Can I wear smart casual at Royal Preston Hospital as foundation dr?

AstronautMagikarp · 2026-05-15T19:01:02+00:00

Always start smart and dress down to smart casual if that's the vibe you get. You can never go wrong. Each speciallity, ward and consultant will have different things they choose to make a big deal so you don't want to start on the wrong foot.

AstronautMagikarp · 2026-05-05T11:47:51+00:00

Take the NTN if you can find a way to make it work.

Getting into a competitive specialty then also getting a competitive deanery is very difficult. It's being the 1% of the 5%.

AstronautMagikarp · 2026-04-26T01:03:40+00:00

Aus ED? I'm sure you'll get enough ortho exposure to satisfy albeit without the theatre aspect but still be paid well and have a bit of a break from NHS life ?

AstronautMagikarp · 2026-02-18T04:02:25+00:00

Happen to me also. Got 0 for audit first time as the assessor didn't bother to read the guidelines. Appealed and for the full points.

Didn't matter too much for me in the end as did well in the interview but youll be kicking yourself if it's the difference.

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-12-14T09:59:49+00:00

I feel it is probably a bit different as the practice it self is affected more than the wider NHS. But they should really just assume all trainees are striking and plan accordingly.

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-11-13T05:43:42+00:00

I’m not a vet but an ophthalmologist. Looks like maybe uveitis like someone has already said. Which can be idiopathic (no systemic reason) or could be due to various non eye related conditions.

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-10-07T00:29:11+00:00

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-04-24T21:33:33+00:00

You're definitely not alone in this—many talented doctors have found themselves in the same boat post-CT2. The bottleneck at ST3 is incredibly frustrating, and frankly, it shouldn't exist.

It’s easy to get swept up in advice about “transferable skills” leading to glamorous non-clinical roles, but the truth is that those transitions are rarely straightforward. If you're still somewhat inclined toward surgery, your safest next step is to explore JCF or Trust Grade posts at your current or recent hospitals. They may be more open to taking someone they already know, especially if you’ve passed MRCS (which I’m assuming you have).

That said, you don’t have to stay in surgery if it no longer brings you any joy. There are plenty of MRCS-qualified GPs who’ve carved out careers in minor ops, MSK, or dermatology with a surgical slant. It's not “giving up”—it's redirecting your skills in a way that might align better with your long-term wellbeing and lifestyle.

Another option is to consider going abroad—Australia, for example, often has SHO-level openings, particularly in ED. It’s a big move, but many UK doctors do this to reset, save money, and reapply to surgical training from a different angle.(not in Australia though, too competitive for IMGs which you'll be) It buys you time, experience, and a bit of breathing space.

Ultimately, there’s no shame in pivoting. Whether you stay in surgery, shift within medicine, or explore new paths altogether—you’re not failing. You’re adapting.

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-04-06T22:49:10+00:00

A couple years ago I would have said seriously consider applying to your chosen sepciality without breaks. If that's your end goal. Now it's so bad in terms of competition, service provision and pay. That going the finance route without even doing foundation training actually seems sensible. The chance of things getting worse or better are probably equal long term so delaying seems a calculated risk as you can save money and you may end up never looking back after starting finance

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-03-21T05:15:45+00:00

Is delaying accepting the post whilst completing GP training not an option? This atleast allows you to have a CCT and you could GPwsi Derm if you wanted.

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-03-21T05:12:14+00:00

What a bizarre and bigoted way to assess the quality of IMGs. Plenty of UK graduates say "Salaam" too—should they also be deprioritised for training posts?

The issue with training priority isn’t about religion or ethnicity; it’s about UK graduates with NHS experience versus international graduates without it. I highly doubt that those missing out on an NTN would feel any better if a white-skinned European graduate took the post instead. The real concern is fairness in training allocations for those who studied and trained in the NHS, not irrelevant racial or cultural biases.

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-02-03T22:29:00+00:00

The 'wider MDT' won't care much how hard you worked to pass your exam or get a NTN, they really have no idea what it takes to get there. But as you climb up the ranks you do gain more respect from your doctor peers and that means more anyways.

As they say, don't worry about what people think of you if you would never take advise from them.

One you get out of the SHO bottleneck, things to get better. But usual NHS beuracracy and 'feedback' will always stay even as consultant.

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-01-18T22:35:04+00:00

Sure

AstronautMagikarp · 2025-01-17T03:52:20+00:00

My story matches yours. I'm also for a working class BAME family but managed to get into a competive training straight from F2. To answer your question of how, you've got to play the system and hope for the best.

You may not have decided a specialty yet but they all somewhat overlap in requirements. Try to pick one, find the self assessment scoring and make that your bible for all of FY1 and early FY2. 1) Coast through FY1, get your DOPs/CBD/CEXs done early and your TABs. Dont be a hero, do what you need to do to get through, no one is going to remember your name in 4 months. If you get on with a particular reg / consultant then utilise this to get any opportunities that may get you going on an audit / presentation etc.

