RadCast Xmas Edition: Getting Ready To Smash The New Year
MSRA Application Updates, ST3 Applications And 1-To-1 Interview Updates
Ho, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum (rose-water for those of you that don’t drink) ☃️!
For many of you this period should have been a time of festivity, family and feasting; plus the mandatory watching of Xmas classics such as Shrek and Home Alone👌🏼. Instead, Santa f**ked us over and brought us misery and madness in the form of MSRA revision 😭. By now you should all know the differential diagnosis for the red eye and be able to give the spot diagnosis for why a 30 year old woman thinks Tom Cruise is in love with her despite never meeting him. Of course we say this in jest but honestly, we know it’s tough since you’re probably using all your available time for revision purposes. This is made even worse since the honour of having a day off on Xmas or New Years by the HR gods is like being chosen as tribute in the Hunger Games.
But don’t stress, we’re here to help and in this newsletter episode, we just want to give you some application updates including how we can help you putting the finishing touches on the ethics side of your MSRA preparation.
MSRA Application Updates
All of you should now have booked your MSRA slot. Now that you have a date and time for this formidable beast of an exam, the focus should now be on putting the finishing touches on your preparation so you can slay the MSRA and get shortlisted for an interview (as per the application booklet, MSRA results will be out by the 17th February 2023).
For many of you, you’ll naturally find your ‘comfort blanket’ when preparing for the clinical side of the MSRA since you can progressively get better through practice. But man oh man, the ethics is a real bi*ch. When we reflect on our own experiences, we remember vividly the countless number of keyboards broken in anger from reading contradicting resources, vague explanations and the lack of any structured frameworks which could be used across multiple scenarios. However, as the great philosopher Jay-Z once said, “I got 99 problems but a bi*ch ain’t one” and we don’t think that for a high stakes exam, it should feel like you’re playing Russian roulette in a random number generator. That’s why we’re here to help and we’re proud to invite you all to sign-up to our MSRA ethics top-tips webinar.
Over a 2 part series, we’ve provided you a series of key principles, themes and frameworks to help you smash the ethics side of the MSRA. Specifically, we’ve condensed what we’ve learnt from our experiences but more importantly, summarised the knowledge and experience from applicants who nailed the ethics side of the MSRA into this webinar series. Candidates who used as part of their final preparation really valued the "framework" approach we took since since we aren’t focusing on “memorising” responses to specific questions since they won’t be repeated word-for-word. Rather, it provided them “foundations” which they could rely on as an anchor to help answer the new scenarios in the real exam.
Since it’s easier to digest this type of content at your own pace and you probably have varying commitments, we’ve decided to pre-record the content so it’s more convenient and accessible. You can access the 2-part webinar via the link below:
ST3 Applications 2022-2023
During the 2021-2022 application cycle, for the first time ever, candidates could apply to join clinical radiology at the ST3 level. This was a real game changer and one that was positively received by the community as a whole. For those of you thinking of pursuing this route, we’ve recently come across news that ST3 applications will be repeating this year 🥳. Now this hasn’t been officially confirmed yet but the “proposed” timeline for the ST3 applications is below. Please take it with a pinch of salt and of course, we’ll let you know once it’s confirmed for sure.
Applications open: 5th January 2023
Applications close: 24th January
Longlisting: 30th January to 2nd February
Interviews: 12th, 13th, 14th April
For those of you thinking of applying, please note that it isn’t a “walk in the park”. Rather, the eligibility requirements are quite strict and for the 2021-2022 cycle, they required candidates to have:
FRCR Part 1 (or equivalent)
Hold full GMC registration
36 months experience after full GMC registration (and evidence of achieving the foundation competencies)
Evidence of achievement of ST1 competencies in clinical radiology at the time of the application and ST2 in clinical radiology by the time of appointment
At least 24 months of experience in clinical radiology (not including foundation modules)
Plus, they asked candidates to demonstrate that they had acquired the ST1 & ST2 competencies in clinical radiology. To do so, candidates had to get an “Alternative Certificate to Enter Clinical Radiology Specialty Training” form completed. Here, a Consultant who is FRCR’d has to sign you off as demonstrating the ST1 & ST2 competencies.
Finally, those of you thinking of applying should note that they probably won’t use the MSRA (like the 2021-2022 cycle). Before you go off jumping for joy, this could actually be a double edged sword. Why? Because the focus shifts from the MSRA to your portfolio and interview performance. In fact, the portfolio criteria for ST3 entry are a lot more intense than the ST1 and included the following (based off the 2021-2022 cycle):
Additional undergraduate degrees and qualifications
Postgraduate degrees and qualifications
Additional achievements e.g. prizes/awards
Presentations/posters
Publications
Teaching experience
Training in teaching
Quality improvement
Leadership and management
Radiology reporting statistics
Most of you will be familiar with most of those domains apart from the final one. The more you have, the more you score. Candidates last year got top marks if they have over 3500 examinations reported over the last 2 years. As you can tell, the ST3 posts are really geared towards candidates who are already doing radiology training e.g. international graduates.
If you’re thinking of applying and looking for some guidance, please feel free to send us an email via the button below. We had a handful of applicants that we supported last year who absolutely smashed it and are now living life as ST3 radiology trainees.
RadCast 1-To-1 Interviews 2022-2023
We’ve been inundated with requests for our 1-to-1 interview bookings this year. Whilst we’ve been blown away by the interest, we want to make sure you’re all prioritising the right things at this stage of the application. Like genuinely, there’s no point preparing for interview when you haven’t sat your MSRA. It’s just a distraction. That’s why we’ve decided to reserve the bulk of our interview slots from the end of January onwards. However, we will make some slots available during the January period for those of you that still want to go ahead. We’re just finalising those dates and then will be inviting candidates to book using our updated booking platform. If you want to hear first about when these slots are live, please make sure to register your interest by clicking on the button below:
Parting Words From Us At RadCast
As the year comes to a close, it acts as a natural point for some inner, deep sentimental reflection. But YOLO, ain’t nobody got time for that.
You know, that we know, that you know, that you guys are the best. What more is needed? Thanks for making this year so awesome and for giving us the privilege to be part of your application journey. Exciting things are coming in the 2023 year and we’re honoured to have you on that journey #newyearnewme. Now off you go to get yourself ready for the ultimate winter festive film, Spiderman 1 *chefs kiss*.
See you in the New Year 🥳🎉🥳,
From your “it’s the radiologists left, not the anatomical left’ friends,
Uzoma, Muhammad and Jamie
RadCast Co-Founders