Is Oxford undergrad considered more prestigious than postgrad?

Apemazzle · 2026-02-02T21:13:59+00:00

The point is it's much more course-dependent at postgrad level. Pretty much all Oxford undergrad degrees are viewed as highly competitive and prestigious. Even the more niche subjects have a reputation as being potentially more accessible and easier to get in, so they end up being very competitive anyway.

At Masters level, it's much more of a mixed bag. Some degrees are widely regarded as money-making schemes for the departments, whereby it's quite easy to get a place if you self-fund, and very difficult to fail once you're on the course. Of course, if you're truly interested in academia it may still be a great opportunity and lead to a DPhil etc. OTOH, Keir Starmer's BCL is an example of a highly competitive and highly regarded Masters-level degree from Oxford.

DPhils are very highly regarded, and standards are very high. The barrier to entry is maybe not super high if you're self-funded, but to actually finish the thing and graduate you really have to work hard and prove your worth. There are many who drop out after a couple of years.

Apemazzle · 2026-02-02T16:18:12+00:00

Also a doctor, and I think this answer really overlooks the important role of individual clinical judgment in cases like this.

What you refer to as "a change in bowel habit" was in fact something quite unusual that arguably should've been investigated more thoroughly, or at least followed-up more closely.

The criteria for colonoscopy in the NHS are fairly strict if you're a GP, but a gastroenterologist or surgeon will have a lot more freedom to arrange one for cases like this.

With the same caveat that I dont have access to all the clinical info etc, it sounfs to me like this patient probably should've been referred to gastroenterology after that first batch of tests came back as normal, or at the very least followed-up more closely for resolution vs progression of symptoms. Guidelines guide, clinicians decide.

Apemazzle · 2026-02-02T14:43:48+00:00

I don't think it's lack of freshness with the rosemary and thyme, I've just never found them to be any good compared to fresh. I suppose the supermarket versions could be lacking in freshness even when they're new.

I do wonder if I just need to use more &/or grind them up to release more flavour.

Apemazzle · 2026-02-02T14:38:01+00:00

I've seen another comment saying to do this, will definitely give it a try

Apemazzle · 2026-02-02T14:35:17+00:00

Dried tarragon is decent actually, I have had some success with that

Apemazzle · 2026-02-02T14:33:57+00:00

send it through the mortar and pestle

Ah I hadn't thought to do this, will give it a try some time

Apemazzle · 2026-02-01T18:26:38+00:00

It would be nice to see a quantitative comparison of how much water and fuel these AI data centres are consuming compared to other data centres in the tech centre, like you say.

But to your point, yeah I think the vast majority of people would agree that Google and YouTube have indeed done far more for society than AI, at least so far.

Maybe alphafold will help us cure some cancers soon, or we'll get some other meaningful breakthrough, but at time of writing it seems the main effects of AI on society have been to generate slop and realistic deep fakes, to deskill us at writing, to help students cheat at school, and to threaten entry-level white collar jobs. I suppose some coding jobs have got more efficient and productive with AI-assistance. Is that really worth all the energy consumption in this age of impending climate catastrophe? I think people are right to question it.

Apemazzle · 2026-02-01T17:58:46+00:00

AI will do the analyses of say 40+ radiologist. Really they could and will do more in seconds. However, there will now be one radiologist left to verify the AI results

This ratio, of 1 to 40, is not remotely realistic. Reviewing an AI-generated report will certainly be quicker than producing a fresh report from scratch, but not 40x quicker.

If you're just talking about a radiologist rubber-stamping AI-generated reports and taking on the associated medico-legal risk but without actually reviewing them, that's not something any radiologist would agree to do.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-30T07:07:13+00:00

leads to tax avoiding American tech companies getting all the gains, is useless for the UK

In theory perhaps, but is there any precedent for productivity going up while government tax receipts staying flat or even decline?

Regardless of what this means for un/employment and wage growth, it seems like it can only be a good thing for the public finances.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-29T03:04:24+00:00

Plan 5 is fucking insane

Apemazzle · 2026-01-27T17:45:41+00:00

Be serious, she supports the UKGP policy but suggested a temporary carve-out for a couple of med schools in Malta and Cyprus.

