Our #ChoosePaediatrics programme wins a Memcom Excellence Award 2023

It is with great pleasure to announce that the #ChoosePaediatrics programme has won the Best Engagement or Recruitment Strategy Award 2023.
group_photo_with_a_few_careerspromotion_members
Some of the staff involved with #ChoosePaediatrics

Success from our camaraderie

This is a massive achievement for RCPCH, an organisation dedicated to its members. And it's a great way to celebrate the second anniversary of the #ChoosePaediatrics programme, which launched in October 2021. Our Careers team and staff across the the College have worked in harmony to bring this profile to life.

Of course, we also work alongside many clinicians on #ChoosePaediatrics - in particular, two who have worked tirelessly to shape the programme since its infancy: Dr Simon Broughton, Officer for Recruitment and Dr Blanche Lumb, Trainee Representative for Recruitment. It is a huge pleasure to work with them and so we thank them for all their contributions and dedication to the #ChoosePaediatrics programme. It would not be a success without them.

It is a great honour to be involved in the #ChoosePaediatrics programme… Our priority is always to strongly advocate for our workforce from medical students to retiring consultants! #ChoosePaediatrics is one of the most important components, and we have seen applicants double in the last five years.

Dr Simon Broughton, Officer for Recruitment

A testament to the people involved

Receiving this Memcom Excellence Award is a testament to the dedication, innovation and collaborative spirit of the College staff involved - which is also the epitome of paediatrics itself.

The award was announced at a special event hosted by Memcom, and our CEO Rob Okunnu and Head of Membership Selma Laklai were in attendance and picked up the plaque on behalf of the Careers Promotion working group.

Rob Okunnu, Selma Laklai receive the Memcom award at a ceremony featuring Lucy Porter
Rob and Selma receive our award from the compere, Lucy Porter 

Here's what the Memcom judges had to say about our application:

A well-structured application which clearly set out the goals, the activities and achievement. The campaign is well designed, creative, and effective. We particularly liked how they took on board feedback and made changes along the way in response to this. The results of the campaign were well evidenced and demonstrate great results, especially for a relatively small budget.

What’s happened over the past year?  

We have seen a huge impact from this high-profile programme. It has contributed to a 17.5% increase of student and foundation members over the past year. There has also been a huge surge in the recruitment numbers of 1,231 applications, nearly doubling in the last five years.

Through our collective efforts in promoting paediatrics as a career choice and providing unwavering support to aspiring paediatricians, we aim to contribute to the growth and development of this vital specialty and its workforce. 

#ChoosePaediatrics has been a highlight of my time volunteering with the College and has made a clear positive impact on applications to paediatrics. Meeting students and foundation doctors has been a real joy and they always teach me something, hopefully they can say the same thing! The programme would not be where it is without paediatricians giving up their time but I have to say it has been fun, inspiring and enjoyable part of my work so would encourage anyone who is interested in joining the programme to contact the careers team. 

Dr Blanche Lumb, Trainee Representative for Recruitment

Group of people at awards ceremony, with large sign reading 2023 Memcom Excellence Awards
Winners of the Memcom Excellence Awards celebrate

Get involved today and support paediatricians of the future! 

Why not get involved in supporting the next generation of paediatricians and join the online conversation by using our hashtag - #ChoosePaediatrics - on social media?  Let’s share why we love what we are doing, for students and foundation doctors who are curious about a career in paediatrics and support them in their journey. Get in touch with us at choose.paediatrics@rcpch.ac.uk.

There are several other ways that you can get involved with supporting paediatricians of all levels. The Education and Training division at the RCPCH is responsible for activities across paediatric training and beyond. Follow our Get Involved page, to see what you can do to support our paediatric trainees whether it be becoming a START assessor, Consultant Recruitment assessor, course faculty member and more! 

Get involved with the College