Clinical Radiology Application Episode 1: The MSRA Menace
MSRA results expected this week and further 1-to-1 interview bookings
Happy rotation change over day fellow doctors (see how we didn’t put the word junior there 😏).
For many of you, your nails are going to have a rough week as we prepare for the release of the MSRA results. After months of slogging your butts off, the fruits of your labour will now be revealed. Of course, at RadCast HQ, all of our fingers/toes/whatever you can think of are crossed for you and we wish you all the best of the luck.
In terms of when you get your result, the only thing “official” is that it’s from the week commencing the 5th of February i.e. 2 days ago. Some of you may be confused as other specialties, such as core surgical training and ophthalmology, have already received them. Don’t fret, this is expected as different specialties get them at different dates. If you had applied to those specialties alongside radiology, you will already have received your MSRA results.
Now, with regards to how you interpret it, the key metric is how close you are to the ‘cut-off’ score. Basically, whether you are above or below the MSRA score used to shortlist candidates for the interview. Last year (2022-2023), the MSRA cut-off score required to be shortlisted for an interview was 541/542. This score was higher than the year before that i.e. 2021-2022. What do we expect this year? Honestly, we expect the cut-off score to go up again. By how much? We can’t say but we think just based off trends, it will go up to reflect the ever growing number of candidates applying for radiology (and specialty training as a whole).
So you may be asking, “what do I do in-between getting my MSRA score and the final shortlisting of candidates for a radiology interview”. Fantastic question and the answer is simple, work on your interview technique. Listen, whatever the MSRA cut-off score is, that’s not for you to decide. Like you have no control over it. So, you can either wait till shortlisting happens (on the 20th of Feb) so you know for sure or you can be work on what you have control over i.e. your interview prep. In fact, we’ve already been supporting a handful of candidates over the last few weeks with their interview technique. Whilst it’s awesome getting to speak to you face-to-face, it’s clear that some of you are rusty as hell and need to put in the graft for your interview. That’s no surprise since the majority of you haven’t been interviewed since medical school where you had to explain how you “always wanted to save lives and loved speaking to people”. Now here you are, as a big doctor, applying for radiology so you can have your coffee in peace. How the tables turn! Smashing your interview technique is going to be mission critical this year since 1) the format has changed and 2) it’s worth a whooping 50% of your final rank (that’s one spicy meatball)! To help those of you looking to get some early practice, we’ve released more 1-to-1 interview slots between now and the 20th of Feb which you can book using the button below.
For those of you that want wait till shortlisting happens, that’s perfectly fine too. But please, do use this time wisely and do actively read around the specialty. Like we said, the interview format is changing and we think it’s going to be more technical than previous years. From issues on skills mix to the exam format, we think these questions will be fair game for candidates this year. Now, during the 1-to-1 interview mocks we’ve done, some of you have told us of the resources you’ve come across. We are pretty much aware of the books or certain websites you may have used but we want to just give you a heads up: they may be based on the old format from 2020 onwards. Relying on such resources could really fu*k up your prep and tank your interview performance. So please, take these resources with a pinch of salt. Of course, being the cool kids that we are, we prepared for this back in 2018 when TikTok wasn’t a thing. Specifically, we condensed all this technical knowledge into our signature Clinical Radiology Application Course (CRAC) which covers the application from A-to-Z. Not only is it addictive but also, it has everything included ranging from the impact of COVID on radiology to the new figures on the workforce crisis. Plus, as we built the platform year-after-year, we added additional content to cover the ethical and skill based questions. Genuinely, we think the course works perfectly in tandem with our 1-to-1 interview mocks and you can sign up using the button below.
Before we part ways, we know that some of you won’t receive the news you were hoping for. As Doctors, we all desire to be beyond excellent. To be perfect and more so. It’s in our blood and is what drove you to achieve the successes you have so far. That’s why we know how much of a bit*h getting sh*t marks/rejected can be. Remember, the MSRA is not, I repeat not, a reflection of who you are. Don’t let the MSRA nor rejection define you. It isn’t worth the headache. That’s why we are emphasising right now that we will be there for you. Just reach out to us and we will guide you forward.
From your “can the radiologists skip the induction talk on blood transfusions” friends,
Uzoma, Jamie and Muhammad
RadCast Co-Founders