Brace Thyself, Winter Is Coming
The 2023-2024 Application Season Is Upon Us and Final Call For The Roentgen Competition (Round 2)
Long time, no see fellow RadCasters! How are you? How are the kids? How about the dog?
Pleasantries aside, you may be thinking “where the f**k have you guys been”? Honestly, it’s been a *busy* few months since our last newsletter in July. Firstly, we waved goodbye to Jamie as he sailed off in search for Dubai bling (lucky sod). Secondly, and more annoyingly, we had to deal with the fallout that was the sh*t show of our initial Roentgen attempt in July. TLDR: it fu*ked up and it fu*ked up bad. We’ve already been through enough group counselling sessions for it, Uzoma still has PTSD talking about it, but we had to put out a lot of fires in order to make amends to those candidates that had signed up (and put in a lot of graft preparing)(you’re the true OGs). But we move and in the classic RadCast manner, we move up. That leads us nicely to the focus of this newsletter!
It’s now September which means two things: 1) winter is coming and the weather is going to get sh*t and 2) you’re going to sh*t yourself as you realise that applications are around the corner. For the former, we recommend a coat. For the latter, we recommend some fibre. Jokes aside, October is around the corner and as per the latest information on specialty recruitment, it looks like applications will open up on Oriel the 6th of October for Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACF) and the 26th of October for the standard ST1 entry to radiology. Now this isn’t “insider information” we’ve extracted through some backhand deals with our pal Tony at the RCR. Rather, all this information is freely available on the Medical Training Recruitment website which you can access using the button below (make sure to bookmark it).
With that being said, how should you be preparing? Simple. Two things and two things only:
Smashing Your Portfolio - this is a golden opportunity to start stacking those sweet, sweet portfolio points. Unsure what to be working on? Get in touch via hello@radcast.co.uk for personalised portfolio advice. This is particularly important for those of you applying for the ACF since it’s a key component in deciding if you’ll be shortlisted for interview (alongside your white space answers).
Smashing MSRA Prep - fail to prepare, prepare to fail. We love this old adage since it makes us sound like we’re wise (which we aren’t) and since it’s so true to all aspects of life. Every year, time and time again, we see candidates neglect this exam because they drink too much of the “Dunning-Kruger effect” kool-aid. Don’t be that person. Remember, the MSRA will be used to shortlist candidates for interview. F*ck this up and nobody is going to give a sh*t about your first author meta-analysis or your 1st prize in the surgical society egg and spoon race. Take whatever time you can to prepare for this exam. Yes, it’s annoying since it seems so irrelevant to well, you being a future radiologist but guess what? Deal with it. The game is the game. Learn the rules, adapt and play your best hand. How do we recommend you prepare? Check out our video covering this exact topic using the button below!
Secure Your Spot On The Roentgen Competition (International Radiology Anatomy Prize)
After dealing with the aftermath of the initial attempt, we’ve been working hard on addressing the issues that lead to the proctoring part of the competition going “tits up” (pardon my French). With that being said, we are now going to be re-running the competition, with a whole set of new questions, on the 23rd of September. Due to cancellations from candidates who can’t make the new date, we now a small handful of slots available for the 23rd of September (we know some of you couldn’t make it first time round). If you’re interested in enrolling, please get in touch via the button below for more information and to reserve your seat. The deadline is the 17th of September at 17:00 (GMT+1).
So that’s all for now. In the months ahead, we’ll be aligning our content towards the 2023-2024 application.
As always, feel free to reach out to us via hello@radcast.co.uk if you have any questions.
Much love,
From your “so you’re not really a doctor” friends,
Mo, Uzi and Howie
RadCast Co-Founders