Let's Fu*kin Goooooooooo: 2023-2024 Radiology Applications Are Now Open (Part 1)
Part 1 of our hot take on the changes to the 2024 radiology application, what it means for you and of course, how you can smash it (the RadCast way)!
It’s here. Like it’s finally here. Yes, radiology applications are indeed open and you bet your bottom dollar that means one thing. It’s time for the annual RadCast application breakdown. So get comfy and grab a beverage (or two). It’s game time baby.
But just before we do that, make sure to RSVP for the virtual RadCast Radiology Application Overview Talk - 9th November, 6pm (GMT).
We know many of you will be unfamiliar with the application process. Who or what is Ariel, why does everyone bi*tch about the MSRA and do I need to wear trousers for a virtual interview? Firstly, we’re talking about Oriel and not the Little Mermaid. Secondly, don’t ask about the MSRA. Thirdly, yes please wear trousers both prior to, during and after the interview. But in all seriousness, there’s a lot of confusion which we appreciate can be a huge stressor. That’s why we’re doing a virtual radiology application overview talk on the 9th of November at 6pm (GMT). We’ll be hosting it on Zoom and during the talk, we’ll go through the 2022-2023 application but more importantly, highlight the changes to this year’s application and answer your questions. For those of you that can’t make it, we got you! We’ll be recording it and then uploading it to our YouTube channel (make sure to sub) and on our Clinical Radiology Application Course (CRAC). So, RSVP using the button below:
Now, with that out the way, let’s crack on with our radiology application breakdown.
Addressing The Elephant In The Room: Competition Ratios
Imagine no radiology training bottlenecks, it’s easy if you try. No competition ratios before us, above us only sky. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the radiology reporting room will be as one.
Now I bet you didn’t know that John Lennon was a budding radiologist alongside his somewhat successful career as a musician. But unfortunately, radiology is subject to the same training bottlenecks as other specialties with fierce competition ratios. As you can see from the table below, the number of radiology applications has skyrocketed from 1128 (in 2020) to 3068 (in 2023). Whilst that’s amazing and makes us feel like we’re the cool kids in the room, the number of radiology posts has only gone up by a fraction (311 in 2020 vs 350 in 2023). Indeed, if we do some fancy GCSE maths *cough* which we had to Google *cough*, you see that the percentage increase in applications since 2020 is 172% vs a measly 13% increase in the number of training posts in the same time period. Plus to make matters worse, the number of training posts went DOWN in 2023 (350) when compared to the year previously (361 in 2022)!
So why are we telling you this? To ruin your weekend? To make you not apply? To ruin Xmas? No, we’re not the Grinch (although Muhammad may look like it). Rather, we’re telling you this to hammer a very important point. A point which we’ll repeat till the application season closes. Every fu*king point counts. Whether it’s on the MSRA, portfolio or interview, you need to do WHATEVER it takes to secure the bag. This is no time for complacency. You must give it 110%.
With that being said, let’s now go through the latest portfolio scoring criteria and outline any major changes from last years.
Domain 1: Commitment To Specialty
Two BIG changes to this domain:
Clarity on what constitutes a “significant exposure” to radiology
Thank f*ck they did this. Last year, there was such a sh*t storm about this which led to a quick change to stop candidates doing the EXACT SAME TASTER WEEK TWICE (which pissed off a lot of radiology departments).
In this year’s guidance, the assessors have clearly defined what a “significant exposure” is in radiology. Of course, a taster week still remains on that list (for obvious reasons) but additional things candidates can do include meeting the radiologist when they are preparing for the MDT or going to radiology specific lists e.g. symptomatic breast clinics.
As was the case for last year, candidates need more than one significant exposure to be able to claim the full 10 points. In terms of a taster week, it has to be at least 3 days (whole day equivalent) and if you’re going to use the other examples, you need to have done a minimum of 3 attendances e.g. attended a symptomatic breast clinic on three separate occasions.Reintroduction of courses
Last year, marks for attending radiology specific courses were removed. This year, they’ve been reintroduced with candidates being able to get 2 marks if they attend a “radiology-based course or conference of at least 1 day in length”. Now for candidates who are not able to undertake a UK taster week/exposure, you may benefit from this since you’re no longer geographically bound.
In terms of what courses/conferences are acceptable, the main requirement is that it has to be “radiology-based”. If candidates are keen to secure these points, then they should consider checking out our Radiology Crash Course. It was specifically designed for final year medical students and junior doctors to help them understand the fundamental aspects of radiology required for wards, A&E etc. The course lasts for 1 day and candidates will receive CPD credits as per the CPD scheme of the Royal College of Radiologists. You can sign up directly via the button below:
Domain 2: Leadership & Management
This domain pissed off a LOT of candidates last year. We fully expect it to do the same this year. Compared to last year, there has been no changes in this domain. We think this is a shame and we were hoping the recruitment leads would make this domain a bit more realistic. Alas, that’s not the case but no point crying over spilt milk.
To get top marks you need to have held a national level leadership or managerial role involving radiology for a minimum of 6 months. One example of this could include being part of the amazing team over at IR juniors. What about RadCast? We know, we know. A lot of you have asked us about this and at present, we don’t really have anything concrete. We don’t really want to rush this and want to make sure that whatever we develop has long term benefit for you and the community we serve.
