Quick question: Can attending an M&M meeting and writing up the discussion count as an equivalent activity in our portfolio? Would this be considered equivalent to conducting an audit?

Many thanks

I recently appeared for the Dermatology SCE exam and I am planning to build an application for the same, as I couldn't find any reliable and affordable source for the same, with detailed explanation which helps in both, exams as well in clinical practice.

I was wondering if anyone here has faced similar issues, and any suggestions should I keep in mind?

Both my wife and I are HSTs in different specialties. Little one is going to start school 2027. Researching schools, school guidance, and family and friends advice etc etc and there is a massive lean towards private school. Pros being nurturing of talent, real attention from teachers, networking. Cons being the cost holy shit. Each term is somewhere around £5000 at reception and this increases as kid gets older. Then there are fees like after school activities, school trips, equipment etc.

Seeing finances as they are, I dont think we can afford private school for even 1 kid so I guess I'm adding schooling to our family planning decisions vault.

How do doctors in the UK school their kids? Is private school really worth it? Of course little one can do whatever she wants in life, but as a parent I'd like to give her any opportunity she needs to excel at it. Pls help.

Hi, anyone taken exams at Carmarthen recently? wanted to know about exam experience?

Nurse and PA endoscopists earn £66-75k pa performing scopes independently. While I don't doubt some ANP are highly capable, have postgraduate degrees and diplomas but what a sad indictment of the british healthcare system.

Soon UK doctors won't be competent or capable enough to work abroad. The devastation of the profession is what we needed to strike for not just pay.

I'm a student so I'm not sure if this question is allowed, but I've recently started in Paeds ED and I've realised I cannot focus at all when more than one baby is crying. I'm generally ok when I'm talking to/examining a patient, but writing up notes takes me like twice as long. I have a pair of loop earplugs and am just wondering if anyone else uses them for situations like this, before I ask my supervisor if they would be ok with me using them.

CT1 anaesthetist, looking for courses to do which will look good at ST4 application! Any recommendations?

Thanks :)

Just for fun

What languages would be useful as a 2nd/3rd/4th language?

My picks are:

Tagalog (to hangout with the Filipino theayres type)

Arabic (to banter with the Egyptian docs)

Urdu, Polish, Romanian depending on patient population

I‘ve seen so many posts on here and the RadiologyUK sub regarding the impact of AI on Radiology. There seems to be so much misguided optimism from those in the field so just wanted to give my view on it.

In my opinion, Radiology right now is the best job in the NHS. I have the most work-life balance favoured job plan in the world and with a little WLI and private practice, I easily make £250k a year for working just over 4 days.

But this is all going to change. Within the next 5-10 years, Radiologists will turn into liability sponges whose role is to be final sign off for AI generated reports. The job will honestly be terrible. WLI and private practice payment rates will plummet. Those with heavy practical components will survive for the time being but other specialties will come for some of these procedures once AI impacts them too. Ongoing scope creep from Radiographers etc will also affect this once AI assisted autonomous CT/MR scanning increases. There are NHS trusts which have ultrasound departments solely led by Sonographers - this same thing can happen for fluoroscopy, BAD lists etc. MDTs will likely remain in some form but will dramatically change. This is all combined with a general reduction in Consultant posts available in recent years. I hate to say this but I would never be advising a current Foundation Doctor to apply for Radiology.

Very prepared for this to be mass downvoted by Radiology trainees who I know make up a massive proportion of this Reddit sub but I ask that you provide a decent counter-argument which I will be genuinely interested to read! My personal plan is to extract as much money as possible from the specialty in the next 10 years so I can massively reduce hours once the job is destroyed.

How do you guys managed to study for the MSRA while working full time? This will be my first ever postgrad exam while working full time and I’m kinda struggling to juggle work and studying.

How many hrs are you guys managing to study? What does your schedule/routine look like?

Really need some inspiration at this point!

This has been reposted without the editorialised title, from an account with no post history here, it was previously linked with. Please keep comments civil or the thread will be locked.

CST portfolio requirements have been updated for 2026/2027 - no self assessment points but submitted evidence is discussed at interview.

https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/surgery/core-surgery/core-surgical-training-portfolio-guidance-for-candidates

Seems that you can now only submit three portfolio items, one for each category. Appears to have made things far easier - can now score top marks for a quick audit, taster week and making a leaflet which is a bit ridiculous. Pretty frustrating to have ticked every box from last year and no longer be rewarded for half of that work!

Thoughts?

Hey, I’m career planning and interested in Group 1 specialties, but all things going well with progression I would be in the thick of the med reg years during menopause. Is anybody going through this and how have you found it?
If you could choose again would you prioritise a more ‘lifestyle friendly’ specialty like GP or psychiatry?
For reference I’ll be 40 at the end of F2.
Thanks

I don't get it

One of our F1s atm used to be a very senior ED nurse. He's very very good but he's definitely not at the level of a Reg and he will be the first person to tell you that his experience as a nurse doesn't mean he already knows everything as a doctor

Looks like some specialities will benefit more than others for reducing shortlisting/MSRA scores...

This was released by NHS England as part of an FOI request and is therefore able to be circulated in the public domain

The issue for me is that mental health resources etc in the UK have been crap for as long as I can remember so why are events like this the surprise? The problem is now they will look for someone individual to blame and hang them out to dry when really the only people to blame are those in Westminster

Hi,

I am being told mandatory induction in August has eaten up my study leave entitlement and so cannot take any study leave this rotation.

This is coming from rota coordinator who has allegedly confirmed with post-grad team.

What can I feasibly do? This seems incredibly unfair as this was not communicated to me at the time and stressful considering I have an exam coming up (for which the 5 days private study leave has been rejected).

Had my interview today and I was completely thrown by the research station. The question felt so complex that I struggled to organise my thoughts and give a coherent answer on the spot. The 4–5 minutes of silence from the interviewers while I tried to piece together a response made it even more difficult. I felt like I was just word-vomiting by the end of it.

Am I alone in this experience? How did it go for everyone else? I’d be really interested to hear any help with how to approach these questions, what your thought process is in this station, and in general how you prepared for the research station. I don’t even know how to prepare better for the next round 😭

Hi everyone,
I’m preparing for the MRCP PACES exam and have only recently started studying. I’m finding the neurology station particularly challenging, especially localising lesions and formulating appropriate differential diagnoses.
Could anyone recommend any useful reading materials, books, videos or other resources to help me improve my neurology skills?
I’d really appreciate any advice. Thank you!

Sounds like a step in the right direction but the cynic in me can't see this being implemented.

Thoughts?

Link: https://www.rcp.ac.uk/our-policy-and-campaigns/policy-documents/training-physicians-for-the-future-a-blueprint-for-reforming-postgraduate-medical-training/

https://www.rcp.ac.uk/media/wmda1yld/training-physicians-for-the-future_full-report.pdf

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knew which specialities had released offers yet?