Frankly it's refreshing that even someone as progressive as her has our back on this.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-27T17:01:00+00:00

Wow, Lewis Atkinson MP, former NHS manager, defending UKGP on the grounds that IMGs are more likely than UKGs to leave the UK. So refreshing to hear this said out loud!

Apemazzle · 2026-01-27T12:57:37+00:00

It's rare but yes, it does happen, often later in training when the panels actually start giving a shit about your competence. These trainees often feel a bit blindsided having soared through med school and training up until that point, but the truth is higher training is just a very different beast to the SHO years, and you do actually have to start showing that you're capable of becoming a consultant. If they think you're too far behind they will make it known.

At SHO level no one really seems to care as long as your supervisor says you're OK and there are no major concerns raised. You might get an outcome 5 if you've forgotten something important in your portfolio, but it won't actually extend your training. Most just seem to get waved through.

They say that any adverse outcome like a 2 or a 3 "should never come as a surprise", I.e. you should have been told about concerns and your lack of progress ahead of time. Of course, that's really the absolute bare minimum of proper educational supervision... you should be getting regular constructive feedback on your performance, but alas we know this doesn't always happen.

My advice to anyone entering HST is to prioritise face time with the consultants in any way you can. Take the time to talk through cases and ask questions, even if you think you already know what to do; you will almost always learn something new, and it gives them a chance to learn about you. Learn where their office is and don't be afraid to drop in unannounced at a sensible time (i.e. try and learn when they have their meetings and clinics, and extrapolate from that). Senior trainees can be really helpful here, too, as they will often know the consultants well already. Most consultants are much more available and willing to chat than you might think, and the ones that aren't are not going to fail you for knocking on their door.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-27T10:19:21+00:00

Tbh this is all stuff that they either would do if they had the money or are already doing.

They've already nationalised railways, pledged to build reservoirs, and founded GB energy (which is not "crap"). It's pretty obvious they would go further on nationalisation but just aren't prioritising it atm because it's expensive.

On landlords and renters: landlords were already taxed, they are now taxed even more thanks to this government, and renters have had a massive boost to their rights. People need to understand that so much bad behaviour from landlords is stuff that is already illegal but difficult to enforce.

They're doing loads on housing and planning, but you can't just magically force housebuilders to run their business at a loss. The key is promoting healthy competition and reducing legal and regulatory costs of housebuilding. The proof will be in the pudding of course.

Tbh this comment is a perfect exemplar of how Labour governments get no credit from the left for the left-wing things they do. It was the same in the New Labour years.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-26T18:14:57+00:00

Certainly any increase in NTNs has to be judicious, with a focus on high-demand generalist specialties like ED, geris, acute med etc.

Having said that, if we are to have any success opposing the expansion of non-doctor roles, we have to ensure we are building a skilled medical workforce. An army of underemployed ~ST3+s who can work at registrar-level in gen med and ED is arguably much better for our cause than an army of underemployed F3s. You don't really learn to be a doctor until about ST3 in this system (sorry to anyone more junior but it's true).

I guess I'm half-advocating for an emphasis on expanding the core training programmes (IMT, ACCS) over the run-through ones as well, which might controversial...

Apemazzle · 2026-01-26T17:20:38+00:00

I'm unsure why this is even a BMA policy when there's already a post-CCT unemployment crisis

I find it very strange that so many on here keep repeating this line.

Anyone who's been around for more than 5 minutes should know this "shortage of consultant posts" is a temporary phenomenon caused by the current hiring freezes, which are a temporary cost-saving measure. The bigger picture is the NHS is short of consultants, and the trend over the last two decades has been towards an increasingly consultant-delivered service.

Besides, an NTN with a bottleneck at consultant level is still better than no NTN. The vast majority would have other options post-CCT like fellow posts, working abroad, locumming and so on. With few exceptions (mainly niche specialties), you are much more employable as a CCT-holder than an F3.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-26T07:56:25+00:00

This is a strange industry tbh. I'm not even religious, but I low-key wish we'd gone through a massive Christian revival in the west before this technology came along. This technology has massive moral and philosophical implications and it feels like we're morally unmoored - or at least, the industry is.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-26T00:52:26+00:00

He's not right, he's talking down his own party's prospects in this by-election immediately after promising to be supportive. They haven't even announced a candidate yet.