So, what could you do in the interim? One suggestion we always give is for you to reach out to your nearest medical school/foundation school and see if you can help! Perhaps reach out to the undergraduate radiology society? See if you can help shape their programme? Help them build networks with the radiology department and forge a teaching programme? This has often proved successful with both the candidate and medical school benefitting. Similarly, ask your foundation school if you can help out.
Domain 3 & 4: Teaching & Training, Formal Teaching Qualifications
We’ll approach these two domains together since they pretty much cover the same topic: teaching.
In terms of Domain 3, there has been no changes from last year which is a huge relief since it caught a lot of candidates out (especially the minimum 3 month duration requirement).
Now, with Domain 4, on the surface it would seem it’s identical to last years. However, there’s a very small change. Specifically, candidates who are a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)(now called Advance HE) are eligible to receive 4 out of the 5 marks. Before you sarcastically roll your eyes at us thinking “yeah, wow, big yippee”, this actually is a positive change. Why? Well, most people become a FHEA through a teaching degree e.g. PGCert in medical education. However, a minority get their FHEA not via a degree but instead, by collating and building a portfolio of their teaching and getting it accredited directly. This is a mammoth task and we think it’s only fair those candidates are given the recognition they deserve.
So what about those of you who are looking at both domains and currently sitting on a big fat zero? Help is at hand.
Specifically, we are welcoming candidates onto the last cohort of our signature MedEd programme. This is our 2 day intensive teach-the-teacher course which covers the fundamentals of medical education theory. You can find out more about the programme by clicking on the button below.
Domain 5: Audit & Quality Improvement
After running this section through our complex blockchain, machine learning A.I., ChatGPT algorithm at RadCast HQ, the wording is identical. Oh and by the way, that fancy algorithm? Yeah, it doesn’t exist. It’s just Jamie having both versions up on his reporting monitor.
But seriously, you shouldn’t lose a signal mark here. There’s just no excuse. Struggling with ideas for an audit/QIP, don’t stress! The RCR have done all the hard work for you and given you audit/QIP templates via their AuditLive website.
Domain 6: Academic Achievements
Can we take a moment and pay respects to the our dear friend, the “case report” and “letter-to-the-editor”. You were so good to us. The heroes we needed, but didn’t deserve. For years, they had been the go-to-publication for candidates aiming to secure points in this domain. And you know what? They rightly deserved those points. Yes perhaps in the academic world, they aren’t considered to be the peak of research methodologies but so what? Last time we checked, this wasn’t the Academic Clinical Fellowship portfolio scoring criteria. This is the scoring criteria for clinical radiology. Alas we digress but to summarise, case reports and letters-to-the-editor will now only get you 1 out of 5 marks. To be eligible for the highest marks when it comes to publications, you have to be a first author in a radiology publication that is not a case report/letter-to-the-editor. Oh, if you have a PhD/MD/MRes/MPhil etc (but not an intercalated one i.e. during medical school), then you’ll get full marks.
Domain 7: Prizes and Awards
When compared to last year’s, there are 2 main things to be aware of here:
Clarity on undergraduate/postgraduate merit/distinction awards
Last year, there was a lot of confusion arising from the “distinction award of final year primary medical qualification (or equivalent)” statement. Many candidates felt they could claim for getting a distinction in an individual module during their medical degree e.g. distinction in the final surgical exam (yuck). We advised candidates that this wasn’t the case since we felt that it meant candidates who got a distinction/honours for their medical degree OVERALL could get the top marks e.g. MBChB (Honours). This year, the assessors have clarified this explicitly so please, don’t claim these points for the distinction you got in the “pretending to know how to use a stethoscope OSCE module”. It won’t count.Clarity on scholarships and elective bursaries
Many candidates lost marks last year for claiming that their scholarship/bursary was a prize. We didn’t think this was fair since you basically like, you know, got a prize in the form of cash which is like, the prize but not called a prize since it’s called a scholarship/bursary…you get me? Fortunately, the assessors have corrected this and now will allow candidates to claim points for scholarship/bursaries provided it was achieved via competitive application.
For many of you, you may be scratching your head thinking “how the flip do I find a radiology competition to enter”. Unfortunately, you’ve missed the boat for our Roentgen competition but don’t fret, RadCast is here to save the day! Specifically, we have 2 national (really international) prizes up for grabs as part of our Clinical Radiology Application Course. The successful candidates will be informed prior to the application window closing meaning they can claim for the points for winning a national prize in this domain. You can find out more about the competition by clicking on the button below. We’ve adjusted the deadline to the 17th of November 2023 (23:59 GMT) due to the large interest in candidates wishing to apply.
Phewwwww, that was a lot to take in. So much so that Substack (the thing we use to write these newsletters) is telling us that we’re about to reach our word limit (first time for everything hey). So, make sure to check out part 2 of this “deep dive” as we turn our attention to IR themed tracks, changes to the MSRA, how the radiology interview format has changed and finally, the ranking process!
As always, reach out to us via hello@radcast.co.uk if you have any questions about the application process, our courses or radiology in general (we don’t give out relationship advice #sorrynotsorry).
Till next time (like literally part 2 of this newsletter),
From your ‘the four horsemen of radiology’ friends,
Muhammad, Uzoma and Jamie
RadCast Co-Founders