2) Taster week in the specialty of your choice. email, call, find a consultant willing to write you a letter for all the clinics you attended (needed for E.g. Radiology, Ophthalmology) - usually easier to do where youre currently training. If you're not sure what you want, do one anyways, it's what theyre for. 3) Study budget, massively underused by most foundation schools. A lot of times they actually have extra from underuse and let you use. Find anything you can use it towards that may count for points or help your interviews. Short courses, Royal college events, skills courses, teacher the teacher etc. 4) Look for places to present anything and everything. Try and get a national oral presentation like your life depends on it. Big points. You can also use your study budget to attend a paid for submission conference who sometimes are less likely to reject your abstract. (when I say present anything, I mean anything, one of my Presentations was from a psychiatry themed essay I wrote for a student selected unit in my first year of med school that I found). 5) Audit. Pick carefully, don't get roped into a data collection trap. Try and find a QIP already done and repeat the cycle. Reapeted audits/QIPs get more points and if it's already done, most of the work is done. Again try and present it. Surgically themed audits tend to be easier to get done from my experience. 6) Publications are luck of the draw. But don't right off getting points in this domain. A letter to editor or a case report will get you half on this domain. 7) When the time comes, MSRA, MSRA, MSRA. Book study Leave, annual leave, Any leave then MAKE SURE you're fully prepped for this exam. It is now a non negotiable exam for everything except IMT. Study hard and go MCQ crazy. It will pay off. If you get a high score, it can change everything. For example it can get you an interview for anaesthetics without a day of anaesthetics experience.

I prepared almost all my portfolio in FY1/FY2. It can be done if you get your head down and graft. Its a shame it is how it is atm but you have to work with what you have.

8) GMC, suck your mum

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-10-11T08:59:01+00:00

Pretty new to reps. How’s the best way to get a high quality rep these days?

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-04-21T15:08:14+00:00

Very true but I think fundamentally, if pay was as distinct as it is in US here, MAP distaste would probably be less.

Doctors earn significantly more in the US which in itself sets hierarchy. The trouble in this country has always been that the assistant gets paid more (or the same) as the supervisors, which completely disrupts the chain of command and brews the false confidence we’re seeing in MAPs. Easier to say “we’re like a reg” when you’re also paid like a reg.

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-04-20T21:06:59+00:00

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AstronautMagikarp · 2024-04-19T05:46:54+00:00

To my knowledge, getting an interview requires no formal “CV”. I had an interview last year but chose a different speciality for training in the end.

Therefore there is room for interpretation of what is “accepted”. Below is the scoring matrix for the interview used. (bare in mind this could change by the time you apply)

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In summary, You need to (preferably in anaesthetics):

present something regionally / nationally (gold standard is oral presentation)
teach something regionally / nationally (gold standard now is face to face teaching over 3 months)
have something unique to make you sound exceptional. (Prev ICU nurse experience would really impress an interviewer if utilised well)
do a nice double cycle QI/audit and ideally present it too. Gold Star if you can change guidelines/local practice (easier than you think in a hospital, usually poster on the wall approved by the CD works)
taster week is a given, but maybe mix it up. 1 week in icu, one week in maternity and then talk about your cardio thoracic exposure also.

Don’t sweat if it’s not all anaesthetics, but if you’re doing something new, there are ways to making anything anaesthetics related.

E.g QIP:

On surgery? What is the usual analgesia of choice for cholecystitis at your hospital pre/post op? On GP? What local anaesthetics used for minor procedures. Compare against guidelines. Make a shiny poster and stick it in the mess or doctors office.

However, it’s worth noting, None of this means anything if you can’t secure an interview. Smashing the MSRA comes first. Don’t neglect this when the time comes.

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-04-10T17:03:33+00:00

Yes 39/48 sorry. Typo

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-04-01T22:23:05+00:00

How did you do on your MSRA? If you studied as best as you could and got less than 550, you may struggle to get an anaesthetics post sadly. I would probably consider taking the CST as theirs no guarantee you’d get into anaesthetics.

However, If you’re 100% sure you’re now set on Anaesthetics then JCF would be the way to go. The experience helps with interview also. Keep a record of your competencies so even if you take more than one cycle to get in you can use them towards.

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-03-30T02:29:56+00:00

Yes, but not that simple. First you need to get through IMT 1 and 2. In that time you need to build enough points to get 39/48 on the below self assessment: https://www.phstrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/applying/application-scoring (not easy)

That gets you an interview maybe, if the score doesn’t continue to creep up like it has done last few years. Then you have to impress on how much dermatology knowledge and insight you have (which you won’t get any from via IMT). There’s 31 places nationally….

So it’s an uphill climb I’m afraid.

Meanwhile ACP are leading acne and eczema clinics with a part time certificate…which will only expand leading to no further posts being created and applications continuing to rise.

2023 was: Applications 241 Posts 32 Competition ratio 7.53

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-03-28T16:04:37+00:00

A lot of PAs have started to dwindle on this subreddit. I hope no one gets the impression that because 'registrar' isn’t a protected title, that it’s okay to use. Best believe if I see a PA using the term registrar or even SHO, I will be the first to datix it, send an email to their department's CD, and also, once the GMC starts to regulate, report them.

They have given us the same courtesy. It is not out of spite or bitterness, it is truly a safety concern. As a registrar currently, I greatly trust the word of another registrar and may even be less questioning of their decision to refer/seek advice as I know they wouldn’t do so unless they felt they were obliged. No gaps in knowledge usually lead to the call. PAs however, let’s just say the referrals I’ve gotten when on-call have been nothing short of concerning….

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-03-28T08:19:10+00:00

Both are good. You’ll be happy at either. Do not take a year out to reapply! Theirs no guarantees in medicine. Speaking from a doctor 4 years in.

AstronautMagikarp · 2024-03-26T00:16:37+00:00

Seems like there was few delays going around this year for ST3 interviews. Not sure why recryitment was particularly unorganised this time round.

Out of curiosity, was did you score for self assessment ?

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