Courses & Conferences to Attend
I attended several conferences in my foundation years and internal medical training, including the ESOC-WHO joint conference, RCP Acute Medicine conferences and infectious disease conferences.
I also went to a few sleep courses as this was my area of interest. However, prior to starting training, I did not attend any neurology-specific conferences.
Looking back, I definitely recommend the ABN (Association of British Neurologists) conference, not only because it provides up-to-date teaching but also because it would be a great venue to meet neurologists and for you to find out more about what life as a neurologist really is like.
How to Maximise Your Portfolio
I think the two easiest ways to gain points are teaching and QIP.
Teaching - if you are at a teaching hospital, speak with the undergrad admin team and they should be able to give you a list of medical students who you can email or you can even teach foundation year doctors if you are a SHO.
QIP - pick a simple project with a practical way to complete 2 cycles e.g. questionnaire before and after teaching in your area of interest. With the QIPs, this should then give you the opportunity to present at conferences & get publications.
Similarly, case reports might be useful for posters or publications. If the poster is particularly good there might be an opportunity to present orally and this could be a way to get prizes (which worked out for me).
What is also really important is to get the help of a consultant in your area of interest who will be able to review the poster/publication as well as advise on which journals/conferences to submit to.
Making the Most of Your Day Job
I think the day job is a great way to meet consultants/ SPRs who might have a project.
It definitely helps to vocalise your interest in the specialty and sometimes chatting with your peers with similar interests can also be very helpful.
Obviously if on a neurology rotation, the day-to-day job is an invaluable learning opportunity. But not everyone will have this opportunity.
However, there are loads of ways to maximise neurology exposure in other jobs e.g. on the acute take and every consult with the neurology SPR, e.g. learning the pre-screening tests for giving chemotherapy/ immunosuppressive agents like rituximab can be very useful.
Making the Most of Neurology Placements
Great opportunity to:
- Ask to hold the referral phone, do as many LPs as possible/ other procedures e.g. GON blocks/ botox
- Pick up projects
- Establish networks - consultants/ SPRs who might be able to help with application
- Find out what life is like as a neurology SPR
What About Non-Neurology Placements?
As above - learn bits which may be useful for neurology.
However, neurology is now a group 1 speciality and your interview will also have an “Are you a good med reg” station. So having gen med experience will be very useful in helping you manage your future neurology patients holistically and developing your transferable skills like prioritising and remaining calm in stress.
Top 3 Tips for Getting Into Neurology
- Speak to as many neurologists as you can.
Specialty applications are a two way selection process. You want to know that you really love the specialty and the job you will be doing, that there will be a good work/ life balance and you want to get a general vibe of your future colleagues.
- Don’t miss out on projects/case report opportunities.
Sometimes seniors will just casually remark “This might be a good case report/ project” - pounce on any such opportunities.
- Make the most of your past work
You have done more than you think - really think what might be worth points even if you think it is a little tenuous and don’t be afraid to contact consultants/courses from earlier in your career to write a letter phrased to support your application. E.g. I contacted the organisers of a conference I went to 2 years before I applied for a letter so that there was no ambiguity in how many points it should give. Incidentally, you get 2 extra points for having a well-organised evidence folder.