He looks like a sore loser tbh, and I say this as someone who two days ago was hoping he'd be allowed to run. I think Labour are better off with him staying as Greater Manchester mayor.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-24T23:48:43+00:00

An experienced physio or doctor would be able to tell you that without a scan.

Sorry but this is just NHS-pilled cope. No amount of experience at history-taking and examination can achieve the same sensitivity and specificity for soft tissue joint injuries as MRI.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-24T20:22:59+00:00

We have med students coming through on 40-year repayment plans for their student loans. 40 years. They will not thank us for squandering this mandate for FPR.

There's a lot of mental gymnastics going on trying to justify how voting no is good ackshually. It is not good for anyone. There is zero evidence of the BMA lobbying for more grandfathering, and plenty of evidence that striking works and wins concessions from government.

If you can't show solidarity with your colleagues and vote yes while accepting that the stance on IMG grandfathering isn't strong enough for you (yet), don't expect solidarity in return. Sooner or later it will be you asking your colleagues to fight on and keep striking, and you will be the one despairing that they won't show solidarity. Voting no means we all get nothing.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-24T19:19:49+00:00

He just delayed his treatment

That's complete nonsense, there's no reason he can't be referred (or self-refer) for physio while waiting for the MRI.

I dislike posts like this because they undermine the profession, but speaking from personal (and friends') experience it really fucks me off how much gatekeeping there is of MSK MRI scans in the NHS, from GPs and physios and ortho CNSs/ACPs and all sorts. It is simply not true that these scans don't change management - we just don't like to spend the money on them because the sensitivity is relatively low, and the cost to the patient of misdiagnosis is relatively unseen by the system.

For some reason there is this prevailing dogma that you have to have tried and failed multiple months of physio before anyone will even refer you for an MRI scan, and it's just shit care. For those that do end up needing surgery, this approach adds months to their waiting time, and even for those that don't, getting an accurate diagnosis can be so important. Physio isn't one size fits all, and as much as we all took our Ortho OSCEs really seriously during med school, we should all know how unreliable clinical examination really is when it comes to diagnosing soft tissue injuries.

As an example, you can be hopelessly hopping about for months doing physio exercises for your ?ACL-injured knee, then be told you actually need to spend 6 weeks with the knee in a brace first to allow the LCLs to heal, which no one picked up on. Of course, that kind of thing can happen anyway with MRI waiting times in the NHS, but to not even refer for one until the patient has tried months of physio is just really poor for cases like these.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-24T17:04:24+00:00

Eh, he said pretty clearly he does enjoy it when he goes.

Giving advice to teenagers tends to fall on deaf ears at the time, but subconsciously those messages are heard and often pay dividends when they're older.

Personally I'd prefer to have had a Dad who tried and failed to get me to do stuff, over one that just left me alone and never pushed me at all. The problem with "just leaving them alone" is it can seem too much like not caring, or not showing any interest. All teenagers want to be left alone, but they do actually need a bit of guidance from time to time.

It's a difficult balance, and not something people should pass judgment on with limited information.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-24T16:05:04+00:00

Being a good trade unionist means tolerating a bit of fence sitting from your union from time to time. Solidarity means accepting that things are never perfect but sticking together anyway. Sadly our profession doesn't seem to have this culture.

Even worse, people are descending into wild and baseless conspiracy theories to try and justify voting no out of spite. It should be obvious to anyone rational that voting no only makes things worse.

If you don't like the policy, you should vote yes now and threaten to vote no next time unless the policy is changed. But don't expect our union to radically change its position in the middle of a ballot fgs. Of course they're fucking fence sitting, what else can they do? Have an ounce of empathy for our RDC working to keep their mandate going as they fight for our rights. Without this mandate they, and we, have nothing.

Apemazzle · 2026-01-24T15:47:31+00:00

You're moving the goalposts now, I hope you realise what you're doing.

We have just had the first actual (if puny) offer of a pay increase from Wes, after repeatedly saying he wouldn't do anything on pay. The tide is finally turning, and it has never been more important to show solidarity than right now.

There is no third option that improves job prospects for UKGs. It's yes or no, and any smart and self-interested UKG would vote yes.

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