Articles & Resources for Junior Doctors
Gastroenterology ST4 Interview Guide
Category: Speciality Guides
Gastroenterology is a popular choice, and competition is tough. In the first round of 2023, there were 309 applications for 111 positions, making a ratio of 2.78 applicants for each…
Clinical Radiology ST1 Interview Guide
Category: Speciality Guides
The Radiology ST1 interview represents a critical juncture in the career path of aspiring radiologists. This article aims to navigate prospective Radiology ST1 candidates through the nuances of the interview…
Neurology ST4 Interview Guide
Category: Speciality Guides
Neurology is a diverse field where trainees operate both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to assess patients dealing with both immediate and long-term issues. This speciality…
Preparing for the Ophthalmology ST1 Interview 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
The Ophthalmology ST1 interview stands as a pivotal milestone for aspiring ophthalmologists, marking the initial step towards a fulfilling career in eye care. This is the last active stage in…
Ophthalmology ST1 Application Guide 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
The ST1 application for Ophthalmology is known for its competitiveness and demands more than just academic knowledge. OST has the 5th highest competition ratio of all CT/ST1 specialities at 9.91…
A Guide to the Doctors’ Mess Committee
Category: Career Tips
I am currently an F3 doctor enjoying working in New Zealand. During my F2 year in Exeter, I was the president of the doctors’ mess. When I first joined the…
Comprehensive Guide to the Prescribing Safety Assessment
Category: Exam Guide
What is the Prescribing Safety Assessment? The Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) is a collaborative effort between the British Pharmacological Society and MSC Assessment. This online assessment is a pass/fail evaluation…
IMT Application & Recruitment Guide 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
Internal Medicine Training (IMT) is the largest hospital-based training program outside of the foundation program and is second only to GP training in size, with 1670 posts available in 2023….
How to Pass the MRCP PACES – Revision in 2023
Category: Exam Guide
After passing the gruelling MRCP Part 1 and Part 2 Written exams, the PACES exam is the final obstacle before receiving the coveted MRCP UK diploma and becoming a part…
The Best MRCP PACES Resources 2023
Category: Exam Guide
It hopefully should be obvious to all candidates preparing to sit the MRCP PACES exam that a crucial part of passing the exam is the careful selection and good use…
Teaching Fellow Jobs: Top Tips for Successful Applications
Category: Alternative Careers, Career Tips
Taking some time out of training after finishing the Foundation years is becoming an increasingly popular option for Junior Doctors. In fact, it is so popular, that those who choose…
The Sought-After Side Hustle: How to Make it Happen as a Doctor
Category: Alternative Careers
I’m sure you have all heard of a ‘side hustle’ by now. That’s not surprising considering that a recent survey estimated almost half of UK adults (44%) now have one,…
IMG Jobs: Foundation, FY2 Standalone, or JCF?
Category: Career Tips, Experiences
Hey there, I’m a junior doctor who’s got quite a diverse background. I was born and raised in sunny Sri Lanka, did my med school in the city of Dublin,…
Difficult Cannulation – A Practical Guide to IV Access
Category: Career Tips
Often, I have seen the sincerest of doctors struggling with intravenous cannulation, including myself, in the wards or ITUs. You may have mastered the basics taught in medical school, but…
The Medical Training Initiative (MTI) Demystified
Category: Career Tips
My journey started with a dream. A dream to experience multifaceted healthcare systems and expose myself to risks outside my safety bubble. Anaesthetics was my first love during my internship….
A Back Pocket Guide to Your First ‘On-call’ Shift
Category: Career Tips
If you’re new to the UK, new to medicine or just looking to hone your skills further; I hope this guide will shed some light on the mysteries of the…
Making the Transition: IMG to NHS
Category: Career Tips
As the world becomes more globalised, it’s no surprise that the medical profession is experiencing an influx of doctors from overseas. Many international medical graduates (IMGs) choose to come to…
The Emotional Turmoil of Guilt as a Junior Doctor
Category: Experiences
Starting as a Foundation Year 1 doctor in the NHS can be quite daunting. Amidst the pressures of patient care, long workdays, and a sense of duty, guilt often creeps…
Guide to the 2023 MRCP PACES Exam Format
Category: Exam Guide
The MRCP PACES examination is a challenging but essential part of the journey to getting your training number as a higher medical speciality trainee in the UK. The exam assesses…
Equipment You Need For Your First Medical Expedition
Category: Alternative Careers
So if you’ve joined us from our previous post, welcome! If not, it’s about getting your first expedition as a doctor, so if you’re new to expeditions, it might be…
Navigating the Emotional Landscape of IV Cannulation
Category: Experiences
Picture this: You’re a Junior doctor beginning your first-ever shift in the Acute Medical Unit, faced with a patient in shock who’s in urgent need of an IV cannulation. You…
Ultimate Guide to the PLAB 1 Exam
Category: Exam Guide
Are you a foreign medical graduate thinking about a career in the UK – the tiny island nation that gave the world English, Shakespeare, and Harry Potter? If you graduated…
Easter Sri Lanka Attack: My Experience at the Major Trauma Centre
Category: Experiences
April 21, 2019 – a date etched in the hearts of Sri Lankans forever. The day that started with the hope of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, turned into…
Quick-start Guide to Your First Shift in the Emergency Department
Category: Career Tips, Speciality Guides
Starting a job in the Emergency Department (E.D.) soon and worried about what this infamous department might be like? Then this is the guide for you! Screenshot it, bookmark it…
FRCA Primary MCQ Examination Guide 2023
Category: Exam Guide
As a foundation doctor or core anaesthetic trainee who wants to progress to ST4 anaesthetics, one of the biggest hurdles you will face is the FRCA Primary exams – a…
