a large number of potential partners in a systematic way. It was developed for Jewish singles by Rabbi Yaacov Deyo in Beverly Hills, California, in 1998.[1] Over the next few years the idea increased in popularity, and by 2000 was important enough to appear in the television drama Sex in the City. Typically, individuals of one sex circulate through a number of stations in a coordinated fashion, to meet all members of the opposite sex. Each pair meets for an allotted time—for example, five minutes. Individuals rate each meeting station on a pro forma, and the ratings are analysed to set up potential matches.

The speed dating concept has subsequently been used for various purposes, such as in academic networking[2] and for careers advice.[3] The American Medical Association recently hosted a successful “speed dating” event of all medical specialties, where trainees could quiz doctors from a range of specialties about their career path.[4]

We held a speed dating careers event in Cambridge to launch the Cambridge University Psychiatry Society in March 2009. Psychiatry lends itself well to speed dating events, as there is a large number of specialties, which students may not know about.

This article sets out the relative merits of speed dating careers events in psychiatry and the practical arrangements of our launch event, and it ends with suggestions for hosting similar events.

Merits and drawbacks of speed dating

Speed dating events are designed to be informal and friendly. Participants may be less likely to feel intimidated than when they have to seek out a specialist individually. Students can use the event as a springboard to search for further information. They can get advice for electives and special studies modules. Students can compare information between stations.

Speed dating careers events cannot provide detailed in-depth information. There are some practical difficulties in planning such events, including calculating ratios of specialists to students beforehand. Specialists may become fatigued and lose enthusiasm after repeating information. Students may not seek out a specialist at the time in their training most relevant to them.

Practical arrangements for our launch event

A trainee coordinator (MS) took overall charge of liaising with the specialists and students. The event was held in the clinical medical school attached to the teaching hospital. It was well advertised via the clinical student website, email lists of student groups, and posters in the clinical school and university.

Specialists were invited by email from the gamut of subspecialties found in a tertiary referral centre, and included consultants and specialty registrars and academics from the university department of psychiatry. Specialists were emailed with at least two months’ notice to confirm attendance. We encouraged attendance of an even balance of experienced and younger specialists.

A large room was prepared to accommodate a number of chairs and tables in a U shaped formation. Each specialist’s station was clearly labelled with name and specialty, with two or three chairs opposite so students could rotate in small groups. The event was planned to last roughly 90 minutes in the early evening. Closely related specialties were grouped near one another. Refreshments were provided.

Specialists were briefed to spend a few minutes talking to each cluster of students, with the coordinator circulating the room, encouraging groups to move on.

To get adequate feedback a sign-in sheet was provided for students. A simple feedback email was circulated within a few days of the event, with simple questions including a scale of usefulness of the event and space for comments. Specialists were also emailed to ask them for their feedback.

Success of our local event

At least 30 students attended the event. Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive; 64% of students gave feedback. The mean score for “usefulness for giving careers advice” was 7.6/10.

Students were asked to give two free text comments of their overall experience. The most common adjective used to describe the event was “interesting.” Other comments given were “enlightening,” “informative,” “fascinating,” and “accessible.” Students also said the event was “more useful than careers fair as greater time spent with people”; it was “interesting to know what psychiatrists do on an average day, how they got into their jobs etc”; and that there was a “nice atmosphere.” Some students commented that “moving around could have been more coordinated” and some asked for “more access to trainees with information about applications and training.”

Specialists also gave positive comments and indicated that they would be keen to participate in a similar future event.

Suggestions for planning a similar event

To maximise learning from our experience I have compiled a list of suggestions for other groups planning a similar event.

• Finding an appropriate date and time is crucial to maximise attendance of all years of relevant medical students, so as not to clash with holidays or attachments away.

• Holding this event after a Psychiatry Society has already been established rather than as a launch event may improve planning for attendance.

• Use a central university venue to improve accessibility for preclinical students.

• Specialists said it would be useful to have a bell rung every five minutes to ensure all groups of students moved on simultaneously, with rigorous time keeping.

• It may be useful to brief specialists to follow the structure of talking for roughly two minutes about the positive and negative aspects to their work, then allowing roughly three minutes for questions, with the option of students returning to their “station” if they showed a particular interest.

• Soliciting student and specialist feedback is essential. This can usually be organised online.

• Running the event with similar groups of specialties—for example, general practice—may widen the pool of undecided students and therefore lure more students into psychiatry.

I thank all of the specialists based around the Cambridge area who gave up their evening to contribute their support and expertise to the first event, particularly Cathy Walsh. I am grateful to the students for participating in the event and contributing feedback.

Competing interests: None declared.

Meinou Simmons ST4 specialist registrar in psychiatry Ivry House, 23 Henley Road, Ipswich IP13TF

 meinou.simmons@googlemail.com