From Drowning to Breaking the Surface: My Reality of Being an FY1
Category: Experiences
The transition from medical student to FY1 can be a daunting and challenging experience. It’s a time when you leave the comfort of your university and enter the world of…
Becoming an Offshore Medic – Work on an Oil Rig
Category: Alternative Careers
I’m Dr Hrushikesh Ramchandra S, MBBS. Today I am going to share some of the salient features related to Rig Doctor/Offshore Medic. I was a rig doctor for almost 7…
Top Medical ST4 Interview Tips
Category: Speciality Guides
Hints and Tips by Dr Nikhil Ahluwalia Dr Nikhil Ahluwalia is a cardiology registrar based in London, and founder of Optimise Interviews. Optimise Interviews has worked with hundreds of applicants…
How to Get Your First Medical Expedition
Category: Alternative Careers
We all need a bit of variety in life. There’s no better feeling than replacing that pitter-pattering of junior doctor’s sketchers along the hospital corridor once in a while. Some…
Everything You Need to Know About the MRCEM Primary SBA Exam in 2023
Category: Exam Guide
Attention, doctors who want to pursue emergency medicine in the UK! The world of medicine is constantly changing and evolving. Whether it is treatment plans, exams or vaccinations, keeping up…
Ultimate Guide to Working in New Zealand as a Junior Doctor
Category: Career Tips
Thinking of working in New Zealand after FY2? Great decision! New Zealand (Aotearoa) is an INCREDIBLE country with outrageously beautiful scenery, adventures for everyone and more beaches and mountains than…
Medical Portfolio Tips: Become a Portfolio Pirate
Category: Career Tips
Do you struggle with keeping your portfolio up to date? Do you dread ARCP season? Are you an IMG who loathes the idea of portfolio? If your answer to all…
Core Surgical Training (CST) Interview Guide
Category: Speciality Guides
The Core Surgical Training (CST) interview is the final hurdle you will have to go through before you can get your hands on the prestigious CST training number. But despite…
Going From Healthcare Professional to Digital Nomad Medical Writer
Category: Alternative Careers, Career Tips
I can’t have been the only one who at some point during my eight-thousandth step up to the ward on the top floor has thought to myself “I’m done. I’m…
Core & ACCS Anaesthetics CT1 Interview Guide 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
Core and ACCS Anaesthetics interviews have always been highly competitive, but in the round 1 application, you’ll be competing with more applicants than ever before! This is no surprise given…
The Ultimate MRCP Part 1 Exam Guide 2023
Category: Exam Guide
During your med school days, you might have assumed that any discussion about the MRCP Part 1 Examination was regarding Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography, a fancy imaging test for the bile and…
Top 10 Tips for Surviving “The Night Shift”
Category: Career Tips
Feel a sense of dread every time you see “nights” on your rota? Freshly graduated and haven’t worked a night shift before? Or just simply “not a night owl”? Well,…
The Best Free Online ECG Courses & Websites
Category: Course Guide
If you’ve read our guide to ECG courses for doctors, but want to see how far a free ECG course can get you, look no further! In this article, we…
A Guide to ECG Training Courses for Junior Doctors
Category: Course Guide
Performing and interpreting ECGs are skills required for all UK junior doctors so that a rapid assessment can be made in acute medical scenarios. A quick and careful examination of…
CST Recruitment & Application Guide 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
Core Surgical Training (CST) is the most common pathway for foundation-equivalent doctors to start their training in surgery, leading to higher surgical training. CST is a highly competitive programme which…
CST Portfolio Self-Assessment Guide 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
Core Surgical Training (CST) is one of the most competitive core training programmes out there, and your CST portfolio self-assessment score in 2024 could make the difference between getting your…
You Will Make Mistakes… and That’s Okay
Category: Experiences
By Dr James Davidson Founder of MedCourse Black Wednesday is upon us once again – a day where most trainees change their rotation and thousands of freshly qualified doctors hit…
The 34 Best Free Resources for UK Junior Doctors 2022
Category: Career Tips
As part of our #BlackWednesday series, we will cover 34 of the best resources for those FY1 (foundation year 1) doctors landing on the wards for the first time on…
My COVID Meltdown | Dr Besu Asfaw
Category: Experiences
Written By Dr Besu Asfaw Clinical Fellow in Medical Microbiology, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust On the Second Anniversary of the Beginning of the UK’s Pandemic Response I considered myself a…
Ultimate Guide to Quality Improvement Projects
Category: Career Tips
Quality improvement is a core part of working within NHS and healthcare environments. Every department within a trust will be running several quality improvement projects at any given time to…
The Ultimate Guide to ACCS Training 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
Adrenaline junkies rejoice! Doff your bike helmet, slam the remains of your coffee, and have a gander at the options that Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) Training can bring to…
IMT Interview Guide 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
So, you’ve decided to apply for IMT, nailed your application, and have been shortlisted for an Internal Medicine Training (IMT) interview. What next? In this guide, we’ll run you through…
IMT Application Scoring 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
Let’s not kid ourselves – for eligible candidates, the self-assessment score for IMT application in 2024 is the single most important part of the application process (right up until the…
The Ultimate Guide to Internal Medicine Training (IMT) 2024
Category: Speciality Guides
Have you ever sat in a medical handover, exhausted following 12 hours of extinguishing fires across the hospital, and listened to the conversation between medical trainees thinking “I